Śiva taught eighty-four āsanas. Of these, I will describe the four essential ones.

This verse mentions the tradition of the 84 classical āsanas, attributed to Śiva. The number 84 appears frequently in Indian tradition (84 siddhas, 84,000 postures according to some texts, etc.).

However, Svātmārāma adopts a pragmatic approach: from all possible postures, he selects only four as sārabhūta — “the most essential.” This reflects the orientation of classical Haṭha Yoga: acrobatics and variety are not sought, but rather stability for prāṇāyāma and meditation.

The four main āsanas described are:

1. Siddhāsana — the accomplished pose
2. Padmāsana — the lotus pose
3. Siṃhāsana — the lion pose
4. Bhadrāsana — the auspicious pose

Of these, Siddhāsana and Padmāsana are most emphasized for meditation.