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Pose collection · 16 poses

Hatha yoga poses, in the classroom and in the old texts

By the YogaPhilippines.com editorial teamUpdated 2 October 2026

Hatha yoga poses are the held postures of a hatha class: standing shapes like Mountain, Triangle and Warrior, Downward Dog, backbends like Cobra and Bow, seated poses like Seated Forward Bend, Hero and Lotus, and Savasana. Several, including Lotus, Hero, Cow Face and Bow, are described in the fifteenth century Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

Beginner

A woman in a sage set stands tall in Mountain Pose, arms by her sides, on a mat in a sunlit Makati condo studio with towers through the window.

Mountain Pose

Tadasana
The standing start of most hatha classes. Weight even, arms by the sides.
A woman in an espresso set holds Triangle Pose, legs straight, lower hand on her shin and top arm reaching up, in a sunlit studio with palms.

Triangle Pose

Trikonasana
A held standing pose, five breaths each side. Lower hand on the shin or a block.
A woman in a sage set holds Warrior II, front knee bent over the ankle and arms stretched wide, gazing past her front hand in a Makati studio.

Warrior Poses

Virabhadrasana I, II and III
Warrior I and II, held rather than flowed, so there is time to set the front knee over the ankle.
A woman in a sage set balances in Tree Pose with her foot on her inner thigh and palms together at her chest, on a Manila rooftop at golden hour.

Tree Pose

Vrksasana
A standing balance with a still gaze. Foot on the calf or inner thigh, never the knee.
A woman in a sage set holds Downward-Facing Dog, hips high and arms straight, on a mat in a Makati condo studio at golden hour.

Downward-Facing Dog

Adho Mukha Svanasana
Hips high, head below the heart, knees bent as needed. Held for several breaths.
A man lies on his belly with hands under his shoulders and elbows bent, lifting his chest into Cobra Pose in a sunlit studio.

Cobra Pose

Bhujangasana
A low backbend on the front, elbows bent, shoulders away from the ears.
A man sits on a folded blanket and folds forward over straight legs, holding his feet, in a bright room with trees in the window.

Seated Forward Bend

Paschimottanasana
Paschimottanasana, described in the Pradipika. Fold from the hips with bent knees if needed.
A woman sits on a folded blanket hugging her bent knee and twisting to look over her shoulder in a Seated Twist.

Seated Twist

Ardha Matsyendrasana
Ardha Matsyendrasana, a half version of the Matsyendrasana named in the Pradipika.
A woman in a stone set sits upright on a cork block between her feet in Hero Pose, hands resting on her thighs.

Hero Pose

Virasana
Virasana, in the Pradipika. Sit on a block between the feet; never force the knees.
A woman kneels with hands on her knees, tongue out and eyes lifted in Lion's Breath, in a sunlit condo.

Lion Pose

Simhasana
Simhasana, one of the Pradipika's four main seats. Breathe out with the tongue out.
A woman in an oat set lifts her hips into Bridge Pose, knees over ankles and arms flat beside her, on an oak floor beside a monstera.

Bridge Pose

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
A gentle backbend on the back, often held near the end of a hatha class.
A woman in a cream set rests in Savasana on her back, legs apart and arms open, head on a folded blanket, under palm-leaf shadows.

Corpse Pose

Savasana
Savasana, described in the Pradipika and placed at the end of almost every class.

Intermediate

A woman in an espresso set holds her ankles and lifts her chest and thighs into Bow Pose in an open-air Siargao shala.

Bow Pose

Dhanurasana
Dhanurasana, one of the fifteen postures in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Hold the ankles, lift.
Seen from behind, a woman seated on a blanket clasps her hands between her shoulder blades in Cow Face Pose arms.

Cow Face Pose

Gomukhasana
Gomukhasana, in the Pradipika. Knees stacked, hands reaching behind the back.

Advanced

LOTUS POSEPadmasana

Lotus Pose

Padmasana
Padmasana, the Pradipika's most praised seat. Only when the hips open freely.
A woman in a cream set holds a supported Shoulder Stand on folded blankets, hands on her back and legs straight up.

Shoulder Stand

Salamba Sarvangasana
A classic finishing inversion in many hatha classes. Learn it with a teacher, blanket under the shoulders.

Hatha yoga poses are the postures of a hatha class, held for a few breaths each with a pause in between. In a studio timetable, hatha usually means a general class at a steady pace, and the poses are the familiar ones: standing shapes, a few balances, backbends on the front, seated folds and twists, and a long rest at the end.

The word has an older meaning too. Hatha yoga, its meaning and its texts explains how the practice was written down in Sanskrit manuals from about the eleventh century, and how the Hatha Yoga Pradipika of Svatmarama, from the fifteenth century, organised it.

Which hatha yoga poses come from the old texts?

The first chapter of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes fifteen asanas. Most are seated or lying shapes: Siddhasana, Padmasana (Lotus), Simhasana (Lion), Bhadrasana, Virasana (Hero), Gomukhasana (Cow Face), Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend), Dhanurasana (Bow), Matsyendrasana (a twist), Savasana and a few balances such as Kukkutasana and Mayurasana. Eight of the shapes on this page appear there in some form, and the notes say which. The first of them has its own page: Siddhasana, the accomplished pose.

Most standing poses, including the Warrior family, became part of posture practice much later, largely in the twentieth century. A modern hatha class mixes both, which is why the list above runs from Mountain Pose to Lotus.

How is a hatha class put together?

A typical class starts with a few minutes of breathing in a comfortable seat, warms up on all fours, moves to standing poses, then backbends, seated folds and twists, sometimes an inversion, and Savasana. Each pose is held for three to eight breaths. The guide to hatha vs vinyasa compares the pace with a flowing class, and the Sanskrit yoga glossary explains the names you will hear.

If you would rather see every common pose at once, the yoga poses chart with English and Sanskrit names has forty on one printable page. For a fixed sequence of held postures taught in a heated room, see the Bikram 26 poses in order. Lotus and Shoulder Stand are for later: learn them with a teacher, and stop any pose that causes sharp pain.

Safety noteYoga is not medical care. Stop if anything feels sharp, pinching or numb, and see a doctor or physiotherapist about pain or an injury before you practise. Inversions such as headstand and shoulderstand put weight on the neck and head: avoid them with neck injuries, high blood pressure, glaucoma or in pregnancy, and learn them with a teacher. Read the health and safety note.

Questions

How many asanas does the Hatha Yoga Pradipika describe?

Fifteen, in its first chapter. The text says many more were taught and names four seated postures, Siddhasana, Padmasana, Simhasana and Bhadrasana, as the most important. Most standing poses taught today came later.

How long do you hold poses in a hatha class?

Usually three to eight breaths, sometimes longer, with a pause between poses. That slower pace is the main difference from vinyasa, where you move on with almost every breath.

Are hatha yoga poses different from vinyasa poses?

Mostly they are the same poses. The difference is the pacing: hatha holds each shape and rests between them, while vinyasa links them into a flow.

Keep reading

Hatha yogaHatha or Vinyasa: how they differ and which to chooseSanskrit yoga glossary