Kurmasana

(“tortoise-posture”) One of the sitting
postures (asanas) used in yoga; also
a posture in which images of the
deities are portrayed in Hindu
iconography. As described in commentaries on the Yoga Sutras, this posture
has the legs crossed with the feet
tucked under the thighs, and the crossed
heels forming a cavity around the
scrotum. In Indian iconography,
the Kurmasana is sometimes represented at the base of a statue by an
actual carving of a tortoise, forming
the base on which the image is placed.
In modern yoga manuals this posture
is described as a sitting position
in which the upper body is bent
forward, with the arms extended
sideways under the outstretched
legs, so that person looks vaguely
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Kunti
like a tortoise, with a head, “shell” (the
trunk), and four outstretched limbs.