Yoga - Sanskrit names vs Western names
By zigzagbuddha
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
United States
December 8, 2008 11:44pm CST
I read something somewhere that made a joke about Yoga being more popular in America than in India. I don't know if that's true, but it would sure be funny if it was.
Personally, I do not adhere to the spiritual practices of yoga, I am in it strictly for the physical benefits, although it is incredibly calming and I do enjoy that benefit. But I meditate, and I believe yoga was developed to make it possible to sit for long periods of time without the aches and pains of a stiff body distracting you. Not that I sit for long periods of time 15 or 20 minutes is all, but still physical pain is a distraction whether it is for 20 minutes or 2 hours!
At any rate, I used to go back and forth about what names to call the poses. I felt like since I was a westerner practicing asana in the west then I should not be so pretentious as to use the Sanskrit names. On the other hand it seemed like a gesture of respect to use the Sanskrit names that they were 'born' with.
Over the years I have come to a pretty happy medium. Some of the poses I like the Sanskrit name and some of them I prefer the western name. Like Paschimottanasana. I love that word! And it sounds much better than 'Seated Forward Bend', and I like Uttanasana better than 'Standing Forward Bend. I like the name Utthita Trikonasana better than 'Extended Triangle Pose'. I like Supta Padangusthasana better than 'Reclining Big Toe Pose', hahahaha, who wouldn't?!
Some of the poses I prefer the western name... like the Headstand. A headstand is a headstand in my book, it is not Sirshasana (although that is a nice word.) And the same with the Shoulderstand, to me it is just not Sarvangasana.
Some of the poses I like both names and use them interchangeably. Like Natarajasana, or Lord of the Dance Pose. I like Uddiyana Bandha as much as I like the sound of 'Upward Abdominal Lock'. I like the sound of Baddha Konasana as much as I like 'Bound Angle Pose'. The same with the Cobra... I like that name as much as Bhujangasana.
Some of them it doesn't matter how many times I see the Sanskrit name right next to the Western name I still see the word by itself and go "what the hell is that?" Like Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes, hehehe). Or Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose). I bet I remember them now though!
Anyway, I know there are only a few Yoga practitioners here on MyLot, but if any of you find this discussion, do you have preferences as far as the names of the poses go or do you just call them all by their western names... or only by their Sanskrit names? I guess if you live in India and practice yoga it is not likely you call them by their western names though! Or do you? Do you call the Lotus Pose the Lotus Pose or do you call it Padmasana??
2 people like this
4 responses
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
9 Dec 08
As, like you, I do not adhere to the spiritual practice, but rather use some of the poses for exercise and conditioning, in truth, I do not call them by any name at all. Somehow I just don't think about it in that way.
The physical benefits are amazing. I think my practice once saved me from a serious injury, and certainly from embarrassment, as I was teaching a small class in computer techniques and had to get up and down from being seated at the computer quite a few times, until one time when I started to sit back down, to the alarm of my students my chair had rolled several yards away, as apparently the floor was uneven. I saw the looks on people's faces before I saw that the chair was not there, but immediately figured it out. Well, it happens that I had been working for months on a routine that actually strengthened the exact muscles that fortunately turned out to be useful in remaining suspended in the air in a seated position without a chair. After holding this rather strange position for a second or two, I just said, "Oh, maybe I won't sit there" and stood back up, rather gracefully in fact. Thennthe students showed me a very sharp corner on some furniture behind me upon which they had been sure I was going to go sprawling back and hit my head. That would have been quite calamitous!
I am normally sort of a klutz mobility-wise, so my westernized version of yoga helped me a lot.
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@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
9 Dec 08
Hahahaha... I bet the Chair Pose was part of that routine... otherwise known as Utkatasana... hehehe, not one of my favorite poses at all, in fact I haven't even thought of that pose in years, and had to look up the Sanskrit word here! Your thighs must be pretty friggin' strong!
I didn't know you practiced yoga though!
When I was a kid I was always getting down on my belly and trying to touch my toes to the back of my head. I would constantly have my sister measure the distance that I had to go before they touched. I didn't think of it then as King Cobra either, hehehe. And in fact I did yoga for many years (off and on) without even thinking of the poses as having names. But I have been practicing yoga too long and have read too many books on it, etc., to not have arrived at the place where I am as familiar with their names as I am with my own.
Thanks for responding to this discussion! I didn't think I was going to get any responses at all! I was just putting together a new routine and realized how familiar I had become with such long strange words without even needing to check the spelling, hehehe. It was quite a surprise actually, and being the show off that I am....
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
9 Dec 08
PS: I forgot to comment on your saying that about 'holding this rather strange position' because the full name of the Chair Pose is actually the Awkward Chair Pose, hehehehe.
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@CJscott (4187)
• Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
18 Aug 09
I have tried yoga in the past. I like it for both its physical and spiritual qualities, but I suppose, that is because once I am in the pose I start citing my mantra`s.
The names are irrelevant to me, but I think I would like the western ones better, they seem easier to pronounce, or at least read.
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@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
19 Aug 09
You are limber enough to get into a yoga pose painlessly enough to recite mantras while there?? Hahahahaha!
My only mantra used to be 'one... two... three... fourfivesixseveneightnineten'. Now I count deep breaths to avoid that Speedy Gonzalez recitation!
@CJscott (4187)
• Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
19 Aug 09
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@arlerambabu (1079)
• India
1 Feb 09
I'm an Indian. I'm a Yoga practitioner. The western names for different Yogaasanas mentioned by you are created to make the things easy for the westerners, because the original Yoga names are real tongue twisters. They may create an aversion in a practitioner.But despite all this even westerners also i found of late started using sanskrit names of yogasanas.Being an Indian and being from the land of Yoga I'll say Padmasana, not Lotus pose.
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
1 Feb 09
Yeah, I remember when I got my first book on Yoga... there were pictures in it of guys pulling long cloths through their noses, contorted into amazing looking poses, and the 6 mile words full of very strange letter arrangements was all very intimidating!
I still do not pull a cloth through my nose but over the years I have become very comfortable with the Sanskrit names, some of them feel like I'm singing a song when I say them!
I had read somewhere that Yoga was not originally intended for use by women. Are there many women in India today who practice it?
For the longest time I thought that Padmasana was called Lotus even over there, hehehehe.
@arlerambabu (1079)
• India
3 Feb 09
pulling the cloths and threads through the nose are different kinds of Netis, a nasal cleaning exercise in Ayurveda and yoga. About the 6 mile names, haha LOL.
@SaintAnne (5453)
• United States
16 Dec 08
I actually like the word Sirshasana... I can say that over and over again. But I don't practice yoga at all. And yes, we have one in our collection and I tried it once. I don't know why I didn't push through with it. I think it's lack of time but maybe I should try it one more time as you and drannhh both sing it praises!
Sirshasana...
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
16 Dec 08
Hehehe, I am like that with the word Paschimottanasana, also Baddha Konasana... I will walk around saying them over and over again in my mind. I love the way they sound!
Yeah, finding the time can be rough. Even if you have plenty of time, like I do, inspiration can sometimes be missing, and I don't like to do my yoga by rote. So, if I don't feel like getting up off my butt I just think of being able to meditate in full lotus and there is my inspiration! And if I am short on time I just do fewer poses.
I do not like to do my yoga in the morning because I am more limber at night so the poses are easier and not so painful, hehehe. I put on some yoga-type music, and just savor the feeling of being in this body, stretching and breathing... I love it!
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