🐢
Minor wind

Kurma

Kūrma · कूर्म

The tortoise, which pulls its head into its shell. Governs blinking and the closing of the eyelids, and by extension the reflex that protects the eyes.

blinking eyelids tortoise protection
Group
One of the five upa-pranas
Governs
Blinking, eyelid movement, corneal moisture
Direction
Withdrawal
Name means
Tortoise
Related practice
Trataka, steady gazing
Sources
Gheranda Samhita, Ayurvedic compendia

What it does

Kurma closes the eyes, in reflex and in rest. The tortoise image is exact: withdrawal into shelter at the first sign of threat.

The practice that engages it directly is trataka, steady gazing at a flame, which works precisely by suspending this reflex for as long as is comfortable.

Withdrawal

The same word appears in pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses that Patanjali lists as the fifth limb of yoga, and the tortoise is that limb's standard image. Kurma is the small physical version of a large contemplative move.

Related

●
Its practice

Third eye chakra

Ajna, where trataka is aimed.
🤧
Its group

Krikara

The minor wind of sneezing and hunger.

Frequently asked questions

বায়ুসমূহ

সাম্প্রতিক পোস্ট

ট্যারো কার্ডের প্রাচীন প্রজ্ঞা আবিষ্কার করুন এবং আপনার আধ্যাত্মিক যাত্রার রহস্য উন্মোচন করুন। ট্যারো পাঠের সমৃদ্ধ প্রতীকতত্ত্ব, অর্থ ও ব্যবহারিক প্রয়োগ বুঝতে আমাদের ব্লগই আপনার প্রবেশদ্বার।