From auspicious horse-themed phrases and couplets to whether your luck is in, check out our Year of the Horse 2026 series to discover all you need to know about the coming Lunar New Year.
In yoga, some poses, or asana in Sanskrit, are associated with an animal for the way they look. The most commonly known is probably the downward-facing dog. There is also the cat-cow sequence, sleeping swan or pigeon, and the crane, lizard and tiger poses.
However, some poses do not resemble the animals they are named after, including the horse, or horse face, pose.
Vatayanasana – vatayana can mean “horse” or “window” in Sanskrit – is an asana from the intermediate series in Ashtanga, a structured and rigorous yoga practice that focuses on moving with the breath; the style demands both strength and flexibility.
