Yoga-related Chinese vocabulary 瑜伽词汇 (I)

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 favourite yoga posture?

If you are into yoga and you come to China, you will soon discover that many yoga classes are taught in Chinese. But this should not drive you away! By learning the 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.

01. 'Yoga' in General

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 (liú yú jiā) ∙ flow yoga
阿斯汤加 (Ā sī tāng jiā) ∙ Ashtanga yoga
Vinyasa瑜伽 (Vinyasa yú jiā) ∙ Vinyasa-style yoga
空中瑜伽 (kōng zhōng yújiā) ∙ aerial/fly yoga

02. Breath

One of the essential instructions during any yoga practice is 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 (kuān) ∙ (bèi) ∙ back

Source: That's Mandarin