Free printable
Yoga Sanskrit cheat sheet
This yoga Sanskrit cheat sheet fits 77 of the words you are most likely to hear in class on one printable A4 page: class words, breath practices, the eight limbs, the yamas and niyamas, common pose names and the word parts that build them. Each word has a short plain-English meaning.
The cheat sheet: 77 words
Words you hear in class
- Vinyasa
- moving from pose to pose with the breath
- Drishti
- a resting point for the eyes
- Bandha
- a lock: a gentle muscular hold
- Mula Bandha
- root lock: a light lift of the pelvic floor
- Uddiyana Bandha
- drawing the belly in and up
- Jalandhara Bandha
- throat lock: chin toward the chest
- Mudra
- a seal or gesture, usually with the hands
- Mantra
- a word or phrase chanted or repeated
- Om
- the syllable chanted at the start or end
- Shanti
- peace, often said three times
- Namaste
- "I bow to you", palms together
- Sankalpa
- an intention set for the practice
- Sthira sukha
- steady and easy, from Yoga Sutra 2.46
Breath
- Prana
- breath; the life force it is said to carry
- Ujjayi
- slow nose breath with a soft throat sound
- Kapalabhati
- short, strong exhales through the nose
- Nadi Shodhana
- alternate nostril breathing
- Bhramari
- bee breath: humming on the exhale
- Kumbhaka
- a pause with the breath held in or out
The eight limbs
Yamas and niyamas
- Ahimsa
- non-harming
- Satya
- truthfulness
- Asteya
- non-stealing
- Brahmacharya
- wise use of energy
- Aparigraha
- non-grasping
- Saucha
- cleanliness
- Santosha
- contentment
- Tapas
- discipline, steady effort
- Svadhyaya
- self-study
- Ishvara Pranidhana
- devotion or surrender
Pose names
- Tadasana
- Mountain Pose
- Uttanasana
- Standing Forward Bend
- Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Downward-Facing Dog
- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
- Upward-Facing Dog
- Phalakasana
- Plank Pose
- Chaturanga Dandasana
- Four-Limbed Staff Pose
- Bhujangasana
- Cobra Pose
- Balasana
- Child's Pose
- Virabhadrasana
- the Warrior poses
- Trikonasana
- Triangle Pose
- Vrksasana
- Tree Pose
- Utkatasana
- Chair Pose
- Dandasana
- Staff Pose
- Sukhasana
- Easy Pose
- Baddha Konasana
- Butterfly Pose
- Paschimottanasana
- Seated Forward Bend
- Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
- Bridge Pose
- Savasana
- Corpse Pose, the final rest
- Surya Namaskar
- Sun Salutation
Word parts in pose names
- Adho
- downward
- Urdhva
- upward
- Mukha
- face
- Eka
- one
- Pada
- foot or leg
- Hasta
- hand
- Ardha
- half
- Parsva
- side
- Parivrtta
- revolved, twisted
- Utthita
- extended
- Supta
- reclining, lying down
- Baddha
- bound
- Salamba
- supported
- Prasarita
- spread wide
- Kona
- angle
How do you read a Sanskrit pose name?
Most pose names are built from a few small words joined together, with asana, posture, at the end. Adho Mukha Svanasana is adho (downward) plus mukha (face) plus svana (dog) plus asana: the downward-facing dog posture. Change adho to urdhva (upward) and you have Upward-Facing Dog. Once you know the fifteen word parts on the sheet, long names such as Utthita Parsvakonasana (extended side angle) or Supta Baddha Konasana (reclining bound angle) start to explain themselves.
Spellings vary because Sanskrit is written in its own script and teachers transliterate it in different ways. You will see Vrksasana and Vrikshasana, Svanasana and Shvanasana. They are the same pose; the cheat sheet uses the plain spelling found in most English-language classes.
Which words matter most for a beginner?
In a typical class you will hear the pose names, a few breath words such as ujjayi and pranayama, and the closing words: Savasana for the final rest and often om or namaste at the very end. The first and fifth groups on the sheet cover those. The eight limbs and the yamas and niyamas come from the Yoga Sutras and turn up more in philosophy talks, teacher trainings and themed classes.
You do not need any Sanskrit to practise. Most teachers in the Philippines give the English name first, and the Sanskrit is there for when you want to follow a teacher who uses it or read older texts.
Where can you go further?
The full Sanskrit yoga glossary has 193 terms with longer definitions and links to their pages. The eight limbs of yoga and the yamas and niyamas explain the third and fourth groups in depth, and what namaste means covers the greeting most classes end with. To test yourself, the pose quiz has a mode that asks you to match each Sanskrit name to its pose.
How do you print it?
- One A4 page, portrait, at actual size (100%). The words sit in two columns so it reads well folded in half.
- Black and white is fine: the group headings are bold rather than coloured.
Looking for something else to print? The resource library also has standing, seated and balance pose charts, class checklists and the 30-day challenge calendar.
Put it into practice with the Sanskrit flashcards, built on pages like this one.
Questions
How many Sanskrit words do you need for a yoga class?
None to take part. Knowing a dozen helps you follow a teacher who uses them: asana, vinyasa, drishti, ujjayi, Savasana, namaste and the names of a few common poses such as Tadasana and Balasana.
Why do so many Sanskrit pose names end in asana?
Asana means posture or seat, so it closes the name the way "pose" does in English. Tada plus asana gives Tadasana, Mountain Pose. A few names, such as Viparita Karani, describe an action instead and have no asana ending.
Is the Sanskrit cheat sheet the same as the glossary?
No. The cheat sheet is a one-page selection of 77 words with very short meanings, made to print. The glossary has all 193 terms with fuller definitions and links.
Updated