An important part of yoga involves the practice of postures, or asanas.Traditionally, the names of yoga poses were in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. The names were often derived from things they resembled whether it be an animal, a flower or a wheel. However, some yoga poses get their names from ancient sages or Hindu myths.
Yoga
Yoga is one of six orthodox traditions of Indian philosophy. Yoga was systematized by the great sage Patanjali in his classical work, "The Yoga Sutras." Patanjali organized the practice of yoga into eight stages, the third being asana, or posture. According to yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar, the practice of yoga postures is the art of positioning the body as a whole with a mental, physical and spiritual attitude.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language used to name the original yoga postures. Most names of yoga poses end in "asana," which is Sanskrit for posture or pose. For example, mountain pose is "tadasana" in Sanskrit --"tada" meaning mountain, and "asana" meaning pose. If the pose involves specific movements in the body such as extension, intensity, reclining, twisting, etc., the appropriate Sanskrit term is added to the name of the pose. For example, extended triangle pose is "utthita trikonasana" -- "Utthita" means extended, "tri" means three, "kona" means angle, and "asana" means pose.
Postures
Some yoga postures were named after something they resemble, such as objects in nature, like tree pose, half moon pose or birds of paradise pose. Others are named after animals such as turtle pose, frog pose, cobra pose, camel pose or eagle pose. The shape your body takes in bridge pose and wheel pose are reflected in their names. Hero pose got it's name because it is the position great warriors sit in. This pose develops strength and endurance.
Other Meanings
Some yoga poses get their names from ancient yogic sages or Hindu myths. For example, vasisthasana, which is side plank pose with one leg extended, was named after the great sage Vasistha. Vasistha was the author of several Vedic hymns and is one of seven sages represented by the stars of the Great Bear. Plow pose, or halasana, gets it's name from the Hindu myth of Haladhara, which reminds us to plow the field of the mind with positive thinking.
References
- "Light on Yoga"; B.K.S. Iyengar; 1979
- "The Tree of Yoga"; B.K.S. Iyengar; 1988
- Yoga Journal Magazine; October 2010: Legendary Poses
- "Yoga, The Path to Holistic Health"; B.K.S. Iyengar, 2001
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