Kurmasana or Turtle Pose is a Sanskrit yoga asana pronounced as: Koohr-Mah-Sah-Nah. Kurmasana or the tortoise pose resembles a tortoise that retreats into its shell when threatened or agitated, the name comes from the Sanskrit words “karma” meaning tortoise and “asana” meaning pose.
Practicing Kurmasana allows you to draw your entire soul inward and drastically cut out the clutter of the outer world, giving you a euphoric feeling of connection with your inner world.
We will explain everything you need to know about Kurmasana in a short, simple way, for example how to do Kurmasana (Turtle Pose), precautions to take, tips that you should know as a beginner, some variations of the Kurmasana pose, something very important and part of the center of this article are the benefits of Kurmasana, the preparatory poses and the follow-up poses
What you should know before practicing Kurmasana
Make sure to practice Kurmasana early in the morning on an empty stomach, Brahma Muhurta, which is about an hour and a half before sunrise, is the best time to practice Kurmasana as the mind is inherently calm so this is what makes it easier. for you to draw into your mind and body.
Like getting up as early as 5 a.m. It is not possible every day, you can practice Kurmasana in the evenings too, but make sure there is an optimal interval like 4-6 hours from your last meal.
At night, you might have to desire your mind before it gets the right attitude or moment, otherwise it becomes difficult to stay focused and embark on an inward journey.
When you have an advanced level of Ashtanga style which will last from 30 to 60 seconds you will strengthen your abdominal muscles and achieve stretching of the spine and legs.
How to Do Kurmasana or the Turtle Pose
You can assume to do Kurmasana in four steps, sit with your legs extended and your back straight.
Place your arms next to your hips. Keep your legs arms-width apart and press your thighs toward the floor.
Raise your chest and take a few deep breaths.
Bend your knees and bring your feet closer to your hips, stretch your arms forward between your legs, and bend your torso down and forward along with your arms.
Bend your knees more to make it easier for your shoulders to go under your knees.
Next, switch your arms straight out to your sides, now draw your thighs in 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.
Lower your head with your chin touching the ground and look down, extend your arms out to the sides as far as you can, relax and take a deep breath, hold the pose for a few seconds before relaxing.
Precautions to take
When you perform Kurmasana, if you feel pain in your knees, you should move your arms slightly in front of your sides to ease the pain.
You must prepare your body to assume the Kurmasana, do the necessary preparatory postures before assuming the pose, also you must know the limitations of your body and when to stop.
Avoid the pose if you are pregnant or menstruating, it is best to skip the pose if you have herniated discs and lower back muscles.
If you have a shoulder, hip or arm injury, do not practice Kurmasana, do not overload your muscles while in the pose, if you are suffering from sciatica or chronic arthritis, you should avoid the pose.
Kurmasana is an advanced pose, and it takes a certain amount of time to get into it properly, do it under the guidance of a yoga instructor to make it easier for you.
Once in the pose, if it becomes difficult to keep the heels of your feet on the ground, place pillows or folding blankets under your legs.
Kurmasana Pose Variations
If doing Kurmasana becomes difficult, you can try Ardha Kurmasana, which involves sitting in Vajrasana and bending your torso forward with your head touching the ground.
Your arms should reach forward and your chest should touch your thighs.
You can try Supta Kurmasana if you are comfortable in Kurmasana and want to go deeper into the pose, all you have to do is take your arms behind your back and bring your palms together, get your legs above your arms and the head and should keep them crossed one on top of the other.
Benefits of the Kurmasana pose
Kurmasana improves the functioning of your digestive and respiratory systems, it will relax your neck, head and shoulders.
Stimulating the abdominal organs and relieving flatulence, the pose releases tight knots in the lumbar and sacral areas of your body.
It improves your memory by increasing blood flow to the brain, the asana helps people suffering from asthma and constipation, takes care of all back problems and treats insomnia.
Kurmasana lengthens the spine and opens the shoulders, it is a stress reliever and withdraws your senses, it calms your mind and prepares you for meditation, the turtle pose refreshes and rejuvenates you.
It is good for your nerves, improves your posture and is good for those who suffer from cervical disorders, helps you breathe well and makes your body flexible and toned.
There are preparatory poses and they are Uttanasana, Paschimottanasana, Dhanurasana and there are Follow up poses like Bhujangasana, Matsyasana and Chakrasana.
In order to get back to work and assess yourself, it is essential that you spend time in solitude, cutting off external noise.
Kurmasana pose is designed in a way to help you do that, add the asana to your exercise regimen as regular self-monitoring will save you a lot of trouble.
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