Yogasanas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A category of physical postures practiced in yoga for promoting physical health and mental well-being
2. Exercises aimed at enhancing flexibility, strength, and balance through a variety of positions and movements
3. Specific poses within the broader yoga tradition designed to cultivate mindfulness and physical endurance

Etymology: "Yogasanas" is the plural of "yogasana," a term borrowed from Sanskrit "yogāsana," a compound of "yoga" and "āsana." The first element, "yoga," comes from a Sanskrit root meaning to yoke or join, so the word carries the sense of a discipline of union. The second element, "āsana," means seat or posture, and in Sanskrit it originally referred to the way one sat, especially in meditation. Put together, a "yogāsana" is a posture used in yoga practice. In English the plural form "yogasanas" refers to the whole set of such postures, which is why it is usually heard as a collective noun for the physical side of yoga.

Synonyms: yoga poses, postures, asanas, yogic positions, yoga postures