Bikram Yoga Countdown; Day 7

Arde Kurmasana

Half Tortoise

Half Tortoise (with a crow perched on top)

What a great release! You’ve just done 5 back-bends in a row so you might be feeling a bit fed up. This is your chance to let go of pent-up agitation and step back into your centre. Half Tortoise is a very grounding posture. We use a similar variation (child’s pose) at the start of our Vinyasa yoga classes to get everyone calm and peaceful before officially starting the class.

Press your hips back towards your heels, and at the same time extend into the fingertips to ensure an effective spinal stretch. Half Tortoise also offers the chance to work with your breath. The lungs have a larger surface area in the back of the rib-cage than they do in the front. Being able to breathe into the back-ribs significantly increases the percentage of lung capacity you are using. You get more for less effort … yeeeah!