Even though the massive holiday which brings family and friends together just passed, the smell of a feast and happiness still flows in the air. Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, changes each year, but typically falls between January 21 and February 20 annually. Lunar New Year 2021 is on February 12 this year, and in terms of the Chinese zodiac animals, it’s the Year of the Ox.
Lunar New Year is a very long festival, so there are many ways to celebrate it. Many people visit family and friends to enjoy meals and exchange gifts, while others travel from abroad for a family reunion. For the Year of the Ox, it will be a special occasion for us. Let’s celebrate this long festival by practicing a cow pose with your beloved one!
The cow pose is a stretch to gently stretch and warm up your spine. This pose also helps improve posture and balance - ideal for those with back pain. The benefits of this synchronized breath movement will help you and your kids relax, easing some of the day’s stress. It is an easy pose, which can power up the brain and improve focus, coordination, and mental stability.
The cow pose only takes a minute and you can do as many in a minute as you can.
Here are the instructions:
Begin with a tabletop position, kneeling on all four. Place your wrist under your shoulders and your knees directly under your wrist. As you inhale, lift your bones upward, press your chest forward, and allow your belly to sink.
Lift your head, relax your shoulders away from your ears, and gaze straight ahead. Make the sound of a cow! Moo Moo!
As you exhale, come into cow pose while rounding your spine outward, tucking in your tailbone, and drawing your pubic bone forward.
Release your head toward the floor. Just relax!
Enjoy this pose by yourself or with your kids for five to seven rounds, before coming out of the pose!
Bring your friends and families to join this pose and learn their bodies!
References:
Cow pose (BITILASANA). (2007, August 28). Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/cow-pose/
