आसनāsana · posture

Yoga poses chart with Sanskrit names, free to print

2 min read · Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026

In short

Below is a free yoga poses chart you can print from your browser: each posture with its Sanskrit name in IAST and Devanāgarī, its meaning, its level and its family. For a complete reference, the Asana Atlas PDF gives 84 printable cards with steps, alignment, easier versions, precautions and the original verses of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Gheranda Samhita.

A chart on the wall near your mat does two things: it reminds you of the order of a session, and it teaches the Sanskrit names by sight. Most charts found online give approximate spellings and no sources. This one is free, checked against the dictionaries and texts cited on each card, and printable from your browser.

The free chart

Each line links to the full card, with steps and precautions. "Classical" means the posture is described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika or the Gheranda Samhita; "modern" means it was named in twentieth-century Indian teaching.

Pose	Sanskrit	Devanāgarī	Meaning	Level	Origin
Mountain	tāḍāsana	ताडासन	mountain (or palm tree)	beginner	modern
Thunderbolt	vajrāsana	वज्रासन	thunderbolt, diamond	beginner	classical
Bridge	setu bandhāsana	सेतुबन्धासन	building of the bridge	beginner	modern
Cobra	bhujaṅgāsana	भुजङ्गासन	serpent	beginner	classical
Downward dog	adho mukha śvānāsana	अधोमुखश्वानासन	face-down dog	beginner	modern
Triangle	trikoṇāsana	त्रिकोणासन	three angles	beginner	modern
Warrior I	vīrabhadrāsana	वीरभद्रासन	the hero Vīrabhadra	beginner	modern
Seated forward bend	paścimottānāsana	पश्चिमोत्तानासन	stretch of the west	beginner	classical
Seated twist	ardha matsyendrāsana	अर्धमत्स्येन्द्रासन	half lord of the fishes	beginner	classical
Corpse	śavāsana	शवासन	corpse	beginner	classical
Lotus	padmāsana	पद्मासन	lotus	intermediate	classical
Plank, four-limbed staff	caturaṅga daṇḍāsana	चतुरङ्गदण्डासन	staff on four limbs	intermediate	modern
Bow	dhanurāsana	धनुरासन	bow	intermediate	classical
Pigeon	kapotāsana	कपोतासन	pigeon	intermediate	modern
Crow	bakāsana	बकासन	crane	intermediate	modern
Shoulder stand	sarvāṅgāsana	सर्वाङ्गासन	all the limbs	intermediate	modern
Wheel	cakrāsana	चक्रासन	wheel	advanced	modern
Splits	hanumānāsana	हनुमानासन	the hero Hanumān	advanced	modern
Headstand	śīrṣāsana	शीर्षासन	head	advanced	modern

To print it, use your browser's print command and choose "save as PDF". For a first practice in order, see the twelve basic poses for beginners; for the warm-up that links several of them, the sun salutation; for the stories behind the names, the meaning of pose names.

What the Asana Atlas adds

The free chart covers the postures that have a card on the site. The Asana Atlas: 84 Classical Poses with Sanskrit is our PDF ebook for those who want the complete reference, at home or in teacher training:

84 cards, one per posture, each with the name in Devanāgarī and IAST, the breakdown of the Sanskrit name, numbered steps, the key points of alignment, an easier variation and the situations in which to avoid or adapt the pose.
The 33 postures of the classical texts (the fifteen of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the thirty-two of the Gheranda Samhita, and viparīta karaṇī) with their original verse in our own translation, and an honest label on every card: classical or modern.
A chapter on the number 84: what the texts really say, and how the atlas built its list in the open.
The 84 postures on one page, a poster table to print, and a Sanskrit index.
Chapters by family: seated postures, standing, forward bends, backbends, twists, inversions, arm balances, relaxation.

What it does not do: replace a teacher, or promise health effects. The texts' promises are quoted as the texts' own.

Questions people ask

How do I print this yoga chart?

Use your browser's print command (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P) and choose save as PDF or a printer.

Is there a chart of the 84 yoga asanas?

There is no single traditional list of 84: the classical manuals describe far fewer, and the later lists of 84 names (from the 17th century) disagree with each other. The Asana Atlas builds its own 84 openly: the 33 postures described by the classical hatha texts and 51 modern postures taught across Indian schools, with a one-page table of all 84.

Are the poses on the chart safe for beginners?

Those marked beginner are, in their gentle version. Intermediate and advanced postures, especially inversions such as the headstand and shoulder stand, should be learned with a teacher.

Sources

Svātmārāma, Haṭhayogapradīpikā, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 16, 2026
Gheraṇḍasaṃhitā, Sanskrit text, chapter 2 (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 16, 2026
Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries checked October 16, 2026

Practise gently and within your limits. Yoga is learnt best with a qualified teacher; this page does not replace one.