Hot Yoga Pose Forums > Ardha Kurmasana: Half Tortoise
Initially this pose was one I didn’t t feel like I was getting any benefit from. As I have continued to listen to the cues of pressing the spot between the forehead to the mat first by balancing the. Pressing down on the pinky fingers and locking the arms I feel that my hips stay down. The key for me is contracting the abdominals while bending forward.
Yes I ageee it can be easy to “get lost” in the pose. Every time I hear the cue of stretching the fingertips forward and wrists up, forearms up,elbows up I stay focused with my eyes open definitely reaping the benefits of massaging those tiny glands behind the forehead that otherwise would not even be noticed.
I often find myself putting pressure there with my fingers when I feel a headache/ migraine coming on which helps slow down the onset and intensity of one.
maria
Love this pose, massaging my pineal gland, my forehead, eyes open, but sweating, by this time. I don't really get lost in this pose. Wide awake. Tucking the tailbone helps the set up and get the most stretch.
amy
This is a powerful pose. It takes good strength to sustain good form in this pose for a double set. It is so gratifying. I love the image from the Master Book of your back being a plank when you bend forward. Recently I have been able to graze my hips to my heels. The key for me has been pushing into the blades of the pink fingers and contracting my lower abdominal muscles.
Jeanne
Such lovely awarenesses of how completely relaxing and also invigorating and expansive this pose can be...such as can be said of all the Hot 26 poses and I agree, this asana seems to embody that beautiful paradox especially powerfully.
Maria - I would love to call your awareness to this being the second time you commented that ease in a pose seemed to translate into "not getting any benefits"..and I invite you to change your thinking on that: ease IS the benefit and in feeling it you remove resistance to greater benefits that lie waiting for you do "ease up" on yourself...at which point the stretching is no longer a goal, its a joy, as you experience, Amy. And yes, pressing on this spot it wonderful for relief of headache...why not try the entire pose for that as well?
Not unusual at all to fall asleep in this pose, Steph: Kundalini yogis who use asana to balance energy note that 15 minutes in this pose is equivalent to 8 hours of sleep for balancing the sleeping/waking cycles, so go for it!
Jeanne it really is particularly satisfying to get the hips down on the heels and yes indeed, the blades of the pinky fingers (can you believe this the tiniest of body parts packs such power!) and contracting the abdominals are lovely tips for going deeper in this direction!
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I also love this pose, I am almost able to get my forehead to the floor without my hips coming up at all which tells me my abdominals are much stronger than they used to be. Like Amy I find it really helps with a headache. Once or twice I have been so into this pose I almost missed the cues to change. I really think I could fall asleep right there sometimes. Though I have to admit it can be kind of easy to hang out and not push for the stretch sometimes, and maybe sometimes that is the the thing to do, not push just relax and enjoy the feeling of being rooted into the ground.
Paula
I enjoy looking back on how I’ve progressed in this pose the past couple of years, and particularly since starting teacher training. I remember when I was like “no way I can ever get my forehead to the floor without lifting hips” but teachers would always say “one day it will happen”…and slowly but surely it had! It doesn’t always happen, actually more times than not I still lift my hips, but looking back on how far I come, it is really empowering and enforces the benefits of this practice. I find this pose very soothing.
It was helped to see Gabrielle’s tip for one of the common errors—feeling like a seesaw and being stuck between lifting hips or getting forehead down. I thought her tip to use first set to het hands and head down and second set to sit hips to heels was an interesting idea. I wonder what to do when it is an Express class though. I believe the contact on the floor for the forehead is where the benefits occur and is most soothing so that is where I prioritize. Especially because I am super motivated to have healthy sleep cycles and it sounds like this contact with the forehead is what facilitates that. :)
Pamela
I also find this pose energizing--constantly stretching forward. The hips are still not on the heels, but eventually I know they will be. I like the idea of doing this pose outside of class when I need a little energy boost--usually in the afternoon.
irenem
Paula, Pamela, Irene - agree, agree, agree! This is one of my favorites and Paula, though I used do enjoy that luxuriously restful feeling of forehead to the floor in favor of everything else, now I love going back and forth between basking streeeetttching the arms and feeling that little ache in the shoulders and lengthening, lengthening, lengthening everything...but I am a big fan of basking where you are and waiting for that impulse to push or stretch further. Pamela...do you think it was your teachers' prepaving that "one day your hips will touch the ground" that got you there lol? It all helps. And Irene, SOOOOOO glad to see that you said, "eventually I know the hips will be there" on the heels without explaining why they're not there yet (who know why? And why tell the story about it?? Good job!)
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I am learning to love that pose. For the longest time I had such a tight shoulders, neck and arms that I could not get my elbows off the floor. Now I can slightly lift my wrists. The stretch in the upper and shoulders body feels great even though it supposed to be working lower spine.
Irina
Haha, Irina, I had just commended Irene for not telling the old story of body limitations to explain an"unsuccessful" pose! Actually, Rabbit does indeed stretch the shoulders and release the traps as well as the thoracic spine as well as setting you up for a nice long stretch of lower spine to heels - and the more you slide the blades of the pinkies forward the more leverage you get for all of it, while you remain blissful resting on the pineal gland and feeling totally relaxed in the process of stretching further. Press on! To get those wrists off the ground, think also about bringing the elbows behind the ears
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I love the stretch of the arms, shoulders, and upper back in this pose. The forehead on the ground makes this a restful pose for me. Some days I bask in the restfulness of it, some days I go for the stretch.
Erica
Erica. the beauty is that you can do both! And thats true in every asana: you can REACH for the stretch and then RELAX into it! I always felt like someone just woke me up when I would come out of Arda Kurmasana, in a good way. In Kundalini yoga tradition, 15 minutes in this pose is equivalent to 8 hours of sleep in terms of balancing the biorhythms (which is what pressing on the pineal gland in an inversion does for you!)
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Wow! I have learned so much from the book and reading this. I am like a see saw on the descent and now I know focus on the plank and get forehead to the floor then lower the hips. Create that traction from fingertips to hips and use the breathe with a straight back while looking at the floor. Keep chin perpendicular to the throat, roll the shoulder blades in to extend and open the shoulders. With all this information I am curious to see the outcome of the release of these hormones- this is very powerful! I think This could be a great tool to calming the bodies automatic reaction to fight and flight. Is this a pose that could be done be itself in a daily basis?
Lisa N
Lisa- all the hotnyoga poses in sequence can be done on a daily basis! I hesitate to pull a post out of sequence but I get how tempting it can be. Still each pose is a yin to a yang and is best balanced by the pose before (in this case) or after. Yes your back is planklike in this pose: but you want to put your breastbone down first and your forehead after. Rolling the shoulders in is a someways confusing cue - and it’s one place where I disagree with the bool; I say to widen the chest for a breastbone descent, keep the collarbones pulling wide.
Rhonda Uretzky
Chrissy’s comment about the “burst of energy” is spot on to how I feel when I do this pose in class. It’s so hard to keep my eyes open because this pose just feels so good and relaxing and meditative that I want to melt my body into the mat snd jsut revel in it. However I keep my eyes open in class... I’ll admit if I do this one at hone, I relax and close my eyes. I’ve actually meditidated and fallen asleep in this pose but it’s been so rejuvenating and awakening. When I’ve meditidated in this pose I’ve gotten deeeper into my meditation than I ever have before. It’s amazing how eyes open gives the burst of energy but eyes closed allows me to sink deeper into my meditation. I love the imporance of one single simple cue and how much of a difference it can make.