How to learn yoga asana names (and actually remember them)

Sanskrit pose names can feel like a wall of syllables. The good news: they are not random. Most names are built from a small set of words, and once you know those words, new poses start to make sense on their own.

Break names into their parts

Take Paschimottanasana, the seated forward bend. It splits into three pieces:

paschima: “west”, meaning the back side of the body
uttana: “intense stretch”
asana: “pose” or “seat”

So the name literally describes a deep stretch of the back of the body. The same trick works on Trikonasana: tri (three) + kona (angle) + asana, the triangle pose.

Learn the building blocks first

A handful of words show up again and again:

adho: downward
urdhva: upward
baddha: bound
parivrtta: revolved
eka pada: one foot

Learning twenty of these gives you a head start on dozens of poses. This is why Hey Asana has a dedicated “Basics” section: the building blocks come before the poses.

Mix the way you practice

Reading a list once is the weakest way to memorize anything. Switch between a few different methods:

Flashcards: see the pose, recall the name.
Association: match names to illustrations.
Puzzles: rebuild a name from its parts.
Listening: hear the pronunciation, so the name sticks in your ear as well as your eyes.

Little and often

Five minutes a day beats an hour once a week. Pick a small group of poses, for example the ones from a sun salutation, and revisit them until the names feel obvious. Then add the next group.

Ready to try it? Download Hey Asana and start with the free content.