Learn the English you need to understand Yoga instructions,
describe positions and movements, and explain what your body
is doing during a Yoga practice.
Learn movement through English
Yoga gives us an especially natural way to learn
verbs, directions and movement language.
Many English words become much easier to understand when
you can connect them with a physical action.
If someone tells you to bend your knees,
raise your arms or turn your head,
you do not have to learn these expressions as abstract vocabulary.
You can perform the movement.
The body helps give the language meaning.
This is particularly useful because many of the verbs used in
Yoga are also common in everyday English:
stand, sit, bend, turn, lift, lower, reach, hold,
move, relax and stretch.
We can begin with very short instructions:
Stand up.
Raise your arms.
Bend forward.
Hold the position.
Then we can make the language more precise:
Stand with your feet slightly apart and slowly raise
both arms above your head.
Eventually, you can describe a complete sequence of movements
or explain to another person how to perform a position.
In this way, Yoga helps you move from
individual words to real instructions,
descriptions and conversation.
Six important areas of movement English
These six areas give you the basic language you need to understand
and describe most simple Yoga movements.
1
Standing & Sitting
stand · sit · kneel · lie down · upright · straight ·
feet together · feet apart
2
Raising & Lowering
raise · lift · lower · bring down · move up ·
move down · above · below
3
Bending & Straightening
bend · straighten · bend forward · bend sideways ·
slightly bent · keep straight
4
Turning & Twisting
turn · twist · rotate · left · right · sideways ·
look over your shoulder
5
Stretching & Reaching
stretch · reach · extend · lengthen · towards · away from ·
as far as comfortable
6
Holding & Balancing
hold · stay · balance · support · steady · shift your weight ·
centre your weight
From one word to a complete instruction
Start with one movement verb and gradually add more information.
Start with the verb: raise
raise
Raise your arms.
Slowly raise your arms.
Slowly raise both arms above your head.
Slowly raise both arms above your head while keeping
your shoulders relaxed.
Another example: bend
bend
Bend your knees.
Bend your knees slightly.
Bend your knees slightly and keep your back straight.
Bend your knees slightly, keep your back straight and
shift your weight evenly onto both feet.
Describe a complete movement sequence
Once individual instructions become familiar, you can connect them
into a complete sequence.
1
Stand upright with your feet slightly apart.
2
Relax your shoulders and let your arms hang naturally.
3
Slowly raise your arms above your head.
4
Stretch upwards without lifting your shoulders.
5
Bend forward slowly from the hips.
6
Keep your knees slightly bent and relax your neck.
7
Hold the position for a few breaths.
8
Slowly return to an upright position.
What are you practising?
A sequence like this develops much more than Yoga vocabulary.
You are also practising
word order, adverbs, prepositions, body vocabulary,
sequencing and the imperative.
Yoga Poses & Movements – 25 Exercises
Choose the most natural English word, instruction or description.
The correct answer will be shown immediately.
Score: 0 / 25
1. What is the opposite of “sit down”?
“Stand up” is the natural opposite of “sit down”.
2. Complete the instruction: “______ your arms above your head.”
“Raise your arms” means move your arms upwards.
3. Which instruction means make your knees less straight?
To bend your knees means to change the angle at the knee joints.
4. Which sentence is a natural Yoga instruction?
“Keep your back straight” is a natural English instruction.
5. If your feet are “apart”, they are:
“Apart” means separated rather than together.
6. What does “lower your arms” mean?
To lower something means to move it downwards.
7. Complete the instruction: “______ your head slowly to the left.”
“Turn your head to the left” is a natural movement instruction.
8. Which verb means to extend part of the body in order to make it longer?
“Stretch” means to extend the body or part of the body.
9. “Reach towards your toes” means:
To reach towards something means to extend your arm or hand in its direction.
10. Which instruction means remain in the same position?
“Hold the position” means stay in it for a period of time.
11. Which word describes being in a position supported by your knees?
Kneeling means being supported by one or both knees.
12. Complete the instruction: “Slowly ______ forward from your hips.”
“Bend forward” describes moving the upper body forwards.
13. Which sentence best describes an upright position?
Upright means vertical rather than bent or lying down.
14. What is the natural opposite of “bend your leg”?
To straighten a leg means to make it straight again.
15. Which sentence naturally describes rotation of the upper body?
“Twist your upper body gently to the right” naturally describes rotation.
16. What does “shift your weight onto your left foot” mean?
To shift your weight means to transfer body weight from one area to another.
17. Complete the instruction: “______ your shoulders and let your arms hang naturally.”
“Relax your shoulders” means release unnecessary tension.
18. Which sentence describes a sideways movement?
Bending to the left side describes a sideways movement.
19. Which instruction asks you to move your arm farther away from your body?
“Extend your arm” means stretch or reach it outward.
20. Which sentence is the most natural instruction?
“Keep your knees slightly bent” is natural English.
21. If you are lying on your back, you are:
Lying on your back means your back is supported by the surface beneath you.
22. Which is the best instruction for moving carefully?
“Move slowly and gently” is a natural way to describe careful movement.
23. Complete the instruction: “Stand with your feet shoulder-width ______.”
“Shoulder-width apart” means approximately the width of your shoulders between your feet.
24. Which sentence best describes a controlled return to the starting position?
“Slowly return to the starting position” is a natural movement instruction.
25. Which sequence sounds most natural?
“Stand upright, raise your arms, bend forward and hold the position” is a natural sequence of movement instructions.
From movement to language
Yoga movement gives English a physical meaning.
You don't only learn the word bend.
You bend.
You don't only learn reach.
You reach towards something.
And once these words become familiar, you can combine them into
longer instructions, descriptions and complete movement sequences.
The movement helps you understand the language – and the language
helps you describe the movement.