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Yoga: Well-Known Poses

15 questions · Health & Medicine

Yoga has long since made itself at home in studios, living rooms and parks around the world: yet many of us only half know the names of its postures. This pack shows you fifteen of the best-known asanas in clean studio photographs: from the upright Mountain Pose, the humble foundation of every standing posture, via the balancing Boat to King Pigeon, where the back foot is caught above the head. You will recognise the candle-like Shoulderstand, the Headstand, the sideways-propped Side Plank and the Lord of the Dance, named after Shiva as king of dancers. Add backbends such as Half Camel and Fish, twists like Half Lord of the Fishes, gentle hip openers like the Reclining Butterfly and, with Scorpion, a pose whose name says it all. For every posture you learn the common English name; the traditional Sanskrit name counts as a correct answer too. Look closely before you answer: many poses differ in a single detail: a caught foot, a straightened leg, a turned shoulder. That very habit of looking closely is what makes the difference on the mat as well.

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8 of 15 questions with answers

Which yoga pose is this?

Yoga pose

Foto: Mr. Yoga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Mountain Pose

Standing tall with the arms by the sides: the humble base from which every standing pose begins.

Yoga pose

Foto: Mr. Yoga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Upward Salute

From Mountain Pose the arms reach overhead: a fixed part of the Sun Salutation.

Yoga pose

Foto: Mr. Yoga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Boat Pose

Seated, legs and torso lift into a V: the core keeps the balance.

Yoga pose

Foto: Mr. Yoga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Fish Pose

Lying back with the chest arched high, the crown of the head touches the floor.

Yoga pose

Foto: Mr. Yoga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Shoulderstand

Legs vertical above the shoulders, hands supporting the back: often simply called the candle.

Yoga pose

Foto: Mr. Yoga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Headstand

Inversion on head and forearms: shown here with the legs tucked.

Yoga pose

Foto: Mr. Yoga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Side Plank

Balancing sideways on one hand, the body forms a straight line.

Yoga pose

Foto: Mr. Yoga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Lord of the Dance

A standing balance holding the back foot: named after Shiva as king of the dance.

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