There are 84 lakh (hundreds of thousands) of asanas described in yoga texts. However, many asanas share the same name while being different postures, and some names refer to variations on a theme. For example, Virabhadrasana can refer to a backbend, twist, or balance. Mandukasana can refer to a backbend, forward bend, balances, or a spinal stretch in a modified squat. Additionally, some schools use imaginative non-Sanskrit names for asanas like Happy Baby, Wild Thing, or Downhill Skier. Depending on the angle or plane of practice, a single basic shape can have different names - for example, Upavistha Konasana

1. A pose by any other name …
by Jnânasundarî (Janita Stenhouse)
There are 84 lacs (hundreds of thousands) of âsanas described
by Siva. The postures are as many in number as there are
numbers of species of living creatures in this universe.
(Gheranda Samhita, lesson 2, v.1)
You may have noticed that, among these 84 lacs of âsanas, several of them
have the same name but are in fact different postures, and there are those
that are simply variations on a theme. Vîrabhadrâsana, the Warrior, is a
well-known example; one name covers three postures – a back bend, a twist,
and a balance.
But that is only three variants – there are others with five or six. Have you
ever been confused by Ardha Chandrâsana, the Half Moon pose? This can be
a balance, a couple of lateral stretches, even a back bend, and I’ve also come
across it as a forward bend. Furthermore Anjaneyâsana the Monkey pose is
often called the Crescent Moon, which is another back bend.
How about Mandukâsana, the Frog Posture? This name covers a variety of
âsanas which include a back bend, a forward bend, a couple of balances,
and a wonderful stretch for the spine in a modified squat. What a
marvellously amenable âsana this is! Illustrated are three frogs, all looking
remarkably froggy.

2. One thing all these âsanas have in common is that none of them is a
classical posture, and perhaps herein lies the secret of the nomenclature. It
would appear that the body is (in general) flexible enough to discover
8,400,000 nuances of posture, but the intellect is apparently not equal to
inventing 8,400,000 names. But is this entirely fair? As if it’s not enough to
have several postures under one name, we also have to contend with several
names referring to the same posture.
In many Yoga schools, the teacher never uses Sanskrit names; if you attend
any of these schools, you may find some seriously imaginative naming. I
once saw a teacher’s list of postures (I hesitate to call them âsanas) which
included such exotics as the Platform, the Rolling Ball, the Giraffe, the
Maltese Cross, and the “Posture with No Name” (inspiration must have
deserted her at this point). Scanning the Internet you can easily find âsanas
with such unSanskrit names as Happy Baby, Wild Thing, Downhill Skier,
Dead Fly, Legs up the Wall (alas! this is the United States version of Viparîta
Karanâ), the Cat-Cow (is this a cat metamorphosing into a cow? - the mind
boggles) and plenty more, enough to satisfy the most fervid imagination (but
not the sensibilities of the Sanskritist).
Anyone who has had more than one teacher will have come across different
names for the same âsana. What one person calls the Wheel, another calls
the Crab. The Sanskrit for wheel is chakra (thus chakrâsana) but it is also
known in some schools as Utthita Dhanurâsana (stretched bow) and even
Urdhva Dhanurâsana (upward-facing Bow).
I find it fascinating that an âsana can have several names depending upon
what angle or plane it is practiced in. You can have one basic shape and
perform it vertically, horizontally, in an inverted or a seated position. Let’s
take Upavistha Konâsana as an example.
Upavistha means seated, kona means angle. If you move this shape through
45 degrees so that you balance on the coccyx, you have Sarvâsana, the
Scales. Inverting that to a standing posture gives Prasârita Pâdottânâsana,
and roll it over another 45 degrees puts you into Supta Konâsana.

3. Or take Ushtrâsana, the Camel Pose. Roll it one way and you have
Dhanurâsana, the Bow; the other way and you have Sethu Bandhâsana, the
Bridge (if you catch your ankles, which gives stimulates several acupressure
points).
Jânusirshâsana, the head to knee pose, standing becomes the Stork (and
that’s easier to say than Ardha Baddha Padmottânâsana). The other way up
it becomes Kraunchâsana, the Heron – although admittedly purists will
insist that the knee is turned the other way, foot outside the hip, in which
case it is simply Triangmukhaipâda Paschimottânâsana at a 45 degree angle.
In fact very many postures have other angles with other names. Obvious
ones are Paschimottânâsana becoming Pâdahastâsana when standing, and
Vajrolî Mudrâ when balancing on the coccyx.
Trikonâsana on its side makes Anantâsana, Vishnu’s Couch; Dandâsana at
45° becomes Meruâsana; Supta Vîrâsana inverted is Bhekâsana, the Frog …
I could go on and on, but I think I’ll leave that to you. Try some out and
you’ll see what I mean. Happy investigating!
