How to pronounce Sanskrit yoga pose names: a simple guide
Many people avoid saying Sanskrit pose names out loud because they are afraid of getting them wrong. The good news is that Sanskrit is very regular: letters almost always sound the same, and you can learn the main system in an afternoon. You do not need a perfect accent. You need a handful of rules.
1. Vowels: short and long
Sanskrit has short and long vowels, and the length matters. A long vowel is held a little longer.
| Letter | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | the “u” in but, relaxed | Adho Mukha Svanasana |
| ā | the “a” in father | Tāḍāsana |
| i | the “i” in bit | Utthita |
| ī | the “ee” in feet | Vīrabhadrasana |
| u | the “u” in put | Bhujangasana |
| ū | the “oo” in boot | Ūrdhva Hastasana |
| e | always “ay”, as in they | Eka Pada |
| o | always “oh” | Adho |
| ai / au | “eye” / “ow” | rare in pose names |
So the word asana is really āsana, “AH-sa-na”, not “AY-sa-na”. And Eka Pada starts with “ay”, as in “AY-ka”, not “ee”.
2. Sh, ch and the tricky s
- ś and ṣ are both pronounced “sh”. In Paschimottanasana (paścimottānāsana), the “sch” is really ś + c, which gives “sh” + “ch”: “pash-chi-mot-tah-nah-sa-na”. Ashtavakrasana (aṣṭāvakrāsana) begins “ash-ta”.
- c is pronounced “ch” as in church. So Caturaṅga is “cha-tu-rang-ga”, the same word spelled Chaturanga in everyday yoga.
- s on its own is a regular “s”.
- ṅ is the “ng” of sing, which gives you the “rang” in Chaturanga.
3. Aspirated consonants: a consonant plus a puff of air
This is the rule beginners miss most. In Sanskrit, kh, gh, th, dh, ph, bh are not the English “th” of think. Each is a “k”, “g”, “t”, “d”, “p” or “b” followed by a small puff of breath:
- Utthita (extended): “ut-thi-ta”. First a plain “t”, then a “t” with a puff of breath, never the English “th”.
- Dhanurasana (bow pose): “dha-nu-rah-sa-na”, a “d” with a breath.
- Bhujangasana (cobra): “bhu-jang-ga-sa-na”, a “b” with a breath.
- Bandha (body lock): “ban-dha”.
If you cannot hear the difference at first, that is normal. Say the consonant a little more firmly and let a tiny breath out after it.
4. The tongue-curled “retroflex” sounds
Letters with a dot below (ṭ, ḍ, ṇ) are pronounced with the tip of the tongue curled back toward the roof of the mouth. Tāḍāsana has one (the ḍ), Utkaṭāsana has ṭ, and Caturaṅga Daṇḍāsana has ṇ and ḍ. In everyday practice, plain “t”, “d” and “n” are understood, so do not let this stop you. It is a refinement, not an obstacle.
5. The R vowel: Vri
The letter ṛ is a vowel that most English speakers pronounce “ri”. It is why you see the same scorpion pose spelled Vrischikasana or Vrschikasana (vṛścikāsana): “vrish-chi-kah-sa-na”. Parivrtta (revolved) is “pa-ri-vrit-ta”.
6. The soft “h” at the end
At the end of some words you will see ḥ, as in Samasthitih. It is a soft breath echo of the vowel before it: “sa-ma-sthi-ti-hi”. Say it as a quiet “hi”.
7. Why spellings vary
Sanskrit is written in a different alphabet, so every English spelling is a transliteration. Teachers, books and apps choose different conventions, which is why you see:
- Svanasana and Shvanasana for dog pose. The Sanskrit word for dog begins with the ś sound, so “shvah-nah-sa-na” is the traditional way to say it, while “Svanasana” is a common simplified spelling.
- Chaturanga and Caturaṅga.
- Vrischikasana and Vrschikasana.
Neither spelling is “wrong”. If you know the rules above, you can read all of them.
8. Stress and rhythm
Do not worry about English-style stress. Say each syllable clearly and evenly. Ta-da-sa-na and Tā-ḍā-sa-na have the same four syllables. The long ā simply takes a little more time.
Practice: say these five
- Adho Mukha Svanasana: a-dho mu-kha shvah-nah-sa-na
- Utthita Trikonasana: ut-thi-ta tri-ko-nah-sa-na
- Chaturanga Dandasana: cha-tu-rang-ga dan-dah-sa-na
- Paschimottanasana: pash-chi-mot-tah-nah-sa-na
- Vrischikasana: vrish-chi-kah-sa-na
Say them slowly, then at speed. Then listen to a recording and compare. Hearing is the fastest way to learn pronunciation.
Hear it, see it, say it
Every asana in Hey Asana has its own audio recording, so you can listen before you try. The app can also display the names with their diacritics (Tāḍāsana, Ūrdhva Mukha Svānāsana), which shows you where the long vowels are. You can turn that on in Settings.
Want to keep going? Read how to learn yoga asana names for a method that makes names stick.