51 Yoga Poses and Their Sanskrit Names
If you have been doing yoga, even as a beginner, your teacher most often uses some of the Sanskrit names during the class. Their use is broad from a few words here or there, to some classes that only use Sanskrit to talk about the yoga poses. You might have heard of the popular yoga pose sanskrit name “Chaturanga Dandasana“, which is a very common term in yoga and rarely described in other fitness classes. Which would mean “four-limbed staff pose” or better known as low-plank. In addition, we all know at least one Sanskrit word, which is Yoga!
Some knowledge to know before starting, the word “Asana” means pose in Sanskrit. During a Yoga class it is used to refer to a certain movement. Most poses “Asana” will include the word at the end of their sanskrit name. This simply describes the name given to the movement, adding the word “pose” at the end. For example, “crow pose” which is “Kakasana“. In this example, “Kaka” means crow with the word “Asana” for pose.
Why use yoga poses sanskrit names?
Wherever you are today, it is a language anyone can learn just like any other.
My recommendation, if you want to use it for yoga purposes, would be to start learning a few poses here or there. The more you practice and listen during your class, most likely you will end up with a few words. It is believed that this language offers more consciousness to your practice and can bring you to a deeper level.
Your teacher might use the yoga poses sanskrit names to honor and respect the culture and history of Yoga. Unlike other form of fitness classes, you can expect a higher spiritual practice in any given class. As mentioned above, it can also provide you with a deeper philosophical and spiritual practice.
Where does Sanskrit come from?
Sanskrit is a language that is a descendant of India and one of the three oldest languages in the world, being part of the Indo-European languages. Now only spoken by about 1% of the population of India. The first text found using Sanskrit was in 1500 – 1000 BCE in the book Rigveda describing hymns and praises.
Sanskrit is thought of as being a spiritual language that offers healing powers. It was and still can be used in Hinduism and Buddhism as a ceremonial language for religious purposes and rituals.
Did you know, it consists of 52 letters, 16 vowels and 36 consonants.
If you would like to learn more about Sanskrit, read the article below!
How to read Sanskrit
It might sound like a series of sounds that makes no sense sometimes, but by breaking down most syllables you start to make sense of the word used.
For example “Downward Facing Dog” is “Adho Mukha Svanasa” which is interpreted as “Down Facing Dog Pose”.
Here is a list of the most common words that you will see further below when we refer to them in yoga poses and their Sanskrit names are used. (The use of the accent has been removed in the list below)
Common Words in Sanskrit
- Ardha: Half
- Ashta: High
- Adho: Down
- Mukha: Facing/Face
- Svana: Dog
- Asana: Posture
- Urdvha: Upward
- Bhuja: To Bend
- Chandra: Moon
- Uttan: Intense Stretch
- Eka: One
- Anga: Limb, Body Part
- Mayura: Peacok
- Baka: Crane
- Kaka: Crow
- Ustra: Camel
- Bheka: Frog
- Raja: King, Chief
- Bheka: Frog
- Vrksa: Tree
- Dhanu: Bow
- Tri: Three
- Kapota: Pigeon/Dove
- Matsya: Fish
- Tittiba: Firefly
- Salabha: Locust, Grasshoper
- Garuda: Mytical Bird
- Kurma: Tortoise
- Go: Cow
- Pincha: Feathered
- Mayura: Peacock
- Pada: Foot or Legs
For further information about how to start yoga as a beginner, you can read the my article to ensure you have all the best tips to get you started.
51 Most Common yoga poses and their Sanskrit Names
1. Downward Facing Dog
Sanskrit Name: Adho Mukha Svanasana
2. Happy Baby Pose
Sanskrit Name: Ananda Balasana
3. Crescent Lunge Pose or Low Lunge Pose
Sanskrit Name: Anjaneyasana
4. High Lunge Pose
Sanskrit Name: Ashta Chandrasana
5. Half Moon Pose
Sanskrit Name: Ardha Chandrasana
6. Seated Spinal Twist Pose
Sanskrit Name: Ardha Matsyendrasana
7. Dolphin Pose
Sanskrit name: Ardha Pincha Mayurasana
8. Halfway Lift Pose
Sanskrit Name: Ardha Uttanasana
9. Bound Angle or Butterfly
Sanskrit Name: Baddha Konasana
10. Child Pose
Sanskrit Name: Balasana
11. Frog Pose
Sanskrit Name: Bhekasana
12. Cobra Pose
Sanskrit Name: Bhujangasana
13. Cow Pose
Sanskrit Name: Bitilasana
14. Chaturanga Pose
Sanskrit Name: Chaturanga Dandasana
15. Balancing Table Pose
Sanskrit Name: Dandayamna Bharmanasana
16. Bow Pose
Sanskrit Name: Dhanurasana
17. Three Legged dog
Sanskrit Name: Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana
18. Eagle Pose
Sanskrit Name: Garudasana
19. Cow Face Pose
Sanskrit Name: Gomukhasana
20. Plow Pose
Sanskrit Name: Halasana
21. Supine Spinal Twist
Sanskrit Name: Jathara Parivartanasana
22. Crow Pose
Sanskrit Name: Kakasana
23. Cat Pose
Sanskrit Name: Marjaryasana
24. Dancer Pose
Sanskrit Name: Natarajasana
25. Boat Pose
Sanskrit Name: Paripurna Navasana
26. Pyramid Pose
Sanskrit Name: Parsvottanasana
27. Seated Forward Fold Pose
Sanskrit Name: Paschimottanasana
28. Wide Legged Forward Fold Pose
Sanskrit Name: Prasarita Padottanasana
29. Pigeon Pose
Sanskrit Name: Kapotanasana or Rajakapotasana
30. Locust Pose
Sanskrit Name: Salabhasana
31. Corpse Pose
Sanskrit Name: Savasana
32. Bridge Pose
Sanskrit Name: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
33. Easy pose or Criss Cross Apple Sauce
Sanskrit Name: Sukhasana
34. Mountain Pose
Sanskrit Name: Tadasana
35. Triangle Pose
Sanskrit Name: Trikonasana
36. Seated Straddle Pose
Sanskrit Name: Upavistha Konasana
37. Wheel Pose
Sanskrit Name: Urdhva Dhanurasana
38. Upward Facing Dog Pose
Sanskrit Name: Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
39. Camel pose
Sanskrit Name: Ustrasana
40. Chair Pose
Sanskrit Name: Utkatasana
41. Goddess Pose
Sanskrit Name: Utkata Konasana
42. Extended Side Angle Pose
Sanskrit Name: Utthita Parsvakonasana
43. Lizard Pose
Sanskrit Name: Utthan Pristhasana
44. Standing Forward Fold Pose
Sanskrit Name: Uttanasana
45. Side Plank Pose
Sanskrit Name: Vasisthasana
46. Reverse Warrior Pose
Sanskrit Name: Viparita Virabhadrasana
47. Warrior III Pose
Sanskrit Name: Virabhadrasana III
48. Warrior II Pose
Sanskrit Name: Virabhadrasana II
49. Warrior I Pose
Sanskrit Name: Virabhadrasana I
50. Tree Pose
Sanskrit Name: Vrksasana
51. Wild Thing
Sanskrit Name: Camatkarasana
Other common Sanskrit name in Yoga
During your practice, you will encounter some sequences or words that are common and you should just learn them.
Some Common Examples of sanskrit used in yoga:
Surya Namaskar: Which means “Sun Salutation”, which represents 11 movements for Sun Salutation A and 19 movements for Sun Salutation B.
Namaste: Common gesture of hello or respect in India towards another person. The translation of Namaste is roughly “I bow to you” or “the light in me sees the light in you”
Yoga: The translation to English is “union”, “to yoke” or “to join”
Summary about sanskrit and yoga
There is a lot of debate in the western world about the use of Namaste, due to the meaning and the spiritual use. Not every teacher will be comfortable to use it, which is completely up to the teacher to do what is right for them.
Hopefully you learned a few things that will make your next practice that much more powerful and understand the difference between a standard fitness class and a yoga class. Maybe you can show off to some of your friends the new yoga poses and their sanskrit names you learned today!
PIN IT For Later!
