Yoga Insights: Preparatory Poses and Follow-Ups for Kurmasana

What is Kurmasana (Turtle Pose)?

Kūrmāsana is derived from Sanskrit words – Kūrma meaning “Turtle” or “Tortoise” and asana meaning “Meditative Pose”.

Kurmasana teaches the yogi the ability to stay grounded, even in moments of disturbances and chaos as special characteristics of a turtle. Slowing down, pacing yourself. They are the Symbol of the world, of the Earth. Turtles have been known to be some of the oldest living species on earth. Having numerous mentions in every mythology and belief system around the world. They are a sign of longevity to many. They have been present in their current evolutionary form the last 250 million years and are generally distinguished by the bony shell that is around their bodies.

Kurmasana Preparatory Poses are essential for easing into Turtle Pose Yoga. Practicing forward bends and hip openers helps prepare your body for Kurmasana. The Kurmasana Benefits include enhanced flexibility, stress relief, and improved circulation. Utthita Kurmasana, an advanced variation, further boosts flexibility and strength.

Powers Of Turtle

Physical Powers

Growing to formidable sizes, they generally are slow and described as some of the gentlest creatures because of their outward appearance. Many tortoises have been documented to be among the oldest living animals on earth and there are many theories that surround this phenomenon. Some of them have lived to an estimated age of 250 years and generally, many of them survive for anywhere from 100 to 180 years on average.

Scientists and yogis attribute this to its slow metabolism, which is generally believed to arrest physical aging. Many have even claimed this as a result of their slow rate of movement, saying it requires them to breathe less and eventually makes them burn very minute portions of energy in the process. Yogis acquire this stamina and strength by performing Kurmasana pose.

Turtles are some of the most efficient swimmers and despite the heavy shell that they possess, they can roam very freely in waters. Being ectothermic or cold-blooded, they depend on external temperature to regulate their body heat. Turtles become less active in the cold. During times when the temperature drops, they go into hibernation. And many of them hibernate without breathing in the mud at the bottom of the pond. When they do this, their heart rate slows rapidly and they ‘breathe’ anaerobically using fats stored during the summer months. 

Mental Powers

Everything about Turtle is mysterious in all that it does. In tests, turtles have demonstrated that they can navigate networks. They also have a memory about complex instances that can last up to 8 months or more. Likewise yogis may acquire the strong memory power with regular practice of Kurmasana. They may achieve focus, concentration and ability to sense things around them. Yogis may also get the power of intuition which can help them to discriminate things correctly in day to day life activity.

Turtles have Natural Compasses – Turtles roam the ocean and return to breed at the same beach where they were born after 30 years. They have in-built tiny magnetized particles which sense the strength of magnetic fields helping them point out their angle to the earth- kind of like gridlines on a map – using powers far beyond our comprehension.

Psychic Powers

Tortoises have an inherent knowledge and ability to survive. The eggs that hatch the young are completely on their own and the mother is not around to guide them on the ways of life. They begin their long lives alone. It has been found that the liver, lungs, and kidneys of even a 100 year old turtle is virtually indistinguishable from those of a maturing counterpart. This inspired genetic researchers to begin examining the turtle genome for longevity and the ultimate knowledge on how to live long.

Sea turtles can easily adapt their sharp vision from water to land, enabling them to find food efficiently. A turtle’s sight is so advanced, that they are able to distinguish pattern and shape differences. Turtles lack the eardrum or tympanum that other species have. This doesn’t stop them from being able to pick up deeper sound frequencies and vibrations. They can do it both in water and on land.

How To Do The Asana

Overview & Steps

• Sit down with your legs spread out and back erect. Place your arms alongside your hips.
• Keep your legs arms’ distance apart and press your thighs into the ground.
• Raise your chest and take a few deep breaths.
• Bend your knees and bring your feet closer to your hips.
• Stretch your arms forward in between the legs and bend your torso down and forward along with the arms.
• Bend your knees further to facilitate your shoulders to go beneath your knees.
• Then, shift your stretched arms to the sides.
• Now, bring your thighs inwards and through them, apply pressure on your shoulders to bring your face and chest forward and down.
• Straighten your legs and make sure your inner thighs touch your side ribs.
• Bring down your head with your chin touching the ground, and gaze downwards.
• Extend your arms sideward as much as you can. Relax and breathe deeply. Hold the pose for a few seconds. Relax.

Safety & Precaution To Prevent Injuries

• During the pose if you feel pain in the knees, move your arms slightly forward from the sides to ease the pain.
• Once in the pose, if it becomes difficult to keep the heels of your feet on the ground, place pillows or folded blankets below your legs.
• Your arms must stretch out forward, and the chest should touch your thighs.
• Keep the spine erect as hunching will lead to misalignment of the body in the pose.
• Don’t hold the pose for too long as that may strain the muscles of your arms. Practice as per your strength and capability.

Anatomy Of Kurmasana

In this pose, the spine flexes, the scapulae abduct, the hips flex and abduct, and the knees flex. Once the arms are in position under the legs, the reverse actions occur – spinal extension, scapular adduction, hip extension and adduction, and knee extension. Because the arms are bound under the legs, the action can potentially be forced into vulnerable spots, the spine could over flex in the lumbar or thoracic regions, or the hamstrings could over mobilize at their attachment on the sitting bones.

Preparatory And Follow Up Poses

Preparatory Asana –

• Utthita Parsvakonasana
• Adho MukhaSvanasana
• Uttanasana
• Garudasana
• Utkatasana

Follow Up Asana

• Dandasana
• Setu Bandh asana
• Halasana
• Sarvangasana

Key Alignment Of Asana

Importance Of Breathing In Kurmasana

While performing this pose, the diaphragm receives considerable compression. The lungs and chest are pressed towards the floor and the upper torso is contracted. This will open up the lungs to take deep and slow breathing in and out. In this posture, a sense of breath awareness is cultivated. This will provide sufficient oxygenated blood circulation across the body. This may also help to give strength to perform the pose at ease. Focus on breath may lead the practitioner to maintain the pose for an extended time period. 

Process Of Meditation In Kurmasana

(Sthiram Sukham Asanam)

Once the absolute stillness is achieved on the final pose, practitioners can focus their awareness on the visualization process. Now visualize that, Turtle is leading you to new undiscovered treasure if you can tap into the rhythmical vibrations of a deep meditative state, where you will be taken to lands filled with treasure, and it will be your challenge to learn how to bring the treasure back with you. This hidden treasure will give you longevity, wisdom and clear vision. This may help you to lead towards the process of meditation. 

Benefits Of Kurmasana

1. Physical Benefits

• Kurmasana improves the functioning of the digestive system and arrests the disintegration of these organs.
• It releases the tight knots in the lumbar and sacrum areas of your body.
• It is also good for healthy respiration and recharges the lungs to breathe deeper and more effectively like a turtle. Thereby increasing longevity.
• This asana is also good for strengthening the nervous system and provides sharper senses.
• This asana helps to awaken the body’s metabolism and improves blood circulation.

2. Psychological Benefits

• Insomnia and other sleeping disorders can be alleviated by the practice of this asana.
• It helps to create calmness and destroys depression and its causes.
• It improves logic based on instinct and allows one to think and find solutions to various problems in life, quickly.
• This asana is a very effective stress buster and allows you to withdraw the senses into yourself to introspect. Similar to a tortoise receding into their shells.
• A beneficial anxiety buster, Kurmasana destroys any anxious thoughts springing forth in one’s mind and allows them to become still.

3. Mystical Benefits

• Practicing this pose allows one to introspect extremely deeply. One can understand metabolism and other aspects which affect longevity. This can increase the Power to Heal and teach how to live longer.
• Memory powers and Power of experiences increases, allowing them to tap into deeper subconscious thoughts like a baby tortoise and survive more instinctively without support. This is a mystery to many of us with our hectic daily lives.
• Concentration power has benefited immensely as well. Allowing us to focus on deeper vibrations and sounds around us, which can be a very fruitful experience.

4. Spiritual Benefits

• One of the most apt preparatory asanas for meditation, Kurmasana gives calmness to the mind and slows one to dive deeper within them.
• Regular practice stimulates the solar plexus and overcomes worries.
• Practicing this asana gives a sense of absolute calmness and cultivates happiness within the practitioner.

Above all qualities make the practitioner’s overall personality very attractive and develop the sense of responsibility towards others. Cultivates the feeling of serving others who are sick and are in bad situations and caught up in their social life. 

Contraindications

• Avoid the Kurmasana asana (turtle yoga pose) if you are suffering from Hip, shoulder or arm injury, Tight lower back muscles, Slipped disc, Sciatica, Chronic arthritis etc.
• Pregnant and Menstruating women should avoid this pose.

Also Read – Are You A Fan of Hot Yoga? Sweat It All Out with These 26 Bikram Yoga Poses

Conclusion

Explore preparatory poses and follow-ups for Kurmasana in our Yoga School. Incorporating this pose into your practice can lead to significant improvements in overall well-being. For those interested in deepening their yoga journey, consider enrolling in a yoga teacher training program. Rishikul Yogshala Rishikesh, a leading Yoga school, offers comprehensive courses like the 100 Hour Yoga Teacher Training In India, 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training In India, 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training In India, and 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Training India. These programs are designed to help you master your practice and share the transformative power of yoga with others.