YanvaYoga > Yoga Poses > Cow Pose

Cow Pose - Bidalasana

Cow Pose - Bitilasana - YanvaYoga

Contents

Cow Pose or Bitilasana (Bit-ill-AH-sun-ah)is an easy, gentle way to warm up the spine before a more vigorous practice.

Bitilasana (Cow Pose), a backbend, is commonly paired with Marjaryasana (Cat Pose) at the beginning of a vinyasa flow to warm up your body—especially your spine—for other poses. Cow helps relieve tension in your upper body, especially in your back, shoulders, and neck, and it gently massages the spine to increase mobility.

Pose Detail

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1
Start on hands and knees ("table position"). The knees under the hips and the wrists under the shoulders.
Step 2
Elbows and shoulders in a line and perpendicular to the floor.
Step 3
Center your head in a neutral position and keep your eyes on the floor.
Step 4
Spread your fingers and push through.
Step 5
Tilt the pelvis back so that the tailbone is facing up. Make sure that your shoulders and knees stay in place. (Let this movement run from the tailbone over the spine so that your neck moves last)
Step 6
When you breathe in, lower your stomach and raise your chest (pull in your navel so that your abdominal muscles hold on to your spine)
Step 7
Roll your head gently back and look up.
Step 8
Exhale and return to the neutral "table position" on your hands and knees.
Step 9
Do this exercise in your breathing rhythm until your spine has become elastic or at least five repetitions.

Benefits and Contraindications

Benefits

Improves the flexibility of the spine

Relieves tensions around the lower back, middle back, neck and shoulders

Engages the core muscles to the maximum, making it strong

Strengthens the arms, shoulders and the wrists

Strengthens the hip joints, the knee joints and the shoulder joints

Gently massages the abdominal muscles, thereby improving digestion

Improves the body posture

Contraindications

Arthritis of the knee and wrists

Injury of the shoulders, wrists, neck, hip, knee and the back

Blood Pressure

Spondylitis

Migraine

Photo poses in different angles

Modifications, Props and Tips

  • If you have difficulty putting pressure on your knees, either fold up the side of the mat or place a blanket over the mat for extra padding.
  • For sensitive wrists, make a fist and support your weight with the tops of the fingers. Be sure you are rebounding by pressing into the floor and lifting your torso up, maintaining space in your joints. You can also use a small cloth under the heel of the hand to take pressure off the wrists.
  • If you experience notable discomfort even with these modifications, practice a seated variation of bidalsansa:
  • Sit on your mat with feet on the floor in front of you, knees pointed up. Hold below the knee, on the shins. Inhale and start the movement with your tailbone to expand your chest forward, neck lengthens and gaze up. Exhale as you round your back, gaze in towards your belly button.
  • Repeat 5 rounds with the breath.

Variations

Top Preparatory Pose

Top Follow-Up Pose

Iana Varshavska
Iana Varshavska
Website administrator

A digital marketer in love with yoga and everything that goes along with it. In 2021, her huge passion for yoga led her to yoga teacher trainings. After successfully completing her studies, Iana received her Yoga Alliance U.S. certification, left the corporate IT world and devoted herself to the development of Yanva. To be able to create the best online yoga space for yoga enthusiasts like her, Iana is constantly learning and improving her skills in various aspects of yoga philosophy, anatomy and biomechanics. Since 2021, she has continued to attend various types of teacher training, including yoga therapy, gives online and offline classes, and conducts local workshops for people who want to learn more about yoga. At the moment, Iana continues to work on her personal practice, improving her hand balancing skills, as well as developing her own training programs.