Explore the pose in detail
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Keep the belt loose enough to avoid pulling. Release it for pain, tingling or numbness.
Practising with care
If you have an injury or a medical condition, take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have another circumstance that may affect your practice, consult a qualified healthcare professional about suitable activities and necessary adaptations.
Learn new and demanding poses with a qualified yoga teacher. Adapt the range to your body and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. A short video illustrates movement; its length does not prescribe how long to hold a pose.
Headstands, shoulder stands and lotus are not starting poses for beginners. Injuries, balance problems or glaucoma are examples of reasons to assess suitability individually. Do not force a bind or use the body as leverage against the knee.
The pose in context
Gomukhasana in Gheranda Samhita 2.17 is described through the placement of the feet and heels beneath the seat and a steady seated body. The brief passage does not describe a handhold behind the back. It therefore records the older name and seated arrangement, rather than all arm variants used in later teaching.
Sources for this page
- Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā — translation by Sris Chandra Vasu (1895)2.17, p. 13 · Wellcome Collection
Yoga forms and variations
These links compare teaching contexts and related shapes. Read the named form, supports and limits on this page before using a position.