84 Classical Hatha Yoga Asanas Explained

The 84 classical Hatha Yoga asanas are a traditional group of postures associated with Shiva, with different Hatha Yoga texts preserving different selections, descriptions, and meanings. In this guide, you’ll learn why 84 became such an important number, what the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Hatha Ratnavali actually say, and how the 84 asanas can be understood and practiced today without turning them into a modern pose collection.

What Are the 84 Asanas of Hatha Yoga

The 84 asanas are a traditional body of Hatha Yoga postures associated with Shiva, but they were never simply a fixed modern exercise list rather than as a modern exercise list where every pose has a fixed, universally accepted form, as you can see in this Yoga Exercises – Yoga Asana Guide.

This is important because you can search for “84 Hatha Yoga asanas” today and find several completely different lists. One website may show familiar poses such as Warrior Pose and Triangle Pose. Another may give Sanskrit names that you have never heard before. A third may present an illustrated sequence and call it the original 84.

The history is more interesting than that. The number 84 appears in several Hatha Yoga traditions, often alongside the idea that Shiva taught or revealed these postures. Yet the classical texts do not all preserve the same 84 poses. Some mention the number without listing the poses. Some describe a smaller group. Others name a much larger collection.

Gudrun Bühnemann’s research on the history of the 84 asanas makes this point clearly. There is no known original set of 84 postures that we can simply recover and place in front of a modern yoga class. Instead, different traditions preserved different sets over time.

So, when we talk about “the 84 asanas,” we need to ask a second question: which tradition?

For this article, the main list comes from the Hatha Ratnavali, a Hatha Yoga text traditionally associated with Srinivasa Yogi. It is particularly useful because it gives the names of 84 asanas, although it does not provide a full practical description for every one of them. That small detail changes how we should read the list.

These are not 84 poses that you are expected to perform in one class. They are part of a much older body of Hatha Yoga teachings, where asana served a broader purpose than simply making the body stronger or more flexible.

If you want the wider philosophical background, it also helps to understand Hatha Yoga philosophy as a whole, because the asanas make more sense when you see them within the larger Hatha Yoga system.

Why Are There 84 Hatha Yoga Asanas

The traditional number 84 comes from an older idea that Shiva revealed an enormous number of asanas, from which 84 were selected as especially significant.

The number therefore carries a sense of completeness in the tradition. It does not necessarily mean that an ancient teacher sat down and counted exactly 84 anatomically distinct body positions in the way a modern yoga manual might. That distinction is easy to miss.

Lord Shiva and the 84 Asanas

Several Hatha Yoga texts connect the teaching of asana with Shiva. In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Swatmarama says that Shiva taught 84 asanas and then chooses four of them for detailed treatment: Siddhasana, Padmasana, Simhasana, and Bhadrasana.

The text does not give us a complete 84-pose manual. Instead, it says there are 84 and then turns its attention to four important postures. Siddhasana receives particular emphasis.

That tells us something important about the role of asana in early Hatha Yoga. The purpose was not simply to gather as many shapes as possible. Certain postures mattered because they supported the deeper practices of Hatha Yoga, including pranayama, concentration, and meditation.

I have noticed a similar misunderstanding in modern classes. Students sometimes assume that a more advanced practice must contain more poses. In reality, a practitioner can spend twenty minutes working carefully with one seated posture and learn far more about breath, steadiness, and attention than they might from racing through twenty different shapes. The ancient texts understood this surprisingly well.

From 84 Lakh Asanas to 84

The Gheranda Samhita gives us another part of the story. It describes 8.4 million asanas, corresponding to the number of living forms, and says that 84 are considered important, while 32 are useful for human beings in this world.

This is one reason the 84 lakh idea became so closely tied to the 84 asanas.

But it is better to treat this as part of the traditional worldview than as a historical claim that someone literally catalogued 8.4 million physical yoga postures.

The Hatha Ratnavali makes a similar connection between the 84 asanas and the 8.4 million forms of life. The text presents Shiva as selecting 84 asanas from this vast number.

The image is powerful. Rather than thinking of asana as a list of gymnastic positions, the tradition places the human body within a much larger picture of life, practice, and transformation.

What Classical Hatha Yoga Texts Say About the 84 Asanas

The classical texts do not agree on one universal list of 84 asanas. Instead, each text gives us a different glimpse into how Hatha Yoga understood posture.

That is one of the most useful things to know before looking at the list itself.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika says that Shiva taught 84 asanas, then identifies four as especially important: Siddhasana, Padmasana, Simhasana, and Bhadrasana. It goes on to describe these postures, with special praise for Siddhasana.

The text gives us the number 84, but it does not try to describe all 84. That tells us that “84” was not necessarily functioning as a syllabus. The number could point to a larger traditional body of practice while the teacher focused on the postures most relevant to the student’s path.

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika also gives us another useful reminder. Asana is closely connected to the rest of Hatha Yoga. Its discussion moves into pranayama and other practices rather than treating posture as an isolated form of exercise.

Gheranda Samhita

The Gheranda Samhita takes a different approach. It places the 84 asanas within the much larger figure of 8.4 million asanas and identifies 32 as particularly useful for human beings.

This gives us a pattern that appears elsewhere in the tradition: a large symbolic number followed by a smaller, practical group.

That is useful when reading old Yoga texts. A traditional number does not always tell you how many postures you are supposed to practice in one sitting.

Hatha Ratnavali

The Hatha Ratnavali is especially valuable because it actually enumerates 84 asana names.

The text also says that four of these are the most important: Siddhasana, Padmasana, Simhasana, and Bhadrasana.

But the text does not give a full description of every asana in the list. Modern scholarship notes that descriptions survive for only a portion of the 84, while the names of the full group are preserved.

Some names can be connected confidently with postures still practiced today. Others are difficult to identify. A few have names that appear in different forms across manuscripts and translations.

So, when an identification is uncertain, we should say so. It is simply the honest state of the historical record.

Also See: What Is Hatha Yoga? Meaning, History & Practice Explained

The 84 Classical Hatha Yoga Asanas

The list below follows the 84 asanas enumerated in the Hatha Ratnavali tradition. Several names represent variations of a larger posture family, such as Padmasana, Mayurasana, and Kukkutasana.

A note on the list below: there is no surviving classical source that gives one universally accepted set of 84 asanas with clear modern English equivalents for every posture. The Hatha Ratnavali gives us an important historical enumeration, but some names remain difficult to identify with certainty. Where a modern equivalent is unclear, the traditional name is retained rather than guessed.

1. Siddhasana, Accomplished Pose

Siddhasana is one of the four asanas given special importance in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. It is a seated posture traditionally used for meditation and pranayama, with an emphasis on a steady, upright body.

2. Bhadrasana, Gracious Pose

Bhadrasana is another of the four principal asanas highlighted in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The name suggests something gracious or auspicious, and the posture belongs to the group of stable seated practices.

3. Vajrasana, Thunderbolt Pose

Vajrasana is a kneeling posture in modern Yoga, traditionally associated with steadiness and a firm base. The name comes from vajra, often translated as thunderbolt or diamond.

4. Simhasana, Lion Pose

Simhasana means Lion Pose. It is traditionally performed with a strong, open expression through the face and mouth, giving the posture a distinctive quality that feels quite different from quiet seated meditation.

5. Shilpasimhasana

Shilpasimhasana appears in the Hatha Ratnavali enumeration. Its exact modern form is not secure enough to assign a single contemporary pose name without qualification.

6. Bandha Padmasana

Bandha Padmasana is a bound form of Lotus Pose. The name combines bandha, meaning a binding or lock, with Padmasana, the lotus posture.

7. Kara Padmasana

Kara Padmasana is another Padmasana variation. Kara relates to the hand or arm, suggesting that the variation involves a particular placement or binding of the hands.

8. Samputita Padmasana

Samputita Padmasana is a further Lotus Pose variation. Samputa carries the sense of being enclosed or joined, although the precise historical technique should not be assumed from the name alone.

9. Shuddha Padmasana

Shuddha Padmasana means pure or unmodified Lotus Pose. The name distinguishes it from the other Padmasana variations in the list.

10. Danda Mayurasana

Danda Mayurasana belongs to the Mayurasana family. Danda means staff or rod, while Mayurasana means Peacock Pose.

11. Parsva Mayurasana

Parsva means side or lateral. Parsva Mayurasana therefore indicates a lateral variation of Peacock Pose.

12. Sahaja Mayurasana

Sahaja can mean natural, innate, or spontaneous. Sahaja Mayurasana is one of the Mayurasana variations named in the Hatha Ratnavali.

13. Bandha Mayurasana

Bandha Mayurasana is a bound form of Peacock Pose. The exact binding differs from the simpler Mayurasana form.

14. Pinda Mayurasana

Pinda refers to a lump, mass, or compact form. Pinda Mayurasana is another named variation within the Peacock family.

15. Ekapada Mayurasana

Ekapada means one-legged or one-footed. Ekapada Mayurasana therefore describes a one-legged variation of Peacock Pose.

16. Mayurasana, Peacock Pose

Mayurasana is the classic Peacock Pose, a demanding arm balance in which the body extends horizontally while the elbows support the abdomen. It is one of the clearest examples of how physically demanding some classical Hatha Yoga asanas could be.

17. Bhairavasana

Bhairavasana takes its name from Bhairava, a fierce form associated with Shiva. The historical posture is preserved in the Hatha Ratnavali, although modern forms carrying the same name can differ.

18. Kamadahanasana

Kamadahanasana can be understood through Kama, desire, and dahana, burning or destroying. The name therefore carries a strong symbolic quality, although its precise physical form belongs to the historical text rather than a universally agreed modern posture.

19. Panipatra Asana

Panipatra is an obscure classical name whose modern physical equivalent is uncertain. It is better to preserve the Sanskrit name than attach an unsupported contemporary label.

20. Karmukasana, Bow Pose

Karmuka means bow. Karmukasana therefore belongs to the family of postures named after the shape or idea of a bow.

21. Svastikasana, Auspicious Pose

Svastikasana is a seated posture whose name comes from svastika, associated with well-being and auspiciousness. It appears across traditional Yoga sources as a stable meditative seat.

22. Gomukhasana, Cow Face Pose

Gomukhasana means Cow Face Pose. The crossed legs and arms create the distinctive shape associated with the name.

23. Virasana, Hero Pose

Virasana means Hero Pose. It is a seated posture associated with steadiness and an upright, composed body.

24. Mandukasana, Frog Pose

Manduka means frog. Mandukasana therefore belongs to the group of animal-named postures found throughout Hatha Yoga literature.

25. Markatasana, Monkey Pose

Markata means monkey. Markatasana is an older named posture that appears in the Hatha Ratnavali list, although the modern posture associated with the name is not always consistent across schools.

26. Matsyendrasana

Matsyendrasana is named after Matsyendra, one of the major figures in the Hatha Yoga tradition. It belongs to the family of seated twisting postures.

27. Parsva Matsyendrasana

Parsva Matsyendrasana is a lateral or side variation of Matsyendrasana. The name therefore places it clearly within the Matsyendra posture family.

28. Bandha Matsyendrasana

Bandha Matsyendrasana is a bound variation of Matsyendrasana. The binding adds another layer of physical demand to the traditional twist.

29. Niralambanasana

Niralamba means without support. Niralambanasana therefore indicates an unsupported posture, although the surviving name alone does not give us enough information to establish its modern shape.

30. Chandrasana

Chandra means moon. Chandrasana is therefore named after the moon, although different Yoga traditions have used the name for different postures.

31. Kanthva

Kanthva is a difficult historical name to identify with confidence. The Hatha Ratnavali preserves the name, but the surviving evidence does not justify assigning it a single modern pose.

32. Ekapadaka

Ekapadaka means one-footed or one-legged. The name points toward a one-legged posture, but its exact historical technique remains uncertain.

33. Phanindrasana

Phanindra means lord of serpents, a term associated with the serpent king. The name gives the posture a clear symbolic connection with the serpent, but its modern equivalent is not certain.

34. Paschimatana

Paschimatana is associated with stretching the western or back side of the body. It belongs to the same broad family as later forms of seated forward bending.

35. Shayita Paschimatana

Shayita means lying down or reclining. Shayita Paschimatana therefore represents a reclining variation of the Paschimatana family.

36. Vichitrakarani

Vichitra can mean unusual, varied, or distinctive, while karani refers to an action or technique. The name is preserved in the Hatha Ratnavali, but its exact modern posture is not securely established.

37. Yoga Mudra

Yoga Mudra is a traditional forward-folding practice associated with inward attention and a compact body position. It connects asana practice with the wider language of mudra and Hatha Yoga.

38. Vidhunana

Vidhunana suggests shaking, moving, or removing something. The Hatha Ratnavali preserves the name, but its precise modern posture is uncertain.

39. Padapindana

Padapindana combines pada, foot, with pinda, a compact mass or form. Its historical name survives, but its modern identification is not certain.

40. Hamsasana, Swan Pose

Hamsa means swan. Hamsasana therefore belongs to the animal-named group of Hatha Yoga postures, although modern schools may use the name differently.

41. Nabhitala

Nabhi means navel, while tala can refer to a surface or level. Nabhitala is preserved as a classical name, but its modern form cannot be established confidently from the name alone.

42. Akasha

Akasha means space or ether. The name gives the posture a strong connection with one of the traditional elements or subtle principles, though its exact physical form is uncertain.

43. Utpadatala

Utpadatala is another obscure name from the Hatha Ratnavali list. The traditional name survives, but a clear modern equivalent cannot be established with confidence.

44. Nabhilasitapadaka

Nabhilasitapadaka is a particularly obscure classical name. Rather than forcing it into a modern pose category, it is more honest to preserve the Sanskrit name and acknowledge the uncertainty.

45. Vrischikasana, Scorpion Pose

Vrischika means scorpion. Vrischikasana is therefore Scorpion Pose, traditionally associated with an inverted balance and a pronounced backbend.

46. Chakrasana, Wheel Pose

Chakrasana means Wheel Pose. The name comes from chakra, wheel, and belongs to the family of strong backward-bending postures.

47. Utphalaka

Utphalaka is a less familiar classical name. The modern identification is uncertain, so the historical name is the safest description.

48. Uttana Kurmasana, Extended Tortoise Pose

Uttana means extended or stretched, while Kurma means tortoise. Uttana Kurmasana therefore describes an extended form of Tortoise Pose.

49. Kurmasana, Tortoise Pose

Kurmasana means Tortoise Pose. The name refers to the shape of the body spreading close to the ground, like a tortoise withdrawing into itself.

50. Baddha Kurmasana, Bound Tortoise Pose

Baddha means bound. Baddha Kurmasana is therefore a bound form of Tortoise Pose.

51. Kabandhasana

Kabandha is a figure from Indian mythology. Kabandhasana preserves this mythological reference, but its precise modern physical equivalent is not certain.

52. Gorakshasana

Gorakshasana is associated with Goraksha, one of the central figures in the Hatha Yoga tradition. The name itself gives the posture a direct connection with the lineage’s history.

53. Angushthasana

Angushtha means the big toe or thumb. Angushthasana therefore refers to a posture in which the big toe or thumb has a defining role, although its exact historical technique is not certain.

54. Mushtikasana

Mushti means fist. Mushtikasana is therefore named after the fist or clenched hand.

55. Brahmaprasadita

Brahma is the creator deity in Hindu traditions, while prasada can convey grace, clarity, or favor. The name has a strong devotional quality, but the physical form is not securely identifiable today.

56. Panchachuli Kukkutasana

Panchachuli Kukkutasana is a variation within the Kukkutasana family. Panchachuli suggests five points or peaks, while Kukkuta means rooster.

57. Kukkutasana, Rooster Pose

Kukkutasana means Rooster Pose. It is traditionally practiced as an arm balance, with the legs threaded through the arms while the body lifts away from the floor.

58. Ekapadaka Kukkutasana

Ekapadaka means one-footed or one-legged. This is a one-legged variation of Kukkutasana.

59. Akarita Kukkutasana

Akarita suggests drawing, pulling, or extending. Akarita Kukkutasana is therefore a named variation of Rooster Pose, although the exact historical technique needs to be treated with care.

60. Bandha Chuli Kukkutasana

This is another bound variation of Kukkutasana. The name points to a particular binding or joining of the body.

61. Parsva Kukkutasana

Parsva means side. Parsva Kukkutasana is therefore a lateral variation of Rooster Pose.

62. Ardhanarishvarasana

Ardhanarishvara represents the combined form of Shiva and Parvati, traditionally shown as half male and half female. The name gives this asana a distinctly Shaiva symbolic connection.

63. Bakasana, Crane Pose

Baka means crane. Bakasana is Crane Pose, a balancing posture that remains familiar in modern Yoga practice.

64. Chandrakanta

Chandrakanta combines Chandra, moon, with kanta, beloved or beautiful. It is a poetic name, but its exact physical form is not securely established.

65. Sudhasara

Sudha can mean nectar, while sara can mean essence or flow. The name therefore carries the sense of nectar or its essence, although the physical posture is difficult to identify with certainty.

66. Vyaghrasana, Tiger Pose

Vyaghra means tiger. Vyaghrasana is Tiger Pose, traditionally associated with a strong, animal-like body position.

67. Rajasana

Raja means king. Rajasana can therefore be understood as King Pose, although the historical posture should not automatically be equated with every modern pose using the same name.

68. Indrani

Indrani is the name of the consort of Indra in Hindu tradition. The posture therefore carries a mythological name rather than a straightforward anatomical description.

69. Sarabhasana

Sarabha is a powerful mythological creature associated with Indian religious traditions. Sarabhasana takes its name from this figure, although its modern physical identification is uncertain.

70. Ratnasana

Ratna means jewel or precious stone. Ratnasana therefore has a symbolic name suggesting something precious or valuable.

71. Chitrapitha

Chitra can mean varied, bright, or beautiful, while pitha refers to a seat or base. The name survives in the Hatha Ratnavali enumeration, but its modern form is uncertain.

72. Baddha Pakshishvarasana

Baddha means bound, while Pakshishvara means lord of birds. This is a bound variation of Pakshishvara Pose.

73. Vichitra

Vichitra means unusual, varied, or distinctive. The name is preserved in the classical list, although its precise posture is not clearly established today.

74. Nalina

Nalina means lotus. The name therefore carries an obvious connection with the lotus flower, though the exact posture cannot be confidently reconstructed from the name alone.

75. Kanta

Kanta can mean beautiful, beloved, or shining. Kanta is one of the lesser-known names preserved in the Hatha Ratnavali.

76. Sudhapakshi

Sudha can refer to nectar, while pakshi means bird. The name can therefore be read as a nectar-related bird posture, but its exact physical form remains uncertain.

77. Sumandaka

Sumandaka is an obscure classical name whose modern equivalent is difficult to establish. It is one of the names that reminds us how much of the older asana vocabulary has been lost or transformed.

78. Chaurangi

Chaurangi means four-limbed or four-part. The name is associated with Chaurangi, a figure appearing in Hatha Yoga traditions.

79. Kraunchasana, Heron Pose

Krauncha refers to a heron or crane. Kraunchasana is a seated posture in which one leg traditionally extends upward, giving the pose its distinctive shape.

80. Drdhasana, Firm Pose

Drdha means firm or steady. Drdhasana therefore points directly toward steadiness, although its precise historical form is not fully established.

81. Khagasana, Bird Pose

Khaga means bird or one that moves through the sky. Khagasana therefore belongs to the bird imagery found throughout the classical asana tradition.

82. Brahmasana

Brahmasana takes its name from Brahma. The posture belongs to the group of classical asanas whose names connect the body with a deity or sacred figure.

83. Nagapitha

Naga means serpent, while pitha means seat or base. Nagapitha therefore suggests a serpent seat or serpent-supported posture, although the exact historical form is uncertain.

84. Shavasana, Corpse Pose

Shavasana means Corpse Pose. The body rests completely on the floor, making it one of the most recognizable forms of relaxation in modern Yoga. Its presence in this old list is a useful reminder that stillness has always had a place alongside demanding physical practices.

Why the 84 Asanas Do Not Have One Fixed List

If you compare several “84 Hatha Yoga asana” lists online, they will not match because the historical traditions themselves do not preserve one universal set.

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika gives the number 84 but focuses on four important postures. The Hatha Ratnavali gives a much longer enumeration. Later texts and illustrated traditions preserve other sets again. Modern Yoga schools then added their own interpretations, names, variations, and sequences.

Usually, some modern lists take familiar postures from contemporary Yoga and arrange them into a group of 84. Others draw from classical names but give every obscure name a modern equivalent. Some combine several historical sources without telling the reader where each posture came from.

That can make the final list look beautifully complete. Historically, though, it can be misleading.

The Hatha Ratnavali itself shows us a messier picture. It names many asanas, including several families with multiple variations, but surviving descriptions do not allow us to reconstruct every posture with equal confidence. Scholarly work on the subject also shows that different traditions developed different sets of 84 rather than preserving one original master list.

And this is why a modern list should always tell you where it came from. A source note is how you understand what you are looking at.

How Should You Practice the 84 Asanas

The classical tradition does not require you to treat the number as a daily checklist. A better approach is to understand the 84 as a traditional body of practices and then work with appropriate postures for your body, experience, and purpose.

Some of the postures are physically demanding. Others are seated and meditative. Some have clear modern equivalents, while others survive mainly as names in an old text.

That means your practice needs judgment.

In my teaching experience, students often want a complete sequence because a complete sequence feels reassuring. You can tick the boxes. You know what you have finished.

But Yoga does not always reward that mindset.

A strong Hatha Yoga practice might spend considerable time preparing the hips before a seated posture, exploring the breath after the body settles, or working patiently toward a position that does not look particularly impressive from the outside.

At our ashram, I have seen students arrive with the idea that progress means reaching harder poses quickly. A few weeks of consistent practice usually changes that view. They begin noticing smaller things: the quality of their breathing, the way they enter a posture, whether they can stay present when a pose feels awkward.

Those details are where teaching begins.

If you are learning Hatha Yoga for yourself, choose a practice that matches your current ability and learn challenging postures under qualified guidance. A historical name does not tell you that a posture is appropriate for every body.

And if you want to teach these practices, learning the Sanskrit names is only the beginning. You also need to understand alignment, preparation, contraindications, breathing, modifications, and how to observe the person actually standing or sitting in front of you.

That is a very different skill from memorizing a list.

What the 84 Asanas Mean for Hatha Yoga Today

The 84 asanas are valuable today because they show us that Hatha Yoga has always been larger and stranger than the modern idea of a pose sequence.

Some postures were difficult. Some were meditative. Some carried animal names, divine names, or symbolic references. Others have become difficult to identify because the instructions did not survive in enough detail.

That should make us curious rather than disappointed.

When I teach Hatha Yoga, I find it useful to separate two questions. What does this posture look like? And what was this posture meant to do within its original practice?

Those questions do not always have the same answer.

A posture can be physically demanding without being the most important practice in a text. Siddhasana is a good example. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika mentions 84 asanas, but then gives particular attention to four, and especially to Siddhasana.

That changes the way we can look at the whole tradition.

The goal was never simply to collect shapes.

The body was part of the method.

And perhaps that is the most useful lesson for a modern Hatha Yoga practitioner. You do not have to chase every posture simply because it exists. You can become interested in what a posture asks of you, how it changes your relationship with breath and attention, and why a particular tradition valued it in the first place.

The number 84 becomes less like a target and more like a doorway into the history of Yoga.

Conclusion: The 84 Asanas Are More Than a List

It is tempting to look at an old list of 84 postures and imagine that somewhere, hidden behind centuries of manuscripts, there is one perfect sequence waiting to be recovered.

Perhaps that is part of the fascination.

But the historical record tells a more human story. Names changed. Practices moved between regions. Teachers emphasized different postures. Some descriptions survived while others disappeared. Hatha Yoga was never as tidy as a modern chart makes it look.

After years of teaching, I find that reassuring.

The 84 asanas are a glimpse into a much larger tradition of using the body as a means for steadying attention, refining practice, and looking inward.

If you want to understand Hatha Yoga as a complete practice rather than simply memorize asana names, a structured teacher training gives you the chance to study asana, pranayama, meditation, anatomy, sequencing, teaching methodology, and Yoga philosophy together.

Explore Arhanta Yoga’s 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training to develop the knowledge and practical teaching skills needed to guide Hatha Yoga classes with greater confidence and understanding.