Recently discovered animal-named postures from a medieval hatha yoga text!

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Listed below are the animal-named postures that Dr Jason Birch and Jacqueline Hargreaves have recently unveiled from the newly discovered Hathabhyasapaddhati text. No images or more detailed descriptions of the postures were included in the text. The number of their order of appearance in the text/paper has been included, so it can be easily traced. Only the parts of the body mentioned are in contact with the floor; other parts not mentioned would be off the floor. You can see the full text here. A video reconstruction of the postures is due in 2020 through this website. You can experiment with your own interpretations and see how they compare to other’s interpretations when the video comes out. As you will see, some sound insanely difficult and in accessible to the vast majority of humanity! Perhaps then it is no surprise that these postures didn’t become more widespread…

SUPINE

  1. 1. Having lain supinely, [the yogi] should bind the neck with the fingers, join
    the elbows, touch the buttocks on the ground, extend one leg and rotate
    [separately] the other leg to the left and right. [This] is “pawing the leg like a
    bull” [pose].
  2. 6. Having placed the body [supinely] like a corpse, [the yogi] should join the
    knees together, bring [them] onto the navel, clasp the neck with the hands and
    rotate [the legs. This is] the up-turned dog [pose].
  3. 7. Having positioned [himself] as in the up-turned dog [pose, the yogi] should
    touch both knees with his ears in turn. [This is] the up-turned cat [pose].
  4. 8. Then, having lain supinely and holding the earth with the soles of the feet, [the
    yogi] should stand up. [This] is the wolf pose.
  5. 10. Lying supinely, [the yogi] should place the soles of the feet on the up-turned
    hands and raise the back part of the body from the ground. This] is the monkey’s
    seat.
  6. 19. Having placed one foot on one thigh and the other foot on the other thigh,
    [this] is the lotus pose. Having threaded the hands in between the thighs and
    knees, [the yogi] should clasp the neck [with the hands and remain up-turned.
    [This] is the up-turned turtle [pose].

PRONE

  1. 23. Having lain pronely, placing the navel on the ground and supporting [himself
    on] the groundwith the forearms like pillars, [the yogi] should join the lips,make
    the [sound] “su¯” like a flute and remain thus. [This] is the lizard pose.
  2. 24. Lying pronely and having raised up the elbows by the sides [of the body, the
    yogi] should support [himself on] the ground with the palms of both hands and
    fly up again and again. [This] is the fish pose.
  3. 25. [Lying] pronely, [the yogi] should put the toes on the ground, keep [the legs]
    long, place the palms of both hands at the top of the head and raise up the
    buttocks. Gazing at the navel and taking the nose onto the ground, [the yogi]
    should take [the nose forward] as far as the palms of his hands. He should do thus
    again and again. [This] is the elephant pose.
  4. 26. Remaining as in the elephant pose, [the yogi] should take his head to the right
    armpit, [and then] to the left armpit, again and again.208 [This] is the hyena pose.
  5. 27. Having bent one leg at a time, [the yogi] should do the elephant pose. [This] is
    the bear pose.
  6. 28. In the position of the elephant pose, [the yogi] should bend both knees and
    repeat it again and again. [This] is the hare pose.
  7. 30. In the position of the elephant pose, [the yogi] should ram the ground with
    one arm at a time. [This] is the ram pose.
  8. 31. In the position of the elephant pose, having raised both legs into space, [the
    yogi] should touch the ground with the head. [This] is the goat pose.
  9. 32. Having supported [himself] with the forearms on the ground and bending the
    knees into the navel, [the yogi] should remain thus. [This] is the sparrow pose.
  10. 33. Having positioned [himself] on the hands like the sparrow pose, [the yogi]
    should touch the ears with the knees, place both shanks on the [upper] arms and
    remain thus. [This] is the crow pose.
  11. 34. In a position like the crow pose, [the yogi] should join the shanks on [each]
    thigh and raise up the back region [of his body]. [This] is the partridge pose.
  12. 35. Having supported [himself] with both hands on the ground, joining both
    knees on the navel and supporting [in the air] the shanks and thighs, [the yogi]
    should remain thus. [This] is the heron pose.
  13. 37. Having put the palms of the hands on the ground, [the yogi] should make the
    soles of the feet fly upwards and [then] fall [down] to the ground. He should do
    thus again and again. [This] is the “flying up of the rooster” [pose].
  14. 38. Having placed one foot on [the back of] the neck, [the yogi] should fix the
    second foot above it, support [the body] with the palms of both hands [on the
    ground]217 and remain thus. [This] is the wood-sparrow pose.
  15. 39. Having supported [himself] with the palms of both hands on the ground,
    fixing the elbows on the navel and holding the body [straight] like a stick, [the
    yogi] remains [thus. This] is the peacock pose.
  16. 40. Having positioned [himself] as in the peacock pose, [the yogi] should hold the
    wrist of one hand with the other. [This] is the lame peacock pose.
  17. 44. In the position of inverted dancing, [the yogi] should touch the nose on the
    ground and take [it] up. He should touch [the ground] again [and again. This] is
    the hawk pose.
  18. 45. Having placed the [top of the] skull on the ground, [the yogi] should lift up the
    feet. [This] is the skull pose.
  19. 46. Having lain pronely, placing the hands on the buttocks, lengthening the legs
    and joining [them] together, [the yogi] should move with his chest. [This] is the
    snake pose.

STATIONARY

  1. 53. Having adopted the lotus pose, [the yogi] should fix both arms inside the feet,
    thighs and shanks, support [himself] with the palms of both hands on the ground
    and remain [thus. This] is the rooster pose.
  2. 54. Having remained as in the rooster pose, [the yogi] should hold the wrist of one
    hand with the other, support [himself firmly] with the palm of the [held] hand on
    the ground and remain [thus. This] is the lame rooster pose.
  3. 58. Remaining in the rooster pose and taking the thighs as far as the shoulders,
    [the yogi] should remain [thus. This] is the Hamsa-bird pose.
  4. 59. Having placed the knees on the ground, [the yogi] should hold with the hands
    both arms crossed over one another and remain upright. [This] is the monkey
    pose.
  5. 62. Having supported [himself] with both heels on the ground and holding the
    ankles with both hands, [the yogi] should remain thus. [This] is the goose [pose].
  6. 70. Having placed on the ground the fists †on the little finger side† and placing
    the soles of the feet on [them, the yogi] should move his body like a horse. [This]
    is the horse pose.
  7. [Likewise,] the elephant’s seat is [moving the body] like an
    elephant and the…
  8. camel’s seat is [moving the body] like a camel.
  9. 71. Having taken the shoulders up to the head [while sitting, the yogi] should
    remain thus. [This] is the two-headed [pose].
  10. 72. Having put his jaw on his navel, [the yogi] should remain thus. [This] is the
    humpbacked pose.

STANDING

  1. 77. Having placed the soles of both feet on the ground and taking the hands
    [down] along the back [of the body] as far as the shanks, [this] is the pigeon’s
    seat.
  2. 87. Having jumped up, [the yogi] should strike his buttocks with both heels.
    [This] is the deer pose.
  3. 91. Having put the big toes of the feet on the ground and having raised up the
    arms, [the yogi] should remain thus. [This] is the camel pose.
  4. 92. Remaining in camel pose, raising the feet from the ground and taking [them]
    above the head, [the yogi] should place his back on the ground. This is the
    “pigeon in space” [pose].
  5. 93. Having placed the ankle along with the little toe of one foot at the base of the
    [other] thigh, and having placed the knee [of the lotus leg] on the heel of the other
    foot, [the yogi] should remain thus and join his hands together. [This] is Garuda’s pose.

POSES WITH ROPES

  1. 94. Having clasped a rope [secured horizontally above the head304] with both
    hands, [the yogi] should hold both legs between the hands, above the head and
    [then] on the ground. He should throw [his legs up over his head in this manner]
    again and again. [This] is the cockroach pose.
  2. 99. Having assumed the rooster pose and having held a [vertical] rope with the
    hands, [the inverted yogi] should climb [up it. This] is the spider pose.
  3. 100. Having held a [vertical] rope with both fists and having put the soles of the
    feet on the [fists, the yogi] should remain thus. [This] is the parrot pose.
  4. 101. Having held a [vertical] rope with the big toes above and the hands below,
    [the inverted yogi] should climb up [it. This] is the caterpillar [pose].
  5. 102. Having held a [vertical] rope with one fist, [the yogi] should climb up [it.
    This] is the grub pose.
  6. 103. Having pushed the fists through the thighs and knees, [the yogi] should hold
    two [vertical ropes] with them, while holding a [counter-]weight [such as a
    stone312] with the teeth, and should climb up. [This] is the curlew pose.
  7. 104. Having placed both elbows on the ground, [the yogi] should support
    [himself] with the knees on the ground, place the hands on the head and heels on
    the buttocks and remain thus. [This] is the boar pose.
  8. 110. Having placed both heels on the navel, [the yogi] should join the outer region
    of both shanks. [This] is the conch shell pose.

You can see the full text here. A video reconstruction of the postures is due in 2020 through this website.