Shiva was said to have taught 8,400,000 asanas. That was because it is believed, in Hinduism, that there are 8,400,000 species on earth. There are other references in Hinduism to this number as well, such as the belief that a baby in the womb takes on 8,400,00 shapes before it’s birth into the physical world.
However, humans couldn’t handle remembering or learning 8.4 million asanas, and therefore, 84 asanas were extracted. He fashioned a pose, one for every 100,000 species, which is how 84 asanas were created.
The 15th century yogic text, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, first lists the 84 asanas in writing. The Vedas and the Patajali yoga sutras do not explain nor outline these asanas. In fact, even in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika only 15 asanas are thoroughly described in detail.
- Swastikasana – Auspicious Pose
- Gomukasana – Cow Face Pose
- Virasana – Hero Pose
- Kurmasana – Tortoise Pose
- Kukkutasana – Rooster Pose
- Utttana Kurmasana – Upside-Down Tortoise Pose
- Dhanurasana – Bow Pose
- Matsyasana – Fish Pose
- Paschimottanasana – Seated Forward Bend
- Mayurasana – Peacock Pose
- Savasana – Corpse Pose
- Siddhasana – Accomplished Pose
- Padmasana – Lotus Pose
- Simhasana – Lion Pose
- Bhadrasana – Gracious Pose
B.K.S. Iyengar, in his renowned book published in 1966 “Light on Yoga, outlined 200 asanas. This was the most comprehensive list of yoga asanas ever explained in such precise detail.
Since then, in 1984 Sri Dharma Mittra, who was devoted to his guru Yogi Gupta, created the “Master Yoga Chart” which illustrates 908. These charts can be found online, and is certainly worth a quick Google Search. Or if you want a little sneak peek, I did the work for you and copied a Master Yoga Chart below!
However, when it considering the many variations of each pose then the list increases. For example lotus pose can be half, full, bound, or forward bending.
As always, thanks for being a part of the Wild Yoga Tribe!
