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Yoga Pose/Asana
Descriptive Terms Dictionary

Getting Started

Useful References

Use the descriptive terms list below to translate the meaning of your Yoga poses and to see the terms written in Sanskrit/Devanagari for a useful reference on each poses’ pronunciation.

To quickly look up/search for any term’s definition: hold Ctrl+F on your keyboard to use the “find” function.

Please note that Sanskrit is a phonetic language, which means that each letter used in the written form of any given word corresponds directly with the way that the word sounds.

Āsana (āsana) is pronounced aahhh-sa-na (long starting “a” followed by “sa” with an “s” sound like the one that appears in the word snake–since Sanskrit has three different “s” sounds–and a short “a” at the end of the word following the “n” sound. We know this is so because the word looks like this in Sanskrit Devanagari: आसन). आ is aahhh. स is sa. न is na. Āsana.

Color Key (To Identify How To Form Sound):

Red: Gutteral/Throat Sound | Orange: Palatal/Hard Palate Sound | Purple: Labial/Lip Sound  | Green: Cerebral/Retroflexive/Tongue Curls Back | Blue: Dental Sound

Simple Vowels

Sanskrit Simple Vowels

Compound Vowels

Sanskrit Compond Vowels

Anusvara (after sound) and Visarga (release)

sanskrit anusvara and visarg

Consonants
Sanskrit Consonants

From the Learn Sanskrit Project/Guide. Used under Creative Commons Attributions License. Website: https://learnsanskrit.org/guide.

Please note that the general letter guidelines that are included above do not include a breakdown of how consonants look when combined with one another or when combined with vowels, for a more detailed understanding of how to combine sounds to make words in Devanagari. Please refer to the link above for further learning.

Primary Descriptive Terms, Sanskrit/Phonetic Form & English Translations/Definitions

Please note that if you are new to Devanagari script and letter sounds, you can refer to the guide included above, or simply do your best to use the English transliterations below to pronounce any given word.

  1. Adho (अधो) | Down.
  2. Ānanda (आनन्द) | Bliss/Joy.
  3. Anga (अङ्ग) | Limb.
  4. Angushta (अङ्गुष्ठ) | Big toe.
  5. Ardha (अर्ध) | Half.
  6. Baddhā (बद्धा) | Bound.
  7. Bala (बल) | Child.
  8. Bhujanga भुजङ्ग | Snake.
  9. Chakra (चक्र) | Wheel.
  10. Chandra (चन्द्र) | Moon.
  11. Chatur (चतुर्) | Four.
  12. Danda (दण्ड) | Stick/Staff.
  13. Dhanura (धनुर) | Bow.
  14. Garbha (गर्भ) | Embryo in womb.
  15. Garuda (गरुड) | Eagle.
  16. Hala (हल) | Plow.
  17. Hasta (हस्त) | Hand.
  18. Jānu (जानु) | Knee.
  19. Jatarā (जतरा) | Belly/Abdomen.
  20. Kapota (कपोत) | Pigeon.
  21. Kona (कोण) | Angle.
  22. Makara (मकर) | Reclining Crocodile.
  23. Matsya (मत्स्य) | Fish.
  24. Mukha (मुख) | Face.
  25. Mālā (माला) | String of beads/Garland. Waste.
  26. Nakra (नक्र) | Crocodile.
  27. Nāva (नाव) | Boat/Large water vessel.
  28. Pada (पद) | Foot.
  29. Padma (पद्म) | Lotus.
  30. Parigha  (परिघ) | Bar that closes a gate.
  31. Parivrtta (परिवृत्त) | Twisted, revolved.
  32. Paripūrṇa (परिपूर्ण) | Full/Complete.
  33. Pashchimottana (पश्चिमोत्तान) | Instense stretch of of back side of the body.
  34. Prasarita (प्रसारित) | Wide.
  35. Pārshva/Pārshvo (पार्श्व) | Side.
  36. Parvata (पर्वत) | Mountain.
  37. Paryanka (पर्यङ्क) |Couch/Bed.
  38. Pinda (पिण्ड) | Round compact mass/Fetus-the body.
  39. Shalabha (शलभ) | Locust.
  40. Sālmba (सालम्ब) | With support/With a prop.
  41. Sarvānga (सर्वाङ्ग) | Whole body/Entire body.
  42. Setu (सेतु) | Bridge.
  43. Shava (शव) | Corpse.
  44. Siddha (सिद्ध) | Accomplished/Attained.
  45. Simha (सिंह) | Lion. 
  46. Shirsha (शीर्ष)| Head.
  47. Sukha (सुख) | Easy.
  48. Shvana (श्वान) | Dog.
  49. Tāda (ताड) | Mountain.
  50. Tola (तोल) | Weighing.
  51. Tri (त्रि) | Three.
  52. Trikona (त्रिकोण) | Triangle.
  53. Ubhaya (उभय) | Double/Both sides.
  54. Urdhva (ऊर्ध्व) | Upward.
  55. Ushtra (उष्ट्र) | Camel.
  56. Utkata (उत्कट) | Intense/Powerful.
  57. Utthita (उत्थित) | Extended.
  58. Vatayana (वातायन) | One who can run with the wind (horse). 
  59. Virabhadra (वतायन) | Warrior (auspicious hero).

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Common Asanas/Poses For Your Practice

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