In a word, tradition! In a phrase, reverence and respect. In a sentence: Maintaining the basic integrity of yoga's history and keeping consistent with all the generations of practitioners who ground us in our practice.

One of the world's most ancient languages (predating even classical Greek and Latin), Sanskrit has been around since, well, forever. Vedic Sanskrit emerged about 1,500 B.C.E. in India. Sanskrit is a "root" language and is found in many words that we use in Indo-European languages such as English or Spanish. It is still used today for sacred and ritual purposes, as it is the language of Hindu sacred texts and hundreds of fascinating stories. For many, the very sound of Sanskrit syllables resonate with the larger universe.

In yoga classes, a pose's traditional Sanskrit title ensures that the asana isn't confused with another. Generally, the name of the asana is descriptive (as in Supta Baddha Konasana or reclining bound angle pose) or is dedicated to an important figure (as in Garudasana, named after Garuda, the powerful bird who carried Vishnu). Using the Sanskrit terms is a way to honor and maintain the "roots" of our yogic practice. Additionally, a Trikonasana (triangle) is always the same pose, no matter whether we practice in Mumbai in the 3rd Century B.C.E. or in Glendora in the 21st Century C.E. The timelessness of yoga is, for many, part of its appeal.

For accessibility, we use both Sanskrit and descriptive names for the asanas that we practice. For the purists, the Sanskrit names keep the tradition. For those who are less interested in the spiritual and holistic experience, Sanskrit means very little. And that's okay as well. For English speakers, Down Dog is a much easier phrase to say and to understand than Adho Mukha Svanasana, a Sanskrit phrase that means downward facing dog pose. Knowing the proper Sanskrit name of every pose would be nice, but it would also be cumbersome for some of us, and for first-time practitioners, foreign terms would make the experience more than challenging. So, we compromise a bit--often using both names, sometimes interchanging, sometimes alternating. As always, the point is to focus on the pose and the integrity of the pose that works best for each of us.

Should you want to expand your knowledge, there are many excellent websites that translate traditional Sanskrit asanas into English. I recommend the following link from Bryan Kest's site: http://www.poweryoga.com/aboutyoga/article.php?artid=6. And if you are still intrigued, you might explore some of the beautiful Hindu and Buddhist myths that are often the source of many asanas' names. For example, the monkey god, Hanuman, who was able to make enormous leaps across wide spans, gives his name to the pose that is a full split, Hanumanasana.