Many of the yoga wanes are dedicated to and are said to mimic the myriad of creatures and life forms which inhabit the world. One such poet is Kurmasana, the tortoise. At first glance, it would seem incongruous for the yogi or Yogini, the thought of so often in poses of grace and flexibility, to be copying the slow. ponderous tortoise. Yet, according to the teachings of yoga, the practitioner has much to carry-on from the tortoise as well as from the pose itself.
Mythologically, Kurmasana has
deep roots in Indian literature. According to legend, Vishnu, the Protector of
the Universe and one of the triad of Brahma, the Creator, and Shiva, the
Destroyer, once became a tortoise in order to retrieve Amrita, the nectar of
eternal youth, for the gods; another version states that Vishnu is borne by the
tortoise.
Physiologically, the pose is a
valuable one because of the effects it has upon the hip joints and especially
the muscles of the legs. Because the femurs (thigh bones) are held stationary,
and the pelvis is moved over the heads of the femurs while coming into the paw,
the joint surfaces in the hips are moved harmoniously. This is the best
position for stretching the joint, more effective than raising the leg would
be, for example. In addition, the muscles of the inner thigh (adductors) and
those of the back thigh (hamstrings) are given a full w-e; these are the
muscles which tend to become especially tight from chair-sitting, and from most
of the movements characteristic of Western athletics.
The completed pose (not shown) IS
done by bringing the arms over the back, grasping the fingers, and tucking the
head under the crossed ankles. This would give a stretch in the back, as well
as to the front of the chest (pectoralis muscles), as the arms are stretched to
reach around the back.
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Psychologically, the pose
represents a great deal. It is a very real example of theconnectionamong the
various steps of Patanjab's Ashtanga Riga system. He presented his knowledge of
yoga in sutra form in approximately the 2nd century A.D. The steps include:
yams, social precepts, niyarna, personal practices of right living, asana,
conscious posture, pranayama, regulation of the energy associated with
breathing, Pratyahara, withdrawal of mental attachment to the objects of the
senses, and the last three internal limbs: dharana, concentration upon an
object; Dhyana, or meditative absorption into the essence of that object or
idea; and samadhi, a total unity of the Self with the Universe. Kumwsana joins
the practice of asana, which is the refusal to move, with the withdrawal of the
senses, Pratyahara, through the symbology of the tortoise. Just as the tortoise
withdraws his limbs to avoid danger in the world, the yogi or Yogini practices
to acquire a freedom from the world while existing in it. Kurmasana represents
the logic acknowledgement of the withdrawal of attachment to the desires of the
senses, which will continue to agitate the mind-stuff (cittam) until they are
no longer able to rule the mind. This is the essence of the practice of yoga.
It is interesting to note here
how yoga is an applied form of psychology. The asana, which at first appears to
be a mere physical movement, is representative of the more subtle aspects of
the philosophy and psychology of yoga. In philosophy there is no separation of
philoso y and ology; the act of doing asana is an outward expression of an
inward attitude.It represents a much deeper understanding of the mind than
just_a physical exercise would express. Each posture, whether it is an asana or
not, represents a mental attitude: sleep, anger, love, boredom, etc. What makes
any physical posture an asana is the consciousness that is directed through the
movement and the stain, through the breathing and the discomfort which may at
first be felt in the purse.
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By bringing consciousness to the
practice of Kurmasana, the yogi or Yogini learns the patience of the tortoise,
the joy of withdrawing into the Self, and the freedom that that conscious
withdrawal thing. Yet this is accomplished without shunning the external world.
Dwelling in the internal, but aware of the external, a dynamic balance is
established between the two.
The student can learn other
things about himself by practicing this pose. For example, it teaches one to
work consistently on difficult tasks. Since Kurmasana is rather difficult for
most people to do, it requires constant practice until one day one discovers
that what was once difficult is no longer so.The student who at first is
bewildered by the difficulty of reaching the floor In the forward movement of
the pose, learns that achieving that movement is not what the pose is all
about. What matters is what one learns about oneself during the process. If the
mind is observed in the practice of Kurmasana, the student can see aggression
welling up as he or she vows to achieve the pose, impatience as he or she does
not achieve the goal, frustration and then joy as the goal is at first
impossible to reach and then processed.
If the teacher points out, these
aspects of learning, the student will lye the physiological benefits of the
stretching of the legs and hip joints, as well as the stimulation of the
abdominal organs. But more importantly, Kurmasana will demonstrate how a task
is typically approached in life, and how that approach may be improved.When this
happens, the student must see that there is beauty in just doing. in responding
to life and in allowing the body-mind the freedom to adapt to Kurmasana,
without an attachment to the object of success or failure. As this insight
occurs, the student is making a connection between his or her mind and body,
which can be defined as health, and which is the prerequisite for the continued
unfoldment of yoga.
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