Sanskrit words used in Yoga

Yoga originated in ancient India when Sanskrit was the primary language for scholarly and spiritual purposes.

The ancient yogic texts are written in Sanskrit, and to this day, many Sanskrit words are used in yoga classes worldwide.

Sanskrit words in the names of yoga postures

A first group of Sanskrit words appearing in the names of yoga postures are those that refer to parts of the body.

Sanskrit	English	Yoga pose
पाद (Pada)	Foot	पादहस्तासन (Padahastasana)
हस्त (Hasta)	Hand	पादहस्तासन (Padahastasana)
अङ्ग (Anga)	Limb	सर्वाङ्गासन (Sarvangasana)
जानु (Janu)	Knee	जानुशीर्षासन (Janusirsasana)
भुज (Bhuja)	Arm	भुजपीडासन (Bhujapidasana)
अङ्गुष्ठ (Angustha)	Big Toe	पादाङ्गुष्ठासन (Padangusthasana)
मुख (Mukha)	Face	अधोमुखश्वानासन (Adho Mukha Shvanasana)
शीर्ष (Shirsha)	Head	जानुशीर्षासन (Janusirsasana)
गर्भ (Garbha)	Womb	गर्भासन (Garbhasana)
कर्ण (Karna)	Ear	कर्णपीडासन (Karnapidasana)

Many yoga postures are named after animals that resemble the shape that the body takes in those postures.

Because there are so many Sanskrit animal names in the names of yoga postures, we have grouped them into categories, starting with mammals in the table below.

Sanskrit	English	posture
श्वान (Shvana)	Dog	अधोमुखश्वानासन (Adho Mukha Shvanasana)
उष्ट्र (Ushtra)	Camel	उष्ट्रासन (Ushtrasana)
शश (Shasha)	Rabbit	शसांगासन (Shashangasana)
बिडाल (Bidaala)	Cat	बिडालासन (Bidalasana)
मार्जरी (Marjari)	Cat	मार्जरीआसन (Marjariasana)
गौ (Gau)	Cow	गौमुखासन (Gomukhasana)
सिंह (Simha)	Lion	सिंहासन (Simhasana)
व्याघ्र (Vyaghra)	Tiger	व्याघ्रासन (Vyaghrasana)

Note: In Sanskrit, Marjari refers to a female cat, whereas Bidaala refers mostly to a male cat.

The next group of Sanskrit animal-related words appearing in yoga posture names refer to types of birds.

Sanskrit	English	posture
कपोत (Kapota)	Pigeon	कपोतासन (Kapotasana)
मयूर (Mayura)	Peacock	मयूरासन (Mayurasana)
क्रौञ्च (Krauncha)	Heron	क्रौञ्चासन (Kraunchasana)
कुक्कुट (Kukkuta)	Cockerel	कुक्कुटासन (Kukkutasana)
गरुड (Garuda)	Eagle	गरुडासन (Garudasana)
बक (Baka)	Crane	बकासन (Bakasana)
पिञ्च (Pincha)	Feather	पिञ्चमयूरासन (Pincha Mayurasana)

The third group of Sanskrit animal-related words appearing in yoga posture names combines all other animals that are neither mammals nor birds. These include reptiles, insects, fish, and so on.

Sanskrit	English	posture
भुजंग (Bhujanga)	Snake or Cobra	भुजंगासन (Bhujangasana)
वृश्चिक (Vrishchika)	Scorpion	वृश्चिकासन (Vrishchikasana)
शलभ (Shalabha)	Locust	शलभासन (Shalabhasana)
कूर्म (Kurma)	Tortoise	कूर्मासन (Kurmasana)
मकर (Makara)	Crocodile	मकरासन (Makarasana)
टिट्टिभ (Tittibha)	Firefly	टिट्टिभासन (Tittibhasana)
मत्स्य (Matsya)	Fish	मत्स्यासन (Matsyasana)
भेक (Bheka)	Frog	भेकासन (Bhekasana)

Yoga involves motion, so animal names are more common than plant names in yoga terminology. But there are still a few Sanskrit words relating to plants that appear in posture names.

Sanskrit	English	posture
पद्म (Padma)	Lotus	पद्मासन (Padmasana)
वृक्ष (Vriksha)	Tree	वृक्षासन (Vrikshasana)
मूल (Moola)	Root or Base	मूलबंधासन (Moolabandhasana)

Yoga posture names also contain some Sanskrit vocabulary words related to natural elements, such as mountains, the moon, the wind, and so on.

Sanskrit	English	posture
सूर्य (Surya)	Sun	सूर्यनमस्कार (Surya Namaskar)
चन्द्र (Chandra)	Moon	अर्धचन्द्रासन (Ardha Chandrasana)
वज्र (Vajra)	Thunderbolt	वज्रासन (Vajrasana)
पवन (Pavana)	Wind	पवनमुक्तासन (Pavanmuktasana)
ताड (Tada)	Mountain	ताडासन (Tadasana)

Sanskrit vocabulary words that refer to physical objects —large and small— are also frequently used in naming yoga poses.

Sanskrit	English	posture
चक्र (Chakra)	Wheel	चक्रासन (Chakrasana)
दण्ड (Danda)	Staff or Stick	दण्डासन (Dandasana)
हल (Hala)	Plough	हलासन (Halasana)
धनु (Dhanu)	Bow	ऊर्ध्वधनुरासन (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
बन्ध (Bandha)	Lock, binding	मूलबंधासन (Moolabandhasana)
माला (Mala)	Garland	मालासन (Malasana)
नाव (Nava)	Boat	अर्धनावासन (Ardhanavasana)
नौका (Nauka)	Boat	नौकासन (Naukasana)
सेतु (Setu)	Bridge	सेतुबन्धसर्वाङ्गासन (Setubandhasarvangasana)
पाश (Pasha)	Chain, Snare	पाशासन (Pashasana)

In addition to nouns, the names of yoga postures contain many Sanskrit adjectives and other qualifiers that we have grouped in the table below.

Sanskrit	English	posture
पूर्ण (Purna)	Full	पूर्णशलभासन (Purna Shalabhasana)
अर्ध (Ardha)	Half	अर्धचन्द्रासन (Ardha Chandrasana)
सम (Sama)	Equal	समकोणासन (Samakonasana)
मुक्त (Mukta)	Liberated	मुक्तासन (Muktasana)
परिपूर्ण (Paripurna)	Full or Complete	परिपूर्णनावासन (Paripurnanavasana)
सिद्ध (Siddha)	Accomplished or Perfected	सिद्धासन (Siddhasana)
सुख (Sukha)	Easy or Comfortable	सुखासन (Sukhasana)
भैरव (Bhairava)	Formidable	भैरवासन (Bhairavasana)
अनन्त (Ananta)	Infinite or Endless	अनन्तासन (Anantasana)
उत्कट (Utkata)	Intense or Fierce	उत्कटासन (Utkatasana)
ऊर्ध्व (Urdhva)	Upwards	ऊर्ध्वमुखश्वानासन (Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana)
अधो (Adho)	Downward	अधोमुखश्वानासन (Adho Mukha Shvanasana)
सुप्त (Supta)	Reclining	सुप्तवज्रासन (Supta Vajrasana)
विपरीत (Viparita)	Reversed	विपरीतवीरभद्रासन (Viparita Virabhadrasana)
उपविष्ट (Upavistha)	Seated	उपविष्टकोणासन (Upavistakonasana)

Some Sanskrit words found in Yoga posture names don’t fit well into the previous categories; we have listed them in the table below.

Sanskrit	English	posture
वीर (Vira)	Hero	वीरासन (Virasana)
राजा (Raja)	King	राजकपोतासन (Rajakapotasana)
त्रिकोण (Trikona)	Triangle	त्रिकोणासन (Trikonasana)
कोण (Kona)	Angle	पार्श्वकोणासन (Parshvakonasana)
पार्श्व (Parshva)	Side	पार्श्वोत्तनासन (Parshvottanasana)
तुला (Tula)	Balance or Scales	तुलादण्डासन (Tuladandasana)
प्रणाम (Pranama)	Salutation	प्रणामासन (Pranamasana)
पीडा (Pida)	Pressure or Pain	कर्णपीडासन (Karnapidasana)
मुद्रा (Mudra)	Seal or Gesture	यओगमुद्रासन (Yogamudrasana)

Sanskrit words used in the names of the different styles of yoga

There are so many different styles of yoga. Learning the Sanskrit terms used in their names can help explain what each style is about.

• Hatha Yoga (हठयोग): This term comes from the Sanskrit word “हठ” (haṭha), which means “force”; it refers to a style that emphasizes the physical aspects of the practice, such as postures (asanas) and breath control (pranayama).
• Ashtanga Yoga (अष्टांग योग): This term comes from the Sanskrit words “अष्ट” (aṣṭa), which means “eight”, and “अङ्ग” (aṅga), which means “limb”. The term is associated with the classical form of yoga outlined by the sage Patanjali in the “Yoga Sutras”.
• Raja Yoga (राज योग): This means “Royal Yoga” because the Sanskrit word “राज” (rāja) means “king”. In contrast to Hatha yoga, which prioritizes the physical aspect, Raja Yoga emphasizes meditation and mental discipline.
• Bhakti Yoga (भक्तियोग): In the context of Bhakti yoga, the Sanskrit word “भक्ति” (Bhakti) means “devotion”. In Hindu scriptures, Bhakti yoga is one of the three main paths to spiritual liberation, alongside Karma Yoga (the path of selfless action) and Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge).
• Karma Yoga (कर्म योग): This style comes from the Sanskrit word “कर्म” (karma), which means “action”. It emphasizes selfless service through performing actions without any desire for personal gain or reward.
• Kundalini Yoga (कुण्डलिनी योग): The Sanskrit term “कुण्डलिनी” (Kundalini) refers to the primal energy that is thought to reside at the base of the spine in a coiled, dormant state. Kundalini Yoga aims to awaken this energy and channel it through the chakras (energy centers) along the spine.
• Vinyasa Yoga (विन्यास योग): The Sanskrit word “विन्यास” (vinyāsa) can refer to an arrangement, such as organizing things in a sequence. This makes sense because Vinyasa is a style in which the postures are fluidly connected, and importance is placed on the transitions between them.
• Kriya Yoga (क्रिया योग): In the context of Kriya Yoga, the Sanskrit word “Kriyā” (क्रिया) can be translated as “action” or “rite”. Kriya Yoga was popularized in the West through the book “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda.
• Tantra Yoga (तन्त्र योग): In Sanskrit, the word “तन्त्र” (tantra) has many meanings, but one of the earlier meanings is that of a tool used to weave thread into cloth. And Tantra Yoga is indeed a tapestry of rather esoteric practices that focus on the subtle energies within the body.
• Anusara Yoga (अनुसार योग): The Sanskrit word “अनुसार” (anusāra) is a combination of two parts: “अनु” (anu) which means “after” or “following”, and “सार” (sāra) which can refer to a motion or an essence. In the context of yoga, the term “अनुसार” (anusāra) is taken to mean “flowing with grace” or “going with the flow”.
• Jnana Yoga (ज्ञान योग): this style is about gaining knowledge through contemplation and introspection. The name comes from the Sanskrit word “ज्ञान” (jñāna), which means “knowledge”. The Greek term “Gnosis” and the English word “knowledge” share a common origin with this Sanskrit term. In fact, Sanskrit, Greek, and English are part of the same big language family (they are Indo-European languages).

Sanskrit words in the theory of yoga

Sanskrit yoga words are not limited to the terms appearing in the names of the postures. There is an entire philosophical dimension to yoga that has plenty of Sanskrit words as well.

For instance, in the Yoga Sutras, the sage Patanjali defines the eight limbs (or components) of Ashtanga Yoga as follows:

The “Yamas” (यम) are the first of the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. They are ethical guidelines based on restraint.

Sanskrit Term	English Meaning
Ahiṃsā (अहिंसा)	Non-violence
Satya (सत्य)	Truthfulness
Asteya (अस्तेय)	Not stealing
Brahmacharya (ब्रह्मचर्य)	Celibacy
Aparigraha (अपरिग्रहः)	Non-avarice

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, another important yogic text, lists an additional five Yamas.

Sanskrit Term	English Translation
Kṣamā (क्षमा)	Patience
Dhrti (धृति)	Perseverance, constancy
Dayā (दया)	Compassion
Ārjava (आर्जव)	Sincerity
Mitāhāra (मिताहार)	Moderate diet

The second of the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga is the Niyamas (नियम), which are ethical guidelines as well; the difference is that the Yamas focus on restraints, whereas the Niyamas are observances (things that are encouraged).

Sanskrit Term	English Translation
Shaucha (शौच)	Purity
Santosha (सन्तोष)	Contentment
Tapas (तपस्)	Austerity
Svadhyaya (स्वाध्याय)	Self-reflection
Ishvarapranidhana (ईश्वरप्रणिधान)	Devotion, Surrendering

The third limb of yoga, according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, is the asanas, a term that refers to the physical postures practiced in yoga.

The original meaning of the Sanskrit word “आसन” (āsana) is “seat”. Perhaps this is because the first postures used in the very early days of yoga were seated posture for meditation. Later, this same term has come to refer to all the different yoga postures.

The remaining items in Patanjali’s list of the eight limbs of yoga are as follows:

Sanskrit Term	English Translation
प्राणायाम (Prāṇāyāma)	Breath control
प्रत्याहार (Pratyāhāra)	Sensory withdrawal
धारणा (Dhāraṇā)	Concentration
ध्यान (Dhyāna)	Meditation
समाधि (Samādhi)	Meditative absorption

To learn more about Sanskrit vocabulary, see this list of the thousand most common Sanskrit words.