Cowherd Poseगोरक्षासन

Sit with the soles of the feet together as in Bound Angle and draw the heels in close to the body. Turn the soles further upwards so the feet form a cradle in front of the pelvis. Come up onto the knees and shins, keeping the heels together underneath the seat. Sit back down onto the upturned heels, using a folded blanket underneath if the ankles protest. Rest the hands on the knees, lift through the spine, and hold briefly. Hold for 15–30 seconds.

Primarily the hip adductors, ankles, quadriceps, with the spinal erectors, feet, pelvic floor assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: holds both ankles and feet in an extreme turned-out, flexed position under body weight.

Any knee injury or knee replacement — skip; the joint is bent and rotated under load. Ankle or foot injury, plantar fasciitis, or bunion pain. Recent hip replacement. Balance loss, since the base is very narrow — practise beside a wall. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.

No. Cowherd Pose is rated advanced. The shape itself is rarely the problem — arriving at it years too early is. Work through the beginner and intermediate seated poses on this site and learn this one in person.

The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Cowherd Pose sits closest to Compendium code 02175, yoga, Power, at 4 MET — about 147 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.