Yoga Glossary
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| TERMS |
DESCRIPTION |
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| Abhyasa |
practice - the act of practicing |
| Acharya |
teacher |
| Adwaita |
a philosophy according to which there is no
duality - only a singular state of consciousness |
| Agni |
fire |
| Agnisar kriya |
one of the shatkarmas (cleansing practices)
-intestinal cleansing |
| Aham |
ego |
| Ahimsa |
non-violence, non-injury - one of the yamas
of ashtanga yoga |
| Ajapa japa |
spontaneous repetition of 'soham' mantra |
| Ajna chakra |
energy center located behind the forehead,
also called psychic centre - one of the seven energy centers |
| Akasha |
ether, space |
| Anahata chakra |
energy center located in the heart region;
also called pranic centre - fourth of the seven energy centers. |
| Ananda |
bliss, ecstasy |
| Antar |
inner, internal |
| Antar dhauti |
internal yoga cleansing (shatkarma) techniques |
| Antar kumbhaka |
internal breath retention. The stage of pranayama
where breath is retained after inhalation. |
| Antar mouna |
internal silence - a meditation practice. |
| Anubhava |
experience, realization |
| Ardha |
half |
| Ardha dhanurasana |
half bow yoga pose |
| Ardha matsyendrasana |
half spinal twist yoga position |
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| Ardha padmasana |
half lotus pose |
| Asana |
yoga position or yoga pose, also called yogasana.
A balanced position for smooth energy flow in specific areas of the body
and mind. |
| Ashrama |
residential place of people living together
in yogic tradition. |
| Ashtanga yoga |
the eight fold path of yoga as outlined by
Patanjali: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana,
samadhi |
| Ashwini mudra |
practice of contracting the anal sphincter. |
| Atman |
soul. |
| Aum |
see Om |
| Avidya |
ignorance |
| Bahir |
outside, external |
| Bahir kumbhaka |
external breath retention. The stage of pranayama
where breath is retained after exhalation. |
| Bahiranga trataka |
concentrating the attention (gaze) upon an
external object such as a candle flame. |
| Bandha |
a posture in which organs and muscles are contracted
to create energy lock in a specific area. |
| Basti |
a colon cleansing technique (shakarma), yogic
enema |
| Bhagvad Gita |
a part of the famous Hindu epic 'Mahabharata'.
Teachings of Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna at the commencement of
the battle of Kurukshetra, with explanations on sannyasa yoga, karma yoga,
bhakti yoga, and jnana yoga. |
| Bhakti |
devotion |
| Bhakti yoga |
the yoga of devotion. |
| Bhastrika pranayama |
'bellows'
breathing technique in which the breath is forcibly drawn in and out through
the nose in equal proportions, like the pumping action of the bellows. |
| Bhramari pranayama |
breathing practice in which a soft "humming-bee"
sound is produced during exhalation to stimulate the Ajna Chakra |
| Bhujangasana |
cobra' pose. |
| Brahman |
supreme consciousness, absolute reality. |
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| Chakra |
literally
meaning circle or wheel, in yoga this refers to the energy centers lying
along the confluence of the nadis (energy channels) |
| Chandra |
moon |
| Chandra nadi |
ida nadi |
| Chidakasha |
psychic space in front of the closed eyes,
just behind the forehead. |
| Chin mudra |
hand gesture in which the first finger is kept
at the root of the thumb, the last three fingers are unfolded. |
| Danda |
stick |
| Danda dhauti |
one of the cleansing techniques (shatkarmas),
used to clean the oesophagus with a stick. |
| Danta dhauti |
teeth cleansing technique |
| Dhanurasana |
bow'
pose; backward bending yoga pose |
| Dharana |
practice of concentration; sixth of the eight
fold path in ashtanga yoga |
| Dharma |
duty, righteous path |
| Dhauti |
second of the shatkarmas; cleansing technique
of the eyes, ears, tongue, forehead, oesophagus, stomach, rectum and anus |
| Dhyana |
meditation; single-pointed focus of mind on
either a form, thought or sound. |
| Diksha |
initiation given by the guru. |
| Dosha |
three humours of the body; see kapha, pitta,
vata |
| Dugdha neti |
nasal irrigation or cleansing technique using
milk |
| Ghrita neti |
neti (nasal cleansing technique) performed
with ghee |
| Gomukhasana |
cow's face' posture |
| Gorakshasana |
Yogi Gorakhnath's'
pose |
| Guna |
quality of nature viz. tamas, rajas, sattwa |
| Guptasana |
the 'secret' pose |
| Guru |
spiritually enlightened soul, who can dispel
darkness, ignorance and illusion from the mind and enlighten the consciousness
of a devotee/disciple |
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| Hatha yoga |
science of yoga which purifies the whole physical
body by means of shatkarma, asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha and concentration |
| Hridaya akasha |
psychic space of the heart centre |
| Ida nadi |
one of the main energy channels running on
the left side of the spine from the mooladhara (base) chakra to the ajna
chakra in the head. |
| Jala |
water |
| Jala basti |
the
yoga technique
of enema using water - one of the yoga shatkarma |
| Jala neti |
a shatkarma technique - cleansing of the nasal
passages with water by alternating the flow of water in the nostrils,
preferably using a neti pot. |
| Jalandhara bandha |
throat
lock' to restrict the flow of bereath through the throat - done by resting
the chin on the upper sternum (chest). |
| Japa |
continuous chanting i.e repetition of a mantra |
| Jihva dhauti |
one of the shatkarma techniques for cleansing
the tongue. |
| Jnana |
knowledge, understanding, wisdom |
| Jnana mudra |
the gesture of knowledge - in this the index
finger is bent so that its tip is joined with the tip of the thumb, the
other three fingers are spread out. |
| Jnana yoga |
the yoga of knowledge - attained through spontaneous
self-analysis and investigation of abstract and speculative ideas. |
| Kapal |
skull or cerebrum |
| Kapalbhati pranayama |
a breathing technique aimed at cleaning the
frontal part of the brain; also called skull polishing - done through
rapid breaths with more force on exhalation. |
| Karma |
action; the act of doing |
| Karma yoga |
the yoga of action - aims at supreme consciousness
through action; discussed in Bhagavad Gita |
| Karna dhauti |
one of the shatkarma which involves cleansing
the ears. |
| Kati chakrasana |
waist rotating'
pose. |
| Kevala kumbhaka |
spontaneous cessation of breath without any
conscious effort. |
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| Klesha |
afflictions or tensions - according to yoga
there are 5 such afflictions present in humans from birth |
| Koormasana |
tortoise'
pose - an advanced posture. |
| Kosha |
sheath or body; realm of experience and existence. |
| Kriya |
activity, dynamic yogic practice |
| Kriya yoga |
the practice of kundalini yoga |
| Kukkutasana |
cockerel' pose |
| Kumbhaka |
breath retention |
| Kundalini |
man's retained energy or potential energy and
consciousness |
| Kundalini shakti |
refers to the human's potential energy lying
dormant in mooladhara (base) chakra like a coiled serpent. When awakened
it rises up through the sushumna nadi. |
| Kundalini yoga |
philosophy expounding the awakening of potential
energy and inherent consciousness within the human body and mind. |
| Kunjal kriya |
a shatkarma (cleansing) technique that involves
the cleansing of the stomach by drinking in water and then expelling it
by inducing vomiting. |
| Laghoo shankhaprakshalana |
a
shatkarma technique - also referred as the short intestinal wash. Involves
the drinking of several glasses of water and the expelling it through
stool after a series of exercises (asanas); in the process a thorough
cleansing of the colon takes place. |
| Laya yoga |
union with the supreme consciousness through
pranayama or devotion. Literally, union by absorption |
| Maha |
great |
| Maha bandha |
the great lock - combines the three locks in
yoga - the moola bandha, jalandhara bandha and uddiyana bandha - together
with breath retention. |
| Maha mudra |
the great gesture - combines the practice of
moola bandha, shambhavi and khechari mudras simultaneously. |
| Maha nadi |
literally means 'great nadi', which is the
'sushumna' in yoga |
| Makara |
crocodile |
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| Makarasana |
crocodile' pose |
| Manas chakra |
the energy center above the ajna chakra - is
depicted with six petals |
| Manipura chakra |
the energy centre in the spinal column located
behind the navel - corresponding to the solar plexus. |
| Mantra |
subtle sound vibration, which through repetition
aims at expanding one's awareness or consciousness. |
| Mantra shakti |
the power of mantra |
| Matsyendrasana |
a spine twisting pose |
| Mayur |
peacock |
| Mayurasana |
peacock'
pose - advanced pose aims at strengthening the arms and stimulating the
manipura chakra. |
| Moksha |
liberation from the cycle of birth and death. |
| Moola |
root |
| Moola bandha |
energy lock created by the contraction of the
perineum in the male and the cervix in the female. |
| Mooladhara chakra |
lowest energy centre in the human body where
the kundalini shakti (serpent power) resides - situated in the perineal
floor in men and the cervix in women. |
| Moorchha pranayama |
fainting
or swooning breath' in which the breath is inhaled slowly and retained
for an extended period. |
| Mouna |
silence - the practice of silence |
| Mudra |
literally means 'gesture' - mudra expresses
and channelizes cosmic energy within the mind and body. |
| Nadi |
energy channels in the body, similar to the
meridians in acupuncture |
| Nadi shodhana pranayama |
breathing technique - is the 'alternate nostril
breathing' or 'balanced breathing' - balances the energy flow in the channels
and purifies the energy channels (nadi) by balancing the flow of breath
through the right and left nostrils. |
| Nasagra/nasikagra mudra |
hand gesture adopted during pranayama to alternate
the flow of breath through the nostrils. |
| Nauli |
abdominal
massage' - a cleansing technique (shatkarma) involving the contraction
of the rectus abdominal muscles. |
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| Neti kriya |
another shatkarma (cleansing technique) - involves
cleaning of the nasal passages or sinus
irrigation; jala neti forms a part of the various neti kriyas. |
| Nidra |
sleep |
| Niyama |
rule; there are 5 rules described in the Ashtanga
Yoga of Patanjali. |
| Om |
the universal mantra; cosmic vibration of the
universe; represents the four states of consciousness |
| Pada |
foot; section of a literary work |
| Padmasana |
lotus pose - a seated meditative posture |
| Pancha makara |
the five tantric practices : mansa(meat), madhya(wine),
matsya(fish), mudra(grain), and maithuna(sexual intercourse) |
| Pancha tattwa |
the five elements - earth, water, fire, air
and ether |
| Param |
highest, supreme, God |
| Paramatma |
the supreme atma; God |
| Parichaya avastha |
stage of perception of nada |
| Paschimottanasana |
back stretching pose |
| Patanjali |
author of the Yoga Sutras and preacher of the
eight-fold (ashtanga) yoga |
| Payaswini nadi |
energy channel terminating at the right big
toe, between poosha and pingala channels |
| Pingala nadi |
one of the main energy channels running on
the right side of the spine from the mooladhara (base) chakra to the ajna
chakra in the head by intersecting various chakras on the way. |
| Plavini pranayama |
breathing technique which involves gulping
air and swallowing it into the stomach and retaining it |
| Poornima |
full moon night |
| Prakamya |
fulfillment of desire |
| Prakasha |
inner light |
| Prakriti |
nature |
| Pramana |
proof |
| Prana |
vital energy force sustaining life and creation |
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| Pranayama |
technique of breathing and breath control which
regulates energy flow and aims at maintaining energy balance |
| Prasad |
an offering usually food to and from the guru
or higher power |
| Pratyahara |
sense withdrawal; first stage of concentrating
on the mind during meditation |
| Pravritti |
nature of the mind |
| Prithvi tattwa |
the earth element |
| Purana |
eighteen ancient books consisting of legends
and mythological narrations dealing with creation, recreation and the
genealogies of sages and rulers |
| Purusha |
man; pure
consciousness |
| Purushartha |
purpose of the consciousness, of man's existence-
the four basic needs or desires, arth, kaama, dharma, moksha |
| Raja yoga |
yoga in which union is achieved through concentration
of mind |
| Rakta bindu |
red bindu, same as beeja(seed) bindu, shakti
bindu; the potentially creative bindu from which creation springs; often
refers to the ovum. |
| Rechaka |
exhalation |
| Rudra |
Lord Shiva ; Rudra is said to have sprung from
Brahma's forehead and is one of the holy trinity |
| Sahasrara chakra |
highest energy centre located at the crown
of the head |
| Sakshi |
witness |
| Samadhi |
the final stage of ashtanga yoga in which concentration
becomes one with the object of concentration; supreme union. |
| Samskara |
impressions stored in the mind that form the
basis of our beliefs, attitudes and personality. |
| Sankalpa |
spiritual resolve. |
| Sannyasi |
one who has renounced the world in seek of
self-realization. |
| Santosha |
contentment |
| Saraswati |
Goddess who bestows knowledge of fine arts
and power of speech |
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| Sarvangasana |
shoulderstand - an inverted posture |
| Sat |
truth |
| Satguru |
guru who has attained self-realization |
| Sattwa guna |
quality unwavering purity |
| Satya |
truth-one of the yamas |
| Seetkari pranayama |
Breathing technique which involves hissing
leading to a cooling effect upon the whole body. |
| Shabda Brahman |
cosmic causal state. |
| Shakti |
vital force; energy |
| Shambhavi mudra |
a yoga gesture in which one focusses at the
mid-eyebrow centre |
| Shashankasana |
moon pose |
| Shatkarma |
the six yogic techniques of purification of
the body, viz. neti, dhauti, nauli, basti, trataka, kapalbhati |
| Sheetali pranayama |
cooling
breath' - a pranayama technique that lowers the body temperature by inhaling
through the mouth while letting the breath flow in over the tongue. |
| Shishya |
disciple; student |
| Siddha yoni asana |
the female counterpart of the siddhasana meditative
posture, in which the left heel presses the entrance to the vagina |
| Siddhasana |
a meditative seating posture in which the left
heel presses the perineum (stimulating the mooladhara chakra); also called
as the adept's pose or the 'pose of perfection'. |
| Sirshasana |
inverted pose - the 'headstand' in which the
body is inverted and balanced on the crown of the head |
| Soham |
represents a mantra in meditation; literally
means, 'I am That'. Represents the Psychic sound with the sound 'so' during
inhalation and 'ham' during exhalation. |
| Soma chakra |
sixteen petalled chakra situated above ajna
and manas chakras |
| Sukhasana |
a comfortable meditative pose; also called
the 'easy pose' or simply the cross-legged pose. |
| Surya bheda pranayama |
breathing technique in which inhalation is
done through the right nostril ; increases vitality |
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| Surya nadi |
see 'pingala nadi' |
| Sushumna nadi |
main energy channel in yoga, in the centre
of the spinal cord through which kundalini shakti flows. |
| Sutra neti |
yogic technique to cleanse the nasal passage
using a special thread |
| Swadhisthana chakra |
second chakra in the spinal column, above the
mooladhara. |
| Swastikasana |
auspicious pose -meditative posture similar
to siddhasana |
| Tadasana |
palm tree pose- standing posture |
| Tamas |
the quality of inertia, laziness, procrastination. |
| Tiryaka bhujangasana |
twisting cobra pose |
| Tiryaka tadasana |
swaying palm tree pose |
| Trataka |
one of the cleansing techniques (shatkarma)
in which the gaze is focussed upon an object such as a candle flame. |
| Uddiyana bandha |
abdominal
retraction lock'; drawing in of the abdomen towards the backbone after
exhaling |
| Ujjayi pranayama |
a kind of breathing technique which produces
a light sonorous sound. |
| Utkatasana |
squatting position |
| Uttankoormasana |
Tortoise pose |
| Vajrasana |
the 'thunderbolt' pose; a kneeling posture
with buttocks resting upon the heels. |
| Vama swara |
flow of breath in the left nostril |
| Vaman dhauti |
yogic technique to cleanse the stomach by voluntary
vomiting. There are two types: kunjal kriya (regurgitating of water) and
vyaghra (regurgitating of food) |
| Varisara dhauti |
yogic cleansing technique in which a large
quantity of water is drunk in conjunction with asanas to cleanse the entire
digestive tract; also known as shankhaprakshalana. |
| Vashitva |
ability to control all objects, living and
non-living |
| Vastra dhauti |
yogic detoxification technique in which a specially
prepared cloth is swallowed and removed after ten minutes, in order to
remove mucus from the stomach |
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| Vatsara dhauti |
a cleansing technique in which the air swallowed
into the stomach is belched out. |
| Vayu tattwa |
air element |
| Vedas |
four ancient texts- Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharva,
which are further divided into Samhita, Brahmana, Aranayaka and Upanishads.
They were revealed to the sages and saints of India which explain and
regulate every aspect of life from supreme reality to worldly affairs.
The oldest books in the library of mankind. |
| Veerasana |
hero,s pose - for concentration and discrminative
thinking. |
| Vishuddhi chakra |
one of the energy centres located in the spine
behind the throat and connected with the cervical plexus, tonsils and
thyroid gland. |
| Yamuna river |
emanating from Yamnotri in the Himalayas and
joining Ganga near Allahabd, North India;refers to pingala nadi in the
pranic body. |
| Yoga |
state of union between two opposites - body
and mind; individual and universal consciousness; a process of uniting
the opposing forces in the body and mind in order to achieve supreme awareness
and enlightenment. |
| Yoga abhyasa |
practice of yoga. |
| Yoga nidra |
a deep relaxation technique also called 'yogic
sleep' in which mind and body is at complete rest but with complete awareness. |
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