Yoga for cyclists: Cow Face Arms pose by Total Women’s Cycling a Road Cycling video by Total Women’s Cycling
The Cow Face Arms pose is great for opening the shoulders and upper arms which can become tight and rounded from a lot of cycling.
How to do the Cow Face Arms pose:
- Take the left hand up between your shoulder blades or as high as you can get it, with the palm of the hand facing away from you
- Inhale the right hand up and as you exhale, bend the right elbow and take the right hand towards the left hand, see if you can hold the hands behind the back
- If you canʼt reach donʼt worry, grab a strap or a belt and hold onto it with both hands
- Work the hands closer together over time
- Stay here for 5 to 10 breaths and then release and repeat on the other side.
What to watch out for with the Cow Face Arms pose:
- Your head tends to get pushed forward or to the side when trying to reach the hands
- Once you have hold of the hands or the strap just check out the position of the head and try to re-align the head and neck
- Try to open the top elbow back towards the wall behind you
- The lower back will also tend to overarch, to counteract this try drawing the navel in towards the spine to firm the lower belly.
Our instructor is Polly Clark; yoga teacher and founder of Mountain Yoga Breaks who offer weekends combining mountain biking and yoga in the beautiful Welsh countryside.
