Dvitīyopadeśaḥ (Āsana) · Verse 48
उत्तानकूर्मकाख्यातं देहदोषविनाशनम् | तत्प्रकारं प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणु त्वं कमलानने ||
uttānakūrmakākhyātaṃ dehadoṣavināśanam | tatprakāraṃ pravakṣyāmi śṛṇu tvaṃ kamalānane ||
Uttānakūrmakāsana — the extended tortoise. Uttāna means extended, stretched, intense. It is a deeper variation of Kūrmāsana.
Like other principal postures, it is a “destroyer of impurities.” The extension adds the element of opening to the containment of the base tortoise.
The pair Kūrmāsana/Uttānakūrmakāsana demonstrates the haṭha principle of polarities: contraction and expansion, containment and release, always balanced.