你喜欢练瑜伽吗？

nǐ xǐ huan liàn yú jiā ma?

Do you like to practice yoga?

你最喜欢的瑜伽体式是什么？

nǐ zuì xǐ huan de yú jiā tǐ shì shì shén me?

What's your favorite yoga posture?

If you are into yoga and you come to China, you’ll soon discover that many yoga classes are taught in Chinese. But this should not drive you away! By learning some essential yoga-related vocabulary, you can follow the instructions and connect with your Chinese yoga teachers.

Let's look at some essential Chinese vocabulary for a smooth yoga practice session:

01. Types of yoga

瑜伽

yú jiā

yoga

练瑜伽 (liàn yú jiā) ∙ to practice yoga

哈他瑜伽 (hā tā yú jiā) ∙ Hatha yoga

流瑜伽 英文翻译 (liú yú jiā) ∙ Vinyasa yoga

阿斯汤加瑜伽 (ā sī tāng jiā) ∙ Ashtanga yoga

空中瑜伽 (kōng zhōng yú jiā) ∙ aerial/fly yoga

02. Breath

One of the essential things during any yoga practice is the coordination of your breath.

呼吸

hū xī

breath; to breathe

Your teacher might use such instructions as:

吸 (xī) ∙ to inhale

呼 (hū) ∙ to exhale

深吸 (shēn xī) ∙ to inhale deeply

深呼 (shēn hū) ∙ to exhale deeply

03. Body parts

Knowing what different parts of your body are called in Chinese will help you understand your teacher in case she/he gives you some verbal adjustments.

身体

shēn tǐ

body

Here are the most common body parts that might be mentioned during a yoga class:

腿 (tuǐ) ∙ leg(s)

膝盖 (xī gài) ∙ knee(s)

脚 (jiǎo) ∙ foot/feet

肩膀 (jiān bǎng) ∙ shoulder(s)

胳膊 (gē bo) ∙ elbow(s)

手臂 (shǒu bì) ∙ arm(s)

腹部 (fù bù) ∙ abdomen

髋 (kuān) ∙ hip(s)

背 (bèi) ∙ back

04. Basic instructions

If you are just beginning to practice yoga, these basic instructions might actually be more useful for you than the names of the postures themselves:

弯曲 (wān qū) ∙ to bend

伸直 (shēn zhí) ∙ to extend; to straighten

收紧 (shōu jǐn) ∙ to tighten

放松 (fàng sōng) ∙ to relax

05. Asanas/postures

Now, let's look at some popular postures.

姿势/体式

zī shì/tǐ shì

asana; posture

Generally, the Chinese name of a posture is made of its descriptive part + 式 (shì, posture; asana):

战士式 (zhàn shì shì) ∙ warrior pose

下犬式 (xià quǎn shì) ∙ downward-facing dog

上犬式 (shàng quǎn shì) ∙ upward-facing dog

鸽子式 (gē zi shì) ∙ pigeon pose

莲花式 (lián huā shì) ∙ lotus pose

06. Backbends

If you've been practicing yoga for a while, you might be at the point where backbends are included in your practice.

后弯

hòu wān

backbend(s)

Here are some popular backbend postures:

轮式 (lún shì) ∙ wheel pose

桥式 (qiáo shì) ∙ bridge pose

眼镜蛇式 (yǎn jìng shé shì) ∙ cobra pose

骆驼式 (luò tuó shì) ∙ camel pose

07. Inversions

倒立

dào lì

inversion

And if you are at the point where you can do inversions, here are the most common inverted postures:

头倒立 (tóu dào lì) ∙ head stand

手倒立 (shǒu dào lì) ∙ hand stand

肘倒立 (zhǒu dào lì) ∙ elbow stand

肩倒立 (jiān dào lì) ∙ shoulder stand

 

Source: That's Mandarin

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