- Iyengar yoga: Mr Iyengar gives in "Light on Yoga" a list of
important asanas. I have shortened the list slightly, based on my own
experience with this style of yoga. - Ashtanga yoga: I consulted Patthabi Jois’ "Yoga Mala". I have
included asanas from the Surya Namaskar sequences and from the closing
sequence, which are considered essential and should be practiced on a daily
basis. Standing postures were not included, but had they be, the list would
look even more similar to the Iyengar list (hardly surprising, since both
styles come from Krishnamacharya) - Sivananda: These are the twelve basic postures which teachers of
this school of yoga include in all their classes. - Classical texts: The Gheranda Samhita describes thirty two asanas,
which must have been considered essential by its author. Most of these thirty
two asanas are also listed in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The main difference
between the two texts is that the GS lists some standing postures, while the
HYP doesn’t. I have left out some the lesser known asanas listed in the GS,
but not in the HYP. - Theos Bernard: describes in his book "Hatha Yoga" how he was given
a number of asanas to practice on a daily basis. This is a list of these
asanas. - Dharma Mittra: Mentions 8 asanas as essential in his book "608 yoga
poses". Savasana isn’t included in these, but in his guidelines for practice,
he advises to end all asana session with a "relaxation posture such as
Savasana", which has therefore been included.
Essential asanas
According to the Gheranda Samhita ( a eighteenth century treatise on Hatha
yoga), there are eighty four thousands of asanas. However, the largest collection of asanas in one single publication is DharmaMittra’s Master yoga chart, which presents a whooping 908 postures. Mr Iyengar’s"Light on Yoga", a book which is still considered by many to be the ultimate
reference in this field, describes little more than 200 asanas – still far too
much to fit into a daily practice – and far more than most people will master in
a lifetime. Which ones are essential?
To find the answer to this question, and decide which asanas must be
included in my regular practice and taught in my classes, I decided to look at
various styles of yoga and at a number of yoga texts. The results of these
investigations are summarised in the table below. I have used the Sanskrit
names, but a translation of most of these is included at the end of the article
for the benefit of those who prefer to use English.
But first, here’s a short explanation of what the various columns contain.
yoga), there are eighty four thousands of asanas. However, the largest collection of asanas in one single publication is DharmaMittra’s Master yoga chart, which presents a whooping 908 postures. Mr Iyengar’s"Light on Yoga", a book which is still considered by many to be the ultimate
reference in this field, describes little more than 200 asanas – still far too
much to fit into a daily practice – and far more than most people will master in
a lifetime. Which ones are essential?
To find the answer to this question, and decide which asanas must be
included in my regular practice and taught in my classes, I decided to look at
various styles of yoga and at a number of yoga texts. The results of these
investigations are summarised in the table below. I have used the Sanskrit
names, but a translation of most of these is included at the end of the article
for the benefit of those who prefer to use English.
But first, here’s a short explanation of what the various columns contain.
Iyengar | Ashtanga | Sivananda | Classical texts | Theos Bernard | Dharma Mittra | |
Standing asanas | Trikonasana, Parivrtta Trikonasana, Parsvakonasana, Prasarita Padotanasana Virabadrasana, Ardha Chandrasana, Uttanasana | Uttanasana, Utkatasana, Urdhvasana, Virabadrasana | Trikonasana, Uttanasana | Utkatasana, Vrkasana, Garudasana, | None (although pictures of Vrkasana and Padhahasthasana appear in his book) | None |
Inversions | Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana | Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Karnapidasana, Urdhva Padmasana, Pindasana, Ado Mukha Svanasana | Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, | Vipararita Karani (from the description given in the HYP this is Sirsasana) | Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana | Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, |
Backbends | Ustrasana, Salabhasana, Dhanurasana | Urdhva Mukha Svanasana | Bhujanghasana, Salabhasana, Dhanurasana | Dhanurasana, Bhujanghasana Salabhasana, Ustrasana | Bhujanghasana, Salabhasana, Dhanurasana | Bhujanghasana, leading into, Dhanurasana |
Forward bends | Janusirsasana, Paschimottanasana | Utanasana | Paschimottanasana | Paschimottanasana, Kurmasana, | Paschimottanasana | Paschimottanasana, Maha Mudra |
Twists | Ardha Matsyendrasana, Marichyasana | None | Ardha Matsyendrasana | Matsyendrasana | Ardha Matsyendrasana | Matsyendrasana |
| Sitting asanas | Sidhasana, Virasana, Badhakonasana, Padmasana | Padmasana, Baddha Padmasana, Yoga Mudra | None (but this school of yoga always include some sitting practice) | Siddhasana, Padmasana, Vajrasana, Svastikasana, Virasana, Badhdrasana, Baddha Padmasana, Gomukasana | Padmasana | Siddhasana, Padmasana, |
| Balancing asanas | None | Uth Pluthi (Tolasana) | Bakasana / Mayurasana | Mayurasana, Kukutasana, | None | None |
Other asanas | Navasana, Matsyasana, Savasana | Matsyasana, Uttanapadasana, Savasana | Surya Namaskar Matsyasana, Savanansana | Simhasana, Savansana (called Mirasana), Matsyasana | Matsyasana | Savasana |
Iyengar | Ashtanga | Sivananda | Classical texts | Theos Bernard | Dharma Mittr |
As can be seen from this table, most sources agree to include
some backbends, and at least one forward bends, one twist and one sitting asana.
While classical texts do no list inversions amongst asanas, they mention
Viparita Karani, which is probably Sirsasana. Nearly all other sources include
Sirsasana, Sarvangasana and Halasana. It comes as no surprise that Iyengar yoga
places a particular emphasis on standing postures, which are simply ignored by
some other sources (the Hatha Yoga Pradipika does not mention any standing
postures, although the Gheranda Samhita lists three).
While only one mild backbend and no twists are listed here for ashtanga, this
has to be seen in the context of the whole system, in which the second series
actually contains a number of strong twists and backbends and was meant to be
practiced regularly. However, beginners do not get much practice at backbends,
and this has been pointed out by some as a shortcoming of the ashtanga system.
All sources insist on the importance of finishing the practice with a relaxation
time in Savasana.
Although the shortest list includes only 9 postures, it seems to be difficult to
go below 12 if you want to include some standing postures.
Here’s my own list (in no praticular order), for what it’s worth: Uttanasana,
Trikonasana, Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Urdhva
Mukha Svanasana, Dhanurasana, Marichyasana or Baradhvajasana, Siddhasana,
Padmasana, Baddhakonasana, Supta Virasana, Navasana, Matsyasana, Savasana.
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