there is something close to 1000 asans, but how many of them are really necessary, isnt there a much shorter list of how to maximize your time on the matt rather then learning 1000 poses? In the old days did they have that many poses or have we made some up?
Hatha-yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda, roll down a bit, for the 31 points list.
At point 3, Sivananada says:
[I]“Hatha Yoga itself is not the goal. Meditation helps you to attain Samadhi or Superconscious State.”[/I]
Later on at point 12:
[I]"Attain good health through the practice of Yoga Asanas and Pranayama. Without good health, how can you earn, how can you succeed in any undertaking, how can you sit for meditation? "[/I]
Points 21 to 25 mention the most important asanas.
[I]21. Sirshasana is the king of all Asanas. It strengthens the brain and the brain-centres and improves memory, and helps Brahmacharya. [/I]
[I]22. Sarvanga, Hala and Ardhamatsyendra Asanas make the spine elastic. Sarvanga develops thyroid gland and bestows good health. It helps Brahmacharya and gives longevity. [/I]
[I]23. Paschimottanasana reduces fat and helps digestion. So does Mayurasana. [/I]
[I]24. Bhujanga, Salabha and Dhanur Asanas remove constipation and muscular rheumatism of the back. [/I]
[I]25. Relax all the muscles through Savasana. Do this Asana in the end.[/I]
Importance of asanas from Sri Swami Sivananada’s Kundalini Yoga, where most of the above asanas are presented through images and a brief description
These follow the Upanishads and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, while giving a lot of practical details, and still retain a wonderful clarity.
Take this for a general answer, what sets the goals, then you need to find the way to accomplish them. This is where a Yoga teacher or teraphyst can really help you. Point 7:
[I]“Learn the Asanas, Pranayama, Bandhas, Mudras and the Shad Kriyas under an expert Hatha Yogi. [/I]”
Nice to see you again, tubeseeker. 
Hey Hubert,
That is one excellent post. I am happy to read anything from Sivananda. So much respect for that man.
I am grateful to get this list on most important asanas, as Tubeseeker says there are so many, and I have reached a point where, for me, I have decided I don’t want to be ambitious and keep going further into deeper or stronger asanas. I have been practicing asana for 12 years and am happy with the body as it is now…just do a few asanas to maintain it.
Thanks again,
Peace to you,
Soul
with the 5 billion books on yoga and the instructors who all think they have found the best yoga way, there way, it is hard to sift through the haystack to find the needle. Thanks for doing a little sifting for me Hubert and soul
Hubert, nice to see the guru thread still alive:)
I thought it was even more than 1,000. I remember reading about an old Yogi from back in the day who mentioned how many asanas there are and it was very high. I think most of the asanas have been around for a long time. I don’t think many have been made up recently.
I think you can make an effective routine out of only a fraction of the asanas, but we mine as well learn more as we go on.
I think it is better to do less asanas well than it is to know how to do more but not as well. To be cliche, quality is probably more important than quantity.
yeah, the exact number I do not know I just was throwing a number out there. Someone said there is like 84000 or something like that, just too many to focus on for me right now so I was wanting to narrow down the list to the basic needs.