Asana · Learn with a teacher

Kurmasana

Tortoise pose

Tortoise pose. A deep forward fold with the arms slid under the knees.

Awaiting subject reviewWritten from our source material and not yet checked by a teacher of this practice. Read it as reference, and learn the practice from someone who teaches it.

Meaning: kurma = tortoise, asana = seat or posture
Family: Seated forward bend
Level: Advanced
Gaze: Third eye

Take care

Learn this with a teacher. Avoid with a disc injury or shoulder injury.

Learn this with a teacher

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How it is done

1
Breathe out
Sit with the legs wide and the knees bent. Slide the arms under the knees, palms down, reaching out to the sides.
2
Breathe freely
Lower the chest and chin toward the floor, then lengthen the legs only as far as is comfortable. Stay for five breaths.

Holding it

Five breaths.

Making it easier

Keep the knees well bent, with only the forearms under them.

What the tradition says it does

Deeply stretches the back and hips
Draws the senses inward

As our source describes it. This is not a medical claim.

Variations

Supta Kurmasana
Sleeping tortoise pose
Sleeping tortoise pose. Kurmasana with the hands bound behind the back and the feet crossed in front of the head.
Forward bend · AdvancedLearn with a teacher

Sources and tradition

YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, p. 4
Ashtanga Primary Series as commonly taught in the Mysore style; sequence order and counts await subject review

Also known as Tortoise pose.

Awaiting subject review · revision 1 · updated 5 November 2026