Yoga Asana Sanskrit

Front 1

Pada-

Back 1

Foot.
Mnemonic: "the PAD O' the cat's foot". Also sounds kind of like "Pedal" as in "bipedal".

Front 2

Hasta-

Back 2

Hand-

Front 3

Padangusthasana

Back 3

Big toe posture

Front 4

Padahastasana

Back 4

Hand-under-foot posture

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Front 5

Utthita

Back 5

Extended / reaching.
Mnemonic: YOU'D HIT A good posture after you really extended that one time.

Not to be confused with Uttana, "extreme / all out".

Front 6

Trikona

Back 6

Triangle

Front 7

Utthita Trikonasana

Back 7

Extended Triangle posture

Front 8

Parivrita

Back 8

Revolved, turned-around.
Mnemonic: Sounds kind of like "revolved". Lit. pari, "around" + vrtta, "turned".

Front 9

Parivrtta Trikonasana

Back 9

Revolved Triangle Posture

Front 10

Parsva-

Back 10

Side-, Flank-, pertaining to rib area.

parsva- = "side", purva- = "front", paschima = "back".

Mnemonic: Your PARtner is by your side, PURfection ahead of you, and your PASt SCHEMES are behind you.

Front 11

Padma-

Back 11

Lotus-

Mnemonic: "Om mani padma hum", the mantra of Avalokitesvara, can be translated as "the jewel in the lotus".

Front 12

Prasarita

Back 12

Spread-out, expanded.

Mnemonic: The PRESS ARE EAger TO spread the word.

Front 13

Purva

Back 13

"East", the front of the body


parsva- = "side", purva- = "front", paschima = "back".

Mnemonic: Your PARtner is by your side, PURfection ahead of you, and your PASt SCHEMES are behind you.

Front 14

-kona-

Back 14

-angle-

Front 15

Utthitta Parsvakonasana

Back 15

Extended side angle posture.

Or, as Simon's Providence class likes to call it,

Long! Side! Stretch!

Front 16

Uttana

Back 16

Intense or unreserved; all-out.

Not to be confused with Uttihita, "extended or reaching".

Mnemonic: YOU TAN in intense sunlight, YOU'D HIT A good position when you fully extended

Front 17

Prasarita padottanasana

Back 17

Wide leg intense stretch

(Prasarita, "spread"; pada, "foot"; uttana, "intense stretch"; asana, "posture")

Front 18

Parsvatanasana

Back 18

Intense side stretch posture





It's intense, but how is it a side stretch?

Parsva-, in addition to meaning "side", "flank", "costal area", "ribs", etc, has translations including "heaven and earth" and "side horse on a chariot".

Front 19

Utthita Hasta Pandangusthasana

Back 19

Extended hand-to-big-toe posture


(standing on one leg with the raised foot kicked out at chest- or head-height, gripping the big toe with the hand that's on the same side)

Front 20

Pandangustha

Back 20

your big toe!

Front 21

Ardha-

Back 21

Half-

Front 22

Baddha-

Back 22

Bound- (as in "caught" or "tied")

Front 23

Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana

Back 23

Standing bound half-lotus posture.

Literally: Ardha, "half", Baddha, "bound", padma, "lotus", uttana, "all-out/intense"


This is the one where you fold your raised leg so that the outer ankle is on (approximately) the hip-crease of the supporting leg, then add a forward fold.

Front 24

Utkatasana

Back 24

This is the one Simon likes to call the "awkward pose",
Michele the "chair pose".

Some of the literal translations of उत्कट, Utkata, are:

* Difficult
* Superior
* Gigantic
* Proud
* Furious
* Abundant
* Drunk
* Fluid dropping from the temples of an elephant in rut

WHAT. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN DO ANY OTHER POSE, EVER.


Not making this up.

Front 25

Utakata

Back 25

fierce, powerful

Front 26

Vira-

Back 26

Hero

Front 27

Virabhdrasana

Back 27

Warrior pose (any of them)

Front 28

Virabhadra

Back 28

Warrior, as in "warrior pose."

Actually the name of a mythical superhero created from a lock of hair torn from the head of Shiva, god of destruction.



Some Shiva symbolism: static, masculine; breaking-down / opening-up of egoic self

Front 29

Virabhadrasana 1

Back 29

The warrior pose where both hands are above the head

Front 30

Virabhdrasna 2

Back 30

The warrior pose where arms are extended front and back as though carrying a staff across your back

Front 31

Paschima

Back 31

"West", the back of the body

Front 32

Paschimottanasana

Back 32

"Intense west stretch", seated forward fold

Front 33

Dandasana

Back 33

"stick posture"

Front 34

Purvottanasana

Back 34

"Intense east stretch", kind of like an upside-down plank. Soles of feet and palms on the floor, face and chest to the sky

Front 35

Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana

Back 35

Bound half lotus intense west (back) stretch.

A seated forward fold with one leg extended, the other resting on the thigh as in half-lotus

Front 36

Tiryan Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana

Back 36

Horizontal-facing one-leg intense west stretch posture

Resembles the Western "hurdler's stretch." American sports medicine generally contraindicts this stretch. At any rate, the student must be able to do Virasana comfortably before attempting it without props.

Front 37

eka-pada

Back 37

one-leg

Front 38

Janu Sirsasana

Back 38

Single leg forward fold (lit. "knee head posture")

Front 39

Marichyasana

Back 39

Brahma's son posture. (Marichi is an ascetic sage in Hindu mythology)

There are three Marichyasanas: a seated twist with an arm-balance variation, a seated half-lotus with a forward-fold variation, and a more extreme (90º) seated twist. Pictured: the latter.

Front 40

Nava-

Back 40

Boat-. Easy mnemonic: "naval".

Front 41

Navasana

Back 41

Boat posture

Front 42

Bhuja-

Back 42

Shoulder-

Mnemonic: Hey kid, get your dad to BOOST YA up on his shoulders

Front 43

Pida-

Back 43

Pressure-

Front 44

Supta-

Back 44

Reclining-, Sleeping-

Mnemonic: SUPINE.

Front 45

Baddha Konasana

Back 45

Bound angle pose.

Resembles the old "butterfly stretch".

Front 46

Upavishta Konasana

Back 46

Seated angle pose.

Wide legs seated forward fold, hold the big toes if you can.

Balanced variation: gaze up and life the legs off the floor into a V, so you're balancing on your sit bones.

Front 47

Supta Konasana

Back 47

Reclining angle pose.

Resembles a plow pose, with legs wide.

Front 48

Supta padangustasana

Back 48

Reclining big-toe posture.

Lying on the back, one leg extended to the side with its big toe held by the same-side hand, face turned toward the opposite side.

Front 49

Ubhaya Padangusthasana

Back 49

Literally: Both big toes posture.





(This isn't in the manual but I swear Michele has taught it)

Front 50

Mukha-

Back 50

Face-

Front 51

Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana

Back 51

Upward facing intense west (back) stretch.

Almost a complete forward fold, face to shins, hands cupping heels, but balancing on your sit bones so your legs are almost vertical.

Front 52

Setu Bandhasana

Back 52

Bridge

Front 53

Setu

Back 53

Bridge, levee, dam

Front 54

Urdhva Dhanurasana

Back 54

Upward bow

Front 55

Alamba

Back 55

prop / support

Front 56

Salamba

Back 56

with a prop; supported

Front 57

Sarva

Back 57

Complete.

Mnemonic: Sounds kind of like SURVEY, where you try to take in the Complete picture.

Front 58

Anga-

Back 58

Limb- / Body-

Front 59

Salamba Sarvangasana

Back 59

Shoulder stand. Lit. "supported whole body posture"

Front 60

Matsyasana

Back 60

Fish pose.

Full lotus with a back bend, crown touching the floor

Front 61

Uttana Padasana

Back 61

Extended leg posture.

(Lying on the back with the face up, crown and sit bones touching floor, feet and arms pointing up/out at about 45º from the floor)

Front 62

Sirsasana

Back 62

Headstand!

Front 63

Baddha Padmasana

Back 63

Bound lotus posture

Front 64

Savasana

Back 64

Corpse pose.

Incorrect:

Front 65

Salabhasana

Back 65

Locust pose.

Mnemonic: you look kind of like a SLAB until you start the back bend part of this asana.

Front 66

Bhekasana

Back 66

Frog Pose.

Lying on belly, using the hands to hold the feet in the position they'd have in virasana

Front 67

Dhanurasana

Back 67

Bow pose.

Front 68

Ustrasana

Back 68

Camel Pose

Front 69

Bakasana

Back 69

Crane posture.

Not sure how (or if) this differs from "Kakasana", Crow posture.

Parsva variation:

Front 70

Bharadvajasana

Back 70

Bharadvaja's twist



Variations range from gentle:



... to risky:

Front 71

Ardha Matsendrasana

Back 71

I AM LORD OF THE FISHES

Lit. "half lord of the fishes posture"

The story goes that a fish hid under a floating leaf and eavesdropped on Shiva explaining the mysteries of yoga to Parvati. Shiva noticed that the fish had thus learned yoga, and so bestowed divine form upon it. THUS THE FISH BECAME THE FIRST YOGA TEACHER.

It's a seated twist.

Front 72

Eka pada sirsasana

Back 72

One foot behind the head

Front 73

Pincha Mayurasana

Back 73

Peacock feathers posture

Like a handstand, but balancing on the forearms.

Front 74

Urdhva Muka Vrksasana (vrik-SHA-sa-nah)

Back 74

Handstand. Lit. "upward facing tree"

Front 75

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana

Back 75

Revolved side stretch.

Front 76

Ardha Chandrasana

Back 76

Half Moon.

Looks roughly like a trikonasana but with the rear leg lifted off the floor to horizontal or higher.

Front 77

Garudasana

Back 77

Eagle Pose.

One leg balance, legs and arms twined.

Did you know that the Garuda is an important cultural figure in Indonesia?

We translate it as "eagle" but means something more like Roc or Phoenix.

Front 78

Chaturanga Dandasana

Back 78

Four-limbed Stick Posture

Chaturi, "four"; anga, "limb", danda, "stick".

Front 79

Svana

Back 79

Dog!

Mnemonic: "Dog svana eat everything they come across."

Front 80

Adho mukha svanasana

Back 80

Upward facing dog

Front 81

Janu

Back 81

Knee

Front 82

Sirsa

Back 82

Head.

Front 83

Virasana

Back 83

Heroic pose.

It takes heroic courage to do this with your knees.

Front 84

Setu Banda Sarvangasana

Back 84

Bridge.

Setu, "bridge", Banda, "bound", Sarvanga, "all limbs / whole body".

Front 85

Halasana

Back 85

Plow!

Front 86

Viparita Karani

Back 86

legs up the wall pose.

The literal translation for this is something like "inversion-doing". That's helpful.

Front 87

supta badha konasana

Back 87

Reclining bound angle pose.

Restorative.

This is baddhakonasana, but lying on your back with a strap around waist and feet which holds the heels close to the pelvis. You use blankets, bolsters, and blocks with abandon for this one.

Front 88

salamba setu bandha sarvangasana

Back 88

Supported bridge.

Literally "Supported bridge bound whole-body posture."

Resembles Savasana on a row of bolsters, with the lower legs strapped together, and the shoulders off the top bolster just enough to touch the floor.

Some benefits: Energizes thyroid, calming, benefits immune system.

Front 89

Supta Virasana

Back 89

Reclining hero's pose.

Set up like Virasana, then lie back on a wedge of bolsters that's higher at the head and lower at the waist. Can put a blanket tightly behind the knees if there's knee pain.