Key Sanskrit Names for Yoga Poses

If you've attend some of my classes (or any teacher for that matter!) you might be confused about some of the Sanskrit names that we use for poses. After being requested by one of my students in our "Yoga for Absolute Beginners Class", I wanted to put together quick guide to Sanskrit terms, how you can get to learn them and some of the key poses as a quick reference guide.
Disclaimer: Different schools of yoga call poses different names, so depending on who your teacher has trained with, it may mean that the poses are a different name in English. E.g. "Mountain Pose" some schools refer to this as "Tadasana" others "Parvatasana".
A brief History of Sanskrit
Sanskrit is an incredible language steeped in history. Believe it or not, Sanskrit, is actually older than Greek or Latin. Sanskrit was passed down orally for generations, the first written recording of Sanskrit was in the Rigveda, the first of the four vedas, in 1,500BC.
Some English words also have their roots in Sanskrit, for example, Navasana (boat pose) is related to "Navy".
Pronunciation
It is important to get the pronunciation correct with Sankrit names, the bonus that we have is once you get the hang of the sounds, it's much easier than learning a modern language. The modern Sanskrit alphabet has 50 different letters, each with their own specific sound. It makes life a lot easier, compared to English where, lets face it, our language is difficult. We have plenty of words that are spelt the same but sound different, for example tear (rip) and tear (cry), live (to live) and live (live music), wind (the weather) and wind (wind up). On top of that, words that look like they should rhyme, but don't, for example, cough and dough, heard and beard, great and threat. It's crazy when you think about it. Luckily with sanskrit, we don't have this issue.
Breaking Down the Words
Each part of a word has a meaning. You will regularly hear the same words, or part of words repeated in different poses. Things like "Hasta" (hand) or "Pada" (foot) and of course "asana" (posture). You'll start to recognise some of these words so it will make it easier to remember even more of the poses!
Here are a couple of examples:
Utthita Parsvakonasana = Extended Side Angle Pose
utthita = extended
parsva = side
kona = angle
asana = posture
Supta Baddha Konasana = Reclined Bound Angle Pose
supta = reclined
baddha = bound
kona = angle
asana = posture
Padangusthasana = Big Toe Pose
pada = foot
angusta = thumb
asana = pose
Other poses are named after the animals they represent. for example Bhujangasana, Bhujang = Cobra, hence cobra pose. See it's not that scary!
Here are a few key words that you will hear regularly:
Ardha = Half
pada = foot
hasta = hand
Supta = reclined/supine
utthita = extended
parivrtta = revolved/twisted
Now here are a few key poses that you will regularly come across in yoga classes, along with the English and sanskrit names just to get you started. Just keep attending classes and it will soon sink in! Even ask your teacher to only say names in Sanskrit to really test your knowledge and help them sink in.
Standing
Trikonasana = Triangle Pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana = Downward Facing Dog Pose
Uttanasana = Standing forward fold
Utthita Parsvakonasana = Extended Side Angle Pose
Padangusthasana = Extended Big Toe Pose
Vrksasana = Tree Pose
Parsvottanasana = Pyramid pose
Prasarita Padottanasa = Standing wide legged forward fold
Virabadrasana I/II/III = Warrior 1/2/3
Seated
Padmasana = Lotus Pose
Ardha Padmasana = Half Lotus Pose
Paschimottanasana = Seated forward fold
Gomukhasana = Cow Face Pose
Ardha Matsyendrasana = Half Matsyendra’s Pose
Navasana (Boat Pose)
Prone
Salabasana = Locust Pose
Bhujangasana = Cobra Pose
Makrasana = Crocodile Pose
Salamba Bhujangasana = Sphinx Pose
Dhanurasana = Bow Pose
Urdhva mukha Svanasana = Upward Facing Dog
Reclined/Supine
Supta Baddhakonasana = Supine Bound Angle Pose
Matsyasana = Fish Pose
Ananda Balasana = Happy Baby
Halasana = Plough Pose
Jathara Parivartanasana = Reclined Twist
Setu Bandasana = Bridge Pose
Shavasana = Corpse Pose
If you are looking for more information, we have a weekly Yoga Philosophy class where you can come and explore more about the history of yoga and ask as many questions about sanskrit as you desire!