Of the eighty-four āsanas taught by Śiva, I select four that are the essence and describe them here.

Svātmārāma drastically reduces the number of postures from millions to eighty-four, and then to just four. This process of distillation is characteristic of tantric texts: from the infinite to the essential.

The four selected āsanas are: Siddhāsana, Padmāsana, Siṃhāsana, and Bhadrāsana. All are seated meditation postures, revealing the true priority of classical Haṭha Yoga. Modern acrobatic postures are absent; the emphasis is on the ability to sit motionless for prolonged periods.

Sārabhūta — “the essence” — indicates that these four postures contain everything necessary for practice. A yogī who masters these four will have the physical foundation required for prāṇāyāma, mudrā, and samādhi.