I’m a serial sitter — like millions of other Americans, my day job involves sitting behind a desk and typing for a living, and my hips suffer because of this. One pose that came up as a relief for tight hip flexors in my last yoga class was the tortoise pose, so I tried adding this pose to my cooldown routine after my morning run for a couple of weeks — read on to find out what happened to my hip flexibility and mobility.
The tortoise pose, or kurmasana pose, gets its name from its resemblance to a tortoise emerging from its shell. It’s a pretty advanced pose, and is not recommended for women who are pregnant, or anyone suffering from sciatica, or a previous spine or hip injury.
If you’re in any doubt, always check with a yoga instructor to ensure you have good form and are not putting yourself at risk of injury.
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How to do the tortoise pose
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
- Start by sitting on one of the best yoga mats. Stretch your legs out in front of you.
- Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together. You can either stack your feet on top of one another, crossing at the ankles, or you can slide your feet forward to spread your legs wide into a ‘V’ shape. Do what feels more comfortable for you and your body.
- As you exhale, hinge forward at your hips and slide your arms underneath your thighs. Then rotate your arms so your palms are facing the ceiling and your arms are behind your body. Think about hooking your shoulders underneath your knees.
- Fold forward, lowering your head down to the floor between your legs. If you need, use a yoga block if you can’t quite get your forehead on the floor.
- Hold the pose here and keep taking slow, deep breaths. If your legs are in a V shape, you can deepen the stretch by straightening your legs. To progress the stretch, walk your hands up behind your back, and interlock your fingers.
- To move out of the stretch, gently and slowly bring your arms out from under your legs, and slowly roll back to a seated position.
I tried the tortoise pose to relieve tight hips — here’s what happened
I set out to see whether the tortoise pose would be what I was looking for when it came to easing my tight hip flexors. I did the stretch for a minute or so every morning for two weeks, and here’s what I noticed:
It took me a while to get used to the pose
I’ll admit, I haven’t been prioritizing yoga and stretching since I gave birth to my son 20 months ago. If I have time for a workout, I’ll often head out for a run or grab a set of the best adjustable dumbbells and do a strength workout. This challenge really helped me take a breath and focus on the areas of tightness in my body.
That said, my extended break from yoga meant I wasn’t as flexible or mobile in my hips as I used to be. I had to use a yoga block to rest my forehead on, as I’m still a way off getting my head down on the floor, but I could still feel the deep, intense stretch in my hips.
If you’re a complete beginner, this isn’t the pose for you. Start with a butterfly pose — you’ll still get a great hip stretch, but you’re less likely to hurt yourself.
My arms, legs, and shoulders got a stretch too
I was surprised at how much of a full-body workout the turtle pose gave me. I much preferred keeping my legs together and feet crossed, but on the days I tried the pose with my legs in a ‘V’, I could feel a deep stretch down the backs of my legs.
This pose also helped me open and stretch my shoulders — something I definitely need to do more, now I’m carting a toddler around on my hip a lot of the time.
The change in my hips was remarkable
After two weeks, this pose felt a lot easier, and my hips felt a lot more flexible. I’m still no yogi, and a way off getting my forehead to the floor, but it proves that practice really does make a lot of difference, and while they might not be perfect, my hip flexors are getting there.
Unroll your yoga mat and give this a go to break up the hours sitting at your desk — your hips will thank you for it.
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