Yoga poses are named in Sanskrit, the ancient Indo-European language which is derived from the Proto-Indo-European language.
For someone exposed to these Asana names for the very first time, it can be truly daunting. But if you are already speaking in English or any European, South Asian or Persian languages, a little inspection into the root of the words will make it much more familiar with similar sounding names. After all, many European languages are derived from Romance and Latinate sources, which are also Indo-European language.
Here is a table of some common words found in the Asana names and some comparison with words from other modern and ancient languages!
For the rest of us who wants to just learn and have some fun with it, I also made online flash cards to go! Just open it and revise Yoga-related Sanskrit names wherever you are while remembering how all languages have some commonalities!
Cheers,
Sayanee, YTT June – August 2018
