Sleeping TortoiseSave PDF
Supta Kurmasana
soup-tah KOOR-MAH-sah-nah
Stretches spine, shoulders and hips
Activates abdominal organs
Improves energy, refreshes mind
How to perform Sleeping Tortoise
- Begin in Tortoise. Externally rotate your hips and move your heels close to your head.
- Drop your shoulders down as you reach your hands behind you. Clasp your hands.
- Lift your feet with an inhale and cross your ankles over your head.
- Hold the pose and take slow, deep breaths.
- Release your feet and arms and rise with an inhale.
Alignment cues
- Shoulders drop down
- Bind hands before legs
- Pull head in
- Ankles crossed
Modification: Cross your toes, or cross your ankles underneath your head.
Avoid this pose if you have back or shoulder injury.
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Sleeping Tortoise (Supta Kurmasana in Sanskrit) is an advanced yoga pose that belongs to the forward bends and hip openers and seated categories. This asana targets glutes & hip flexors, shoulders and spine, and also involves middle back / lats and upper back & lower traps muscles. Sleeping tortoise activates abdominal organs; stretches spine, shoulders and hips and also improves energy, refreshes mind. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!
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Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
