kumasana
How to do Kurmasana, the Tortoise pose
- Take your time in warming up, contacting the tortoise's quality of slowness. Focus on preparing, rather than aiming for results. I like to warm up my entire body with Sun Salutations, as well as working specifically with shoulder and hip openers.
- When you're ready, come to sitting. Bring the soles of your feet together, allowing the legs to gradually release toward the floor. Continue the practice of tortoise-like patience.
- Breathe into your back and slowly bend forward from the hips, slipping your hands around your ankles and letting the head relax. Be content wherever you are, allowing the breath to help you. Feel your back like the tortoise's shell and become aware of the space you have created and now rest within.
- To come out, relax your hands, walk the feet apart, and straighten your back. Take time to observe the effects from the Tortoise pose. You can lie on your back with knees bent to release.
- If you have very flexible shoulders, an option is to thread your arms, one at a time, under the thighs and extend them behind you. Listen to your body.
Reflections:
- In mythology, the tortoise is related to the sun moving across the sky, searching for a place of rest. As you practice the Tortoise, ask yourself: Will I ever find that inner place of rest?
- The sea turtle lays her eggs in the sand and leaves them to find their own way to the ocean. Some of the hatchlings make it, while many others die. Think of the turtle eggs as your own thoughts. Which of the many ideas are worth attending to? What is their nourishment?
- Chant OM as you hold the pose, feeling the resonance in your body as you create a sacred space for yourself.
This material is provided courtesy of ascent magazine. Click here to read the full article.
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