asana catalog

yogabook / asana catalog

All available asanas are listed below. For those who perform them without expert instruction, this warning applies.

Asanas can be classified in different ways, the following option is just one of many. At the bottom are the functional exercises and the explorations.

Warming up
Dog poses and staff pose
Standing poses
Reverse poses
Backbends
Warming up
Hips
Shoulder
Abdominals
Quadriceps
Twisting poses
Back of legs
Body side and others
Meditation poses
Transitions
Sequences
Functional exercises
Explorations

LIST OF ASANAS
without naming the variants

Warming up

  1. Back stretching

Dog poses and staff pose

  1. adho mukha svanasana (head down dog pose)
  2. Dog elbow stand
  3. Dog headstand
  4. urdhva mukha svanasana (dog pose, head up)
  5. caturanga dandasana (staff pose)

Standing poses

  1. trikonasana (triangle)
  2. parivrtta trikonasana (twisted triangle)
  3. parsvakonasana (side angle)
  4. parivrtta parsvakonasana (twisted side angle)
  5. virabhadrasana I (warrior 1 pose)
  6. virabhadrasana II (warrior 2 pose)
  7. virabhadrasana III (warrior 3 pose)
  8. Counter
  9. parsvottanasana (intense lateral stretch)
  10. prasarita padottanasana (straddled intensive leg stretch)
  11. ardha chandrasana (half moon)
  12. parivrtta ardha chandrasana (twisted half moon)
  13. for you (the mightly one)
  14. uttanasana (intensive stretching)
  15. vrksasana (tree)
  16. garudasana (eagle)
  17. caturkonasana (square)
  18. tadasana (mointain)
  19. urdhva hastasana (arms up)
  20. hasta padangusthasana (hand-big-toe-pose)

Reverse positions

  1. adho mukha vrksasana (handstand)
  2. right-angled handstand
  3. pinca mayurasana (elbow pose)
  4. Right-angled elbow position
  5. sirsasana (headstand)
  6. Right-angled headstand
  7. halasana (plow)
  8. parsva halasana (side plow)
  9. karnapidasana (pressure on the ears)
  10. supta konasana (reclining angle)
  11. sarvangasana (shoulder stand)

Hip

  1. 1st hip opening
  2. 2nd hip opening
  3. 3. hip opening
  4. 4th hip opening (lateral half splits)
  5. 5. hip opening
  6. Seated forward bend: heels to the edge of the mat
  7. ardha padmasana Forward bend
  8. adho mukha supta padmasana
  9. baddha konasana (held angle)
  10. baddha konasana Forward bend
  11. supta baddha konasana (lying held angle)
  12. adho mukha supta baddha konasana (lying held angle with face down )
  13. upavista konasana (upright angle)
  14. parsva upavista konasana (lateral upright angle)
  15. parivrtta parsva upavista konasana (twisted lateral upright angle )
  16. hanumanasana (forward splits)
  17. samakonasana (side splits)

Shoulder

  1. hyperbola
  2. shoulder opening on the chair
  3. raised back stretching
  4. ardha garudasana (half eagle)
  5. gomukhasana (cow face)
  6. upavista konasana with block
  7. tolasana (libra)
  8. downface dog wide
  9. elbow dog pose
  10. purvottanasana (incl. „8 treasures“)

Belly

  1. supta dandasana (various angles)
  2. navasana (boat)
  3. jathara parivartanasana (turning the stomach)

Knee / Quadriceps

  1. virasana (hero)
  2. supta virasana (lying hero)
  3. ardha supta krouncasana (half lying heron)
  4. supta krouncasana (lying heron)
  5. baddha padasana
  6. quadriceps stretch 1 on the wall
  7. quadriceps stretch 2 on the wall
  8. malasana

Backbends

  1. salabhasana (grasshopper)
  2. bhujangasana (cobra)
  3. ustrasana (camel)
  4. setu bandha sarvangasana
  5. urdhva dhanurasana (back arch)
  6. dvi on viparita dandasana
  7. eka pada viparita dandasana
  8. dhanurasana (downward bow)
  9. lying on a roll

Back relaxation after backbends

  1. supta padangusthasana with belt
  2. parsva uttanasana

Twisting poses

  1. maricyasana I
  2. maricyasana III
  3. Turning while seated (with/without wall)

Back of leg (hamstrings)

  1. post-mottanasana
  2. janu sirsasana
  3. parivrtta janu sirsasana
  4. ardha baddha padma pascimottanasana
  5. tryanga mukhaikapada pascimottanasana
  6. parsvottanasana
  7. hip opener 5
  8. supta padangusthasana straight / sideways
  9. krouncasana
  10. supta krouncasana

Flank and others

  1. vasisthasana
  2. ardha vasisthasana
  3. baddha padasana
  4. dandasana
  5. torso side bend, seated

Meditation postures

  1. padmasana (Lotus)
  2. ardha padmasana (half lotus)
  3. baddha konasana

Transitions

For all transitions to a different pose, see the variants of the starting pose

Sequences

  1. surya namaskar (sun salutation)
  2. John’s sequence

Relaxation

  1. savasana
  2. prasarita savasana
  3. viparita karani
  4. child pose

Functional exercises

  1. Dorsal forearm extension
  2. Palmar forearm stretch
  3. Palmar forearm stretch in upavista konasana
  4. Hip flexor mobility test
  5. Contract the biceps
  6. Roll up the back
  7. Deadlift
  8. Front lift
  9. Press your head to the floor
  10. Head tilt
  11. Crounching 1
  12. Crouching 2
  13. Spread your toes
  14. Rotate arms
  15. Therapeutic walking uphill
  16. Therapeutic stair climbing
  17. Press heels to the floor
  18. Extend lumbar spine lying down
  19. Practicing supination and pronation of the arm
  20. Practicing radial abduction and ulnar abduction of the hand
  21. Abductor strengthening on the stairs
  22. Rhomboid stretching with dumbbells

Explorations

Explorations are small exercises to deepen body awareness, acquire specific skills, make observations, assess range of motion, recognize dependencies or deepen biomechanical understanding. Unlike asanas or functional exercises, they are not intended to be practiced regularly, often a single execution is sufficient.

  1. Back and raised arms against the wall
  2. Observe the angulus inferior (lower tip of the shoulder blade) when raising the arm
  3. Elevate shoulder blade
  4. Contract the thighs
  5. Contract the latissimus
  6. Observe the inner hamstrings when straightening the pelvis
  7. Rotate lower leg
  8. Put on foot
  9. Bend arm in supine position
  10. caturkonasana arm pose
  11. Alternating spinal extension/flexion
  12. Twisted arm abduction
  13. Abduct leg without turning it out
  14. Extend leg bent in hip flexion
  15. „Sitting giant“ test
  16. Tendency to cramp in the rectus femoris
  17. Influence of the finger extensors on palmar flexion and the finger extensors on dorsiflexion
  18. Observe chest during breathing
  19. Independent mobility of the 3 areas of the spine
  20. Walking and its parameters
  21. Open and close fist against resistance
  22. Press the spine against the wall and tilt the pelvis
  23. Bend your arms and turn them overhead
  24. Bend your arm and place it on your head
  25. Palpate the biceps tendon