What is Yoga Kuruṇṭa?
Yoga Kuruṇṭa means using ropes for the practice of yoga asanas. It was introduced to the modern world by the legendary Yogacharya Tirumalai Krishnamacharya who taught this art to his two disciples: K. Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengar. These two renowned teachers had spread this teaching. At the Iyengar center in Pune (RIMYI), wall and ceiling ropes were installed at the inception of the center in 1975.
The Yoga Koruṇṭa – or Yoga Kuruṇṭha is a 5,000 years old text on yoga, said to have been written in Sanskrit by an otherwise unknown author, Vamana Rishi, allegedly discovered by Tirumalai Krishnamacharya in the National Archives of India in the early 20th century, and supposedly lost when Krishnamacharya’s only copy was eaten by ants.
I studied the basic variations of rope practice in many classes with Prashant and Geeta Iyengar (B.K.S. Iyengar’s children) at RIMYI. Later, I learned more about this subject in Geeta’s book Yoga a Gem for Women. In that book, Geeta introduced six major variations (see section VIII). At the beginning of the section, she writes:
“Kuraṇṭi is a puppet, a doll made of wood. Puppet-shows are known all over the world, to children as well as to grown-ups. In yoga Kuruṇṭa, one learns to manipulate oneself in the various yoga postures by means of a suspended rope as if one were a puppet. Here, the puppeteer and the puppet are one, performing their own puppet show”. (p. 225)
Many of the variations in this book are more than just being suspended as a puppet, but require active work – with the help of the ropes.
In an interview documented in 70 Glorious Years of Yogacharya B. K. S. Iyengar (see p. 392), Iyengar explains ‘Yoga Kuruṇṭa’:
“My Guru had a handwritten book on yoga called ‘Yoga Kuruṇṭa’ in Sanskrit. In that book, there was a mention of wall ropes, like step-ladders. Except for one or two asanas, it was not as helpful as our ‘loose’ ropes which give more flexibility and scope for adjustments… The full range of action through loose ropes was my idea… By the way, Kuruṇṭi means puppet, a wooden doll. Puppet-show is well known all over the world. So ‘Yoga Kuruṇṭa’ is a method in which one learns to manipulate one’s own body in various yoga postures by means of suspended rope as if one were a puppet. Here the puppeteer and the puppet are one, performing their own puppet show.”
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The Benefits of Using Ropes
Indeed, Yoga Kuruṇṭa teaches to use gravity in order to open and extend the body and improve its flexibility while it is suspended and supported. Normally, gravity pulls us down, making us shorter and less spacious. Yoga aims to reverse, or at least slow down this process by creating lightness, space, and ease of movement. Using ropes, gravity extends and expands the inner cavities of our body, thus increasing the freedom of movement without exhaustion.
Yoga Kuruṇṭa also develops orientation in 3-dimensional space. It allows us to place the body in unfamiliar positions and experience the surrounding environment from new angles. This develops a sense of direction and courage. The ropes offer many options and variations to manipulate the body, thus adding interest to the practice and promoting creativity and innovation.
One of the first books to present variations of Yoga Kuruṇṭa is Yoga – A Gem for Women by Geeta Iyengar. In section VIII of the book Geeta continues to present the advantages of using the ropes:
“Performing Yogāsanas with the aid of a rope has many advantages. Difficult āsanas can be practiced with ease… The method is ideal for women who are heavy in the region of the thighs, the buttocks, the stomach, and for those who have become flabby after one or two deliveries.
By using ropes, the spine becomes supple, and even difficult āsanas can be done easily and safely. No jerking is felt, and a sense of direction is developed by regular practice. Old people can do Yoga Kuruṇṭa a without injuring themselves.”
Geeta explained in an interview how ropes can help the practice of backbends. Backbends take us to the unseen and unknown, which is behind us. People who do not practice yoga rarely bend backward. Yoga Kuruṇṭa is very helpful in this respect since it gives confidence to perform backbends.
Yoga Kuruṇṭa is very helpful in restorative inversions. Inverted poses are extremely important and their unique effects cannot be replaced by other poses. People with neck or shoulder injuries, who must avoid loading the neck, can still enjoy the benefit of inverted poses by hanging from a rope. When hanging from a rope, one feels lightness and experiences a celestial feeling of not being subject to gravity.
In my regular practice, I often imagine several helpers pulling strings connected to my skeleton in various positions, helping me to extend my limbs in the desired directions. We all know that helpers can often change the experience of the pose. An external pull teaches us to direct our actions and energy in a given direction. Using imagination in this way, I can benefit from this idea even when I practice on my own (which is usually the case…).
One advantage of imaginary helpers is that one can place any number of ‘helpers’, anywhere in space, even on the ceiling… This is helpful for several reasons; first, one needs to feel the exact location at which it is best to attach each string. Second, one needs to determine the direction and the force in which each string should be pulled. This develops awareness of the directions of the extension and expansion of the body in the pose.
When absorbed in this contemplation, one’s muscles are working on their own to move the body in the desired direction with much less effort.
Using ropes, you can develop this ability since you are either suspended or supported in ways that are impossible without ropes.
Ropes may also be used to prepare for Prānāyāma. For example, in rope-Śīrṣāsana the spine is extended and the rib cage is open and free to move. The rope enables one to remain for a long time in this position without effort, concentrate exclusively on the breath, and manipulate it in otherwise difficult ways.
To summarize, Yoga Kuruṇṭa can:
- Use gravity to open and extend the body
- Allow you to enjoy staying effortlessly in poses that are otherwise challenging or impossible (due to injury or movement limitations)
- Improve the awareness of breathing and expand its capacity
- Develop a sense of direction and courage
- Improve the ability to handle unfamiliar situations
- Improve flexibility
- Prepare the body and mind for advanced poses, especially backbends and inversions
We are all very grateful to Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar for introducing ropes into our practice and for developing innovative ways of using them!
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