Gorakshasana (Sanskrit: गोरक्षासन, IAST: Gorakṣāsana, Cowherd pose) is a seated asana in hatha yoga.[1][2] The Sanskrit word āsana (आसन) means "posture" or "seat".Gorakshāsana is a seated pose with the soles of the feet pressed together and the knees on the ground, as in Baddha Konasana (in medieval times known as Bhadrasana), with the difference that the heels are under the body.[1][5] The pose is sometimes described as having the toes on the ground with the heels directly above them, as in Mulabandhasana.[6] The name Gorakshasana is given to a different balancing pose in B. K. S. Iyengar's 1966 Light on Yoga, where the legs are folded as in Padmasana with the knees only on the ground, the hips directly above the knees, and the hands in prayer position.
"Bhadragorakhasana" in an illustrated 1830 manuscript of the
Joga Pradipika