Yoga & the Gods: A Personal Journey

One of our team has lived with self-harm throughout his life. He is not ashamed of that — but he has also spent decades finding better ways to cope. Running, cycling, meditation, and especially yoga have given him alternatives to the destructive patterns that once consumed him.

These pages are dedicated to the yoga postures that helped him most, and to the mythology that gives them meaning. Each pose is linked back to its source in Hindu tradition — the gods, sages, and stories that inspired the posture, its shape, and its purpose.

You'll notice that the images in these pages show a man with scars. They're inspired by the scars our team member lives with every day^[1] — not to shock or disturb, but to remind us that people can survive difficult things. He never harmed anyone else — only himself — and that is part of why we want to share this work: to show that people who have self-harmed are good people, deserving of acceptance, not shame.

If the scars are uncomfortable to look at, we understand. But they are part of his story, and he has chosen to share them because he believes they might help someone else find a better path.

^[1] The AI-generated images aren't a literal likeness. They show large, stitched scars, whereas our team member's are mostly dozens of small, thin scars, with a few larger ones — none of them stitched. Like many people who self-harm, he never went to hospital for them; he hid the cuts and let them heal on their own.

All images are watercolour-style illustrations, not photographs. This was a deliberate choice — to create beauty out of difficulty, and to focus on the movement and meaning of the poses rather than the scars themselves.

These pages are for anyone who needs them.

Intro

Definition and Origin
The term asana comes from Sanskrit[1], meaning “posture,” “seat,” or “place”.
Originally, asanas were primarily seated postures for meditation, but over time, they evolved into a wide variety of positions including standing, twisting, balancing, forward bends, backbends, inversions, and reclining poses.
Classical texts identify 84 traditional asanas, though modern yoga includes many more variations

Seated

Pose	Sanskrit	Focus / Benefit
Easy	Sukhasana	Gentle seated posture for calm breathing
Firelog	Agnistambhasana	Opens hips and groin
Lotus	Padmasana	Deep meditation pose
Hero	Virasana	Stretches thighs and ankles
Garland	Malasana	Deep squat for hip mobility
Cow Face	Gomukhasana	Shoulder and hip stretch
Butterfly	Baddhakonasana	Inner thigh stretch
Scale	Tulasana	Arm balance and core strength

Standing

Pose	Sanskrit	Focus / Benefit
Tree	Vriksasana	Balance and focus
Goddess	Utkata Konasana	Strengthens legs and glutes
Back Bend	Hasta Uttanasana	Opens chest and shoulders
Eagle	Garudasana	Improves balance and flexibility
Warrior I	Virabhadrasana I	Builds strength and stability
Warrior II	Virabhadrasana II	Opens hips and chest
Warrior III	Virabhadrasana III	Balance and core engagement
Dancer	Natarajasana	Backbend and balance

Spine Mobility

Pose	Sanskrit	Focus / Benefit
Sphinx	Salamba Bhujangasana	Gentle backbend
Cobra	Bhujangasana	Strengthens spine
Upward Dog	Urdhva Mukha Svanasana	Opens chest
Downward Dog	Adho Mukha Svanasana	Full-body stretch
Extended Puppy	Uttana Shishosana	Shoulder and spine release
Bridge	Setu Bandha Sarvangasana	Strengthens glutes and back
Locust	Salabhasana	Back and leg strength
Spinal Twist	Ardha Matsyendrasana	Detoxifying twist
Easy Twist	Parivrtta Sukhasana	Gentle seated twist
Thread the Needle	Parvva Balasana	Shoulder and upper back release
Fish	Matsyasana	Opens chest and throat
Bow	Dhanurasana	Deep backbend
Cow	Bitilasana	Spine extension
Cat	Bidalasana	Spine flexion
Camel	Ustrasana	Opens chest and hips
Wheel	Chakrasana	Intense backbend
Dolphin	Catur Svanasana	Shoulder strength
Forward Fold	Uttanasana	Hamstring stretch

Core

Pose	Sanskrit	Focus / Benefit
Chaturanga	Chaturanga Dandasana	Arm and core strength
Dolphin Plank	Phalakasana II	Core stability
Seated Fold	Paschimottanasana	Hamstring and spine stretch
Plow	Halasana	Spine flexibility
High Plank	Phalakasana	Core and shoulder strength
Bird Dog	Dandayamana Bharmanasana	Balance and coordination
Upward Plank	Purvottanasana	Opens chest and strengthens arms
Boat	Navasana	Core engagement
Side Plank	Vasisthasana	Oblique strength
Happy Baby	Ananda Balasana	Hip opening
Heron	Krounchasana	Hamstring stretch
Marichyasana I	Marichyasana I	Twist and hip stretch

Hip Openers

Pose	Sanskrit	Focus / Benefit
Lizard	Utthan Pristhasana	Deep hip stretch
Pigeon	Ardha Kapotasana	Hip flexibility
One Leg Pigeon	Eka Pada Rajakapotasana	Deep hip opener
Sleeping Swan	Kapotasana II	Restorative hip stretch
Half Frog	Ardha Bhekasana	Quad and hip stretch
Reclining Twist	Supta Matsyendrasana	Gentle spinal twist

Stretches

Pose	Sanskrit	Focus / Benefit
Butterfly II	Baddhakonasana II	Inner thigh stretch
Frog	Mandukasana	Hip and groin opening
Forward Fold II	Prasrita Padottanasana D	Hamstring stretch
Chair Twist	Parivrtta Utkatasana	Detoxifying twist
Seated Straddle	Upavistha Konasana	Inner thigh stretch
Monkey	Hanumanasana	Splits pose
Staff	Dandasana	Posture alignment
One Leg Forward Fold	Janu Sirsasana	Hamstring stretch
Seated Forward Fold	Paschimottanasana	Spine and hamstring stretch
Reclining Butterfly	Supta Baddhakonasana	Relaxing hip opener
Saddle	Supta Virasana	Quad stretch
Corpse	Savasana	Deep relaxation

References

1. Sanskrit is an ancient, classical language of South Asia, regarded as the sacred and scholarly language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, with a highly systematic grammar and profound cultural influence.