The Exercises catalog in Ayurveda & Asana Yoga contains 908 illustrated yoga postures (asanas), ranging from foundational beginner shapes like Mountain Pose (Tadasana) and Child's Pose (Balasana) to deep backbends, arm balances, and inversions.
Each of the 908 posture records includes structured metadata—including English title, Sanskrit name, posture family, difficulty level, target muscle groups, breath cue, drishti (focal gaze point), suggested hold duration, MET intensity estimate, dosha balance indicators, and contraindication/precaution notes.
Grounded in National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) yoga safety guidance and the app's verified pose schema, this guide explains how to read every field on a pose card before stepping onto the mat.
What Each Field on an Asana Pose Card Means
When you open a posture in Exercises—for example, Mountain Pose (`Tadasana`, catalog record `800000`)—the card organizes technical yoga instructions into quick-reference fields so you do not have to guess how to breathe or where to look during the hold.
Understanding what each term means helps you filter the 908-pose catalog to match your current experience level and physical comfort.
- Family & Muscle Groups: Identifies the biomechanical category (such as Standing, Seated, Forward Bend, Backbend, Twist, Inversion, or Restorative) and primary muscle groups engaged (e.g., Legs, Core, Spine, Full Body).
- Level: Indicates progressive technical and flexibility demand—start with Level 1 foundational postures before attempting intermediate or advanced variations.
- Breath & Drishti: Suggests the traditional breathing pattern (such as "Even ujjayi" or calm nasal breathing) and drishti—the steady focal point for your eyes (such as Nasagra at the tip of the nose, Bhrumadhya between the eyebrows, or Parshva to the side) to keep the neck aligned and mind steady.
- Duration & MET Value: Lists a typical reference hold time (e.g., 30 seconds) and metabolic equivalent (MET) intensity estimate.
Why Contraindications and Joint Signals Always Come First
As the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) emphasizes, yoga is generally safe for healthy people when practiced appropriately under qualified guidance, but injuries—most commonly sprains and strains affecting the knees, lower back, neck, shoulders, or hamstrings—can occur when postures are forced or practiced despite underlying contraindications.
In the app, many postures list specific contraindications (such as avoiding deep inversions with uncontrolled high blood pressure, glaucoma, or cervical spine injury, or modifying deep knee flexion with meniscus pain). However, an empty contraindications list on a basic standing pose does not mean every variation is right for every body: your own medical history, pregnancy status, and real-time joint sensations always take precedence over any app card.
- Sharp Pain vs Gentle Muscle Stretch: A dull, even lengthening in the belly of a muscle is normal; any sharp, pinching, electric, numbness, or joint-line pain in the knee, lower back, wrist, or neck is an immediate signal to exit the pose.
- Special Life Stages & Conditions: As NCCIH notes, people who are pregnant, older adults, and individuals with glaucoma, sciatica, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, or balance conditions should consult their healthcare provider and modify or avoid specific poses.
- Dosha Metadata (`modern-synthesis`): The Vata/Pitta/Kapha numeric indicators on pose cards reflect modern synthesis of movement qualities and are informational only.
How to Use Props and Sequence Warm-Ups Around a Target Pose
Never jump cold from sitting at a desk straight into a peak posture from the 908-asana library. Browse the 4,419 yoga sequences in Training to see how warm-up postures prepare the spine, hips, and shoulders before deeper shapes, and keep blocks, a folded blanket, or a strap nearby.
Modifying a pose by elevating the hips on a folded blanket in seated forward bends or placing hands on blocks in standing poses improves spinal alignment rather than diminishing the practice.
- Filter the Exercises catalog by Level 1 and your desired posture family when building or reviewing a personal practice.
- Read the full description, breath cue, and contraindications before entering an unfamiliar posture, and never hold your breath during a postural hold unless practicing a specific seated pranayama.
- Use yoga blocks, a strap, or a folded blanket whenever needed to keep your spine long and your joints pain-free.
Sources & Classical References
- NCCIH — Yoga: What You Need To Know — Primary NIH reference on yoga safety, common injury sites (knees, lower back, neck), and medical precautions for pregnancy, high blood pressure, glaucoma, and sciatica.
- NCCIH — Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth — NIH context on traditional Indian wellness systems and evidence boundaries.
