Cow Pose

Bitilasana

Cow Pose aka Bitilasana is often paired with Cat Pose as a gentle flow that softens the spine and warms up the body for your practice.

Common Name: Cow Pose
Sanskrit Name: Bitilasana (biht-LAHS-anna)
Level: Beginner
Pose Type: Backbend, Chest Opener
Target Areas: Neck, Chest, Front Torso, Back

Cow Pose aka Bitilasana, is an all-levels backbend and chest-opening pose that is usually performed with Cat Pose in order to warm up the spine and release the back. Cow Pose helps relieve tension in your upper body, focusing on your shoulders, back, and neck, as it gently massages the spine to increase mobility.

Cow Pose Steps

Step 1

Start in tabletop position. Arms are stacked directly under the shoulders and knees are stacked directly under the hips.

Step 2

On an inhale, press into the palms and begin to drop the belly down towards the mat, creating a gentle arch in your spine. Try to create this backbend in the upper part of your back, rather than the lower back.

Step 3

Continue pressing down into your hands so that your shoulders come away from your ears on this same inhale and gaze upward, keeping your neck elongated.

Step 4

Exhale and follow this pose with Cat Pose.

Modifications

If you experience pain in your knee caps during this pose, you can place a folded towel underneath the knees.
If you experience wrist pain from placing your hands at 90 degrees with your wrists, you can create a ball with your fists instead of placing the palms flat. Again, you can place a towel underneath your fists if you experience pain in your knuckles.
If neither of the above modifications relieve knee or wrist pain, you can perform these same movements while seated in a chair by placing your feet flat on the ground and your hands on your knees, arching the spine in a seated position.

Benefits

• When practiced in conjunction with Cat Pose and synchronized with the breath, it helps to release and warm up the spine, as well as improve focus and relieve stress.