Curious Poses: 30 Yoga Postures and the Stories They Tell

Deepen your practice and discover the myths, gods, sacred animals and imagery that lie hidden in your favourite yoga postures

Featuring more than 30 full-colour illustrations, Curious Poses explores the symbolism of the yoga postures many of us practise every week, and offers inspiration to regular practitioners and yoga teachers alike.

Have you ever wondered where Warrior pose got its name? Why does the lotus hold such significance for yogis? Who are Matsyendra, Marichi and Nataraja?

Yoga is an exercise in turning the body into a metaphor - something that transfers meaning. When we make these shapes with our bodies, we do two things: communicate something meaningful, not to anyone in particular but as an act of self-expression, a dance without an audience; and absorb meaning, deepening our understanding of our own natures, and the nature of existence. The postures of yoga move meaning from the world outside, to the world within us, and back again.

The Sanskrit names of the asanas point to a deep, rich layer of symbolic meaning. The names are often drawn from Hindu scripture and mythology, and sometimes inspired by the animals, birds and flowers that the original Indian yogis saw around them. Over the course of many years, the different branches and schools of yoga wove in their own interpretations, until each asana was clothed in a delicate, complex fabric of philosophy and symbolism.

Curious Poses explores 30 yoga poses from Mountain (tadasana) to Lotus (padmasana) and Lion (simhasana), and reveals the fascinating and inspirational stories behind them.