96 Yoga for Speech-Language Development
parts of the face (nose, mouth, and cheeks) in addition to parts of
the body such as the lungs or abdomen.
Yoga poses represent several different categories of nouns.
Many are named for animals such as the lion, fish, lizard, cat, cow,
eagle, frog, pigeon, crocodile, and rabbit. Poses such as butterfly
and locust are names of insects. Two poses, downward facing
dog and upward facing dog, contain terms for directionality
in addition to the animal name. Several yoga poses, such as
mountain, tree, flower, and rainstorm, refer to elements of nature.
Six yoga poses have the names of items of furniture: table, bench,
chair, rocking chair, bed, and couch. Additional yoga poses that
are practiced in children or family yoga classes are bridge, wheel,
stick, bow, boat, candle, baby, and child. The names of some
yoga poses that are regularly experienced in classes for children
are listed in Table 7.1. In addition to these nouns, many body
parts are regularly named while the yoga teacher provides the
instruction for the poses. For example, when providing directions
for mountain pose, the teacher can name the legs, feet, toes,
shoulder, arms, hands, fingers, and head, which are all involved
in practicing this pose. The names of body parts that frequently
accompany teacher instructions for a variety of children’s yoga
poses are listed in Table 7.1.