20 Yoga Poses to Channel Your Inner Animal

Awesome asanas

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In the wide array of intriguing body contortions, many yoga poses — in Sanskrit, "asanas" — are named after animals. Some postures aptly mimic the shape of a specific animal while others are not quite so obvious. From the common Eagle Pose (pictured) to the complex Firefly Pose, here are 20 animal asanas.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

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Cobra Pose is a common beginner's pose, and it's clear why this pose is named after a snake. "Bhujanga" means "serpent" in Sanskrit, as the pose mimicks a serpent rising to strike. This pose benefits the chest, shoulders, spine and buttocks.

Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana)

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Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

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Garuda, the king of birds in Hindu mythology, translates roughly to "eagle" in English. This pose can be hard to wrap your mind around, but that's part of what makes it such a great pose for concentration. It benefits the shoulders, hips, thighs, calves and ankles.

Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

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Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)

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A favorite of our feline friends, this easy pose benefits the neck, spine and torso. It is usually performed in a flowing vinyasa with the Cow pose (see the next slide).

Cow Pose (Bitilasana)

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Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)

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Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

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This backbend pose benefits the neck, abdominal region, upper back and hips. There are a few variations of this posture. The traditional pose requires your legs to be crossed, while you can also raise your legs off of the ground for 15-30 seconds, or even lay them flat and focus on the upper back.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

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Often considered one of the more difficult backbends, the Camel Pose is a great stretch for the whole body, with particular focus on the throat, chest, abdomen, hips and thighs. It can lead to lightheadedness, so beginners should be careful not to bend their necks too far backward.

Tortoise Pose (Kurmasana)

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Crow Pose (Kakasana)

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This arm-strengthening pose also benefits the wrists, upper back, abdominal region and groin. A very similar pose is Bakasana, or Crane Pose. The only distinction is whether the arms are bent, and often the terms are used interchangeably.

Peacock Pose (Mayurasana)

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Scorpion Pose (Vrschikasana)

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In case you couldn't tell from the photo, this pose is not for beginners! One form of this pose requires you to keep the toes together, which resembles a scorpion more than the advanced pose, which requires you to lower your feet all the way to your head.

Frog Pose (Bhekasana)

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Frog Pose is considered a difficult pose, so the Half Frog Pose variation is more common. This pose fittingly benefits the throat, chest, hips, ankles and feet.

Lion Pose (Simhasana)

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Monkey Pose (Hanumanasana)

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Locust Pose (Salabhasana)

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It may look simple, but maintaining the right balance in this general shape of a locust can be very challenging. This pose benefits the back, buttocks and hamstrings.

Horse Pose (Vatayanasana)

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Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana)

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The inverse of camel pose, this is among the poses that really does resemble its namesake. One variation of Rabbit Pose is to press your palms firmly beside your knees, letting forearms line up against the front your thighs and widening the shoulder blades.

Firefly Pose (Tittibhasana)

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Firefly Pose is an advanced arm balance that benefits inner thighs, arms and wrists. It mimics the way a firefly looks when it's in flight.