(Sanskrit is the philosophical language in Hinduism and Buddhism and one of the oldest recorded languages of the world.) Below is a helpful dictionary including some of the most common yogic terms…
A:
Abhinivesha: Survival instinct, fear of death, one of the five obstacles to self-realization. Abhyasa: Spiritual practice Agni: Fire; the internal fire that burns in all of us. Ahimsa: Non-violence, benevolence, & good intentions to self first, then others, and the world. Ananda: Bliss Anapanasati: Buddhist meditation technique involving mindful awareness of the breath. Aparigraha: Non-attachment, non-greed. Artha: Meaning, wealth Asanas: Yogic posture also called Yogasana designed to help balance the mind and body, the most famous pose is the lotus position. Asmita: Ego, egoism, Ashtanga: 8-limbed Ashtanga Yoga: The 8-limbed or 8-fold Yogic Path, also called Raja Yoga. Asteya: Even-exchange, non-stealing. Atman: The Self, individual soul, spiritual essence. Avidya: Ignorance.
B:
Bhagavad Gita: (aka: Gita) “Song of God,” 700-verse ancient Sanskrit scripture found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Bhavana: To cultivate; thought: feeling: attitude Bhakti: love and devotion; heart intelligence Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of love and devotion. Bija: Seed Brahman: The Creator of the Universe, the absolute reality, manifests force of life and creation. Brahmacharya: Non-excess; temperance; sense control. Buddhi: Intellect; discerning mental faculty.
C:
Chakras: Literally meaning “wheel”, spiritual centers of energy (Prana) in the human system located along the spinal column. Chakras regulate the functioning of the physical, mental, and energetic bodies. Cit: Consciousness, universal intelligence. Citta: Mind-stuff
D:
Dharana: One-pointed focus and sustained concentration. (the 6th limb of the 8-fold Yogic Path.) Dharma: Purpose in life; Duty, morality, ethical way of living, code of conduct, the life of responsibility and right action. Dhyana: Meditation, contemplation, and the process of internalizing of the mind (the 7th limb of the 8-fold Yogic Path.) Drishti: Focused gaze; a means of developing concentrated attention and intention. Dukkha: Suffering
G:
Guna: one of the three qualities of nature (sattva (balance), rajas (activity), tamas (inertia)) Gurudev: Teacher within each of us that can help us “remove darkness” so we may see clearly. Guru: “Remover of darkness”, spiritual guide, teacher who can dispel darkness.
H:
Hatha: Ha — sun, tha — moon Hatha Yoga: physical aspect of Yoga practice including postures (asanas), breathwork (pranayama), seals (mudras), locks (bandhas), and cleansing practices (kriyas) Himsa: violence; injury or pain
I:
Indra: King of the gods; ruling power of nature Indriya: Sense organs Ishvara: supreme cosmic soul; God Ishvara Pranidhana: self-surrender, dedication, and devotion to a cause greater than one’s self; devotion to the divine.
J:
Japa: Recitation, repetition, continuous chanting of a sacred sound or Mantra practiced verbally or in mind. Jaya: Victory, mastery Jivanmukta: Liberated soul Jnana: real wisdom, understanding, the power of intellect, knowledge of the Self often derived from meditation and walking the 8-fold path. Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Self Inquiry
K:
Kaivalya: The state of total awareness and liberation. Karma: Literally action; includes the law of cause and effect, the consequence of an action, performing positive actions results in positive results. Karma Yoga: The Yoga of Inspired Action & Selfless Service without attachment to results. Karuna: Compassion, mercy Klesha: Obstacle or obstruction Kriya: action, Practice; (Hatha Yoga) cleansing practice. Kriya Yoga: According to Patanjali – the three primary steps in Yoga (tapas (self-discipline), svadhyaya (self-study), and ishavara pranidhana (surrender)) Kosha: One of five sheaths enclosing the Atman, the five koshas are: Physical, Energy, Mental, Wisdom and Bliss. Kundalini: The primordial cosmic energy and consciousness latent in every being that is located at the base of the spine and symbolized by a fire snake lying coiled.
M:
Maharishi: A great sage, a great soul. Maitri: friendliness; good disposition Manas: the desiring faculty of mental activity. Mandukya Upanishad: Upanishadic treatise of OM, considered the highest jewel of all of the Upanishads. Mantra: “That makes the mind steady,” vibrational sounds used in meditation to quiet the mind or acquire mental balance. Maya: Illusion Moksha: Freedom, salvation, liberation. Mudra: A sealing posture that distributes cosmic energy through the mind and body, this can be a whole-body gesture or a hand gesture. Mukti: Liberation, freedom
N:
Nadi: Energy channels in the body through which Prana flow, nadi also refers to the veins and arteries of the material body. Nidra: Sleep. Nirodha: Cessation, restraint. Nirvana: Buddhist state of liberation from suffering. Niyama: Personal observances; the 2nd limb of the 8-fold Yogic Path; contains five elements (cleanliness, appreciation, self-discipline, self-study, and surrender.)
O:
Ojas: Spiritual energy, vigor. Om: Or Aum, a universal mantra, is a sacred syllable which symbolizes Brahman; cosmic sound vibration.
P:
Padma: Lotus flower symbolizing the emergence of light from the darkness. Padmasana: Lotus pose is the most renowned of all Asanas Pancha Indriya: The five senses. Patanjali: The Yogi and Sage who compiled and organized the true practice of yoga into the system of the Yoga Sutras; founder of the 8-fold Yogic Path; considered the “Father of Yoga.” Pingala: A nadi (energetic channel in the body) running on the right side of the spine through which prana runs. Prana: Vital energy, soul of the universe, the energy that animates everything, the force sustains life in a physical body. Pranayama: The rhythmic control of the breath, method of controlling prana through inhalation, retention, exhalation; 4th limb of the 8-limbed Yogic Path. Pranidhana: Total dedication. Pratipaksa Bhavana: The practice of substituting opposite thought-forms in the mind. Pratyahara: The practice of drawing the senses away from the external world and towards the internal world; the 5th of the 8-limbed Yogic Path. Puja: Offering; Devotional worship.
R:
Raja: King Raja Yoga: “Royal Yoga,” the Yoga of Mind & Emotions; the Yoga of Introspection & Contemplation Rajas: Activity, restlessness (one of the three Gunas) Rama: Bija (seed) mantra, another name for the divine. Rishi: A great sage, one who contemplates the reality of life.
S:
Sadhana: Spiritual practice, a spiritual discipline, a means of accomplishing something. Sahasrara (chakra): The thousand petal lotus; subtle energy center located at the crown of the head where consciousness and energy go into the higher states of Samadhi (transcendence). Sakshi: Witness. Sama: Balanced state of mind, serenity. Samadhi: State of transcendence – transcending the lower self and reaching a deeper connection to the higher self and mind; State of equanimity. Samskara: Mental impressions; the scope of experiences we collect throughout our life journey; the infinite flow of feelings, actions, ideas, choices, and emotions of life. Samvit: Consciousness, the full energy of knowledge. Sanskrit: The philosophical language in Hinduism and Buddhism and one of the oldest recorded languages of the world. Santosha: Appreciation and contentment. Sannyasa: Renunciation Sat: Truth, existence. Satchitananda: The Consciousness of Joy and Bliss. Sattva: Purity, reality and truthfulness. Satya: Truthfulness. Saucha: Cleanliness; Purity. Savasana: Corpse pose; the main pose used in Yoga Nidra practice. Shakti: feminine power; energy; the Divine Mother. Shanti: Peace Shiva: Universal god of destruction, “the destroyer.” Smrti: Memory Sukha: Happiness Sutra: Thread; suture. Aphorism. Svadhyaya: Self-study. Swami: Literally: “one with the self”, title given to a monk or spiritual master.
T:
Tamas: inertia (one of the three Gunas) Tantra Yoga: The practice of using yantra and mantra to experience the union of the masculine (Shiva) and feminine (Shakti) and positive and negative forces within the individual. Tapas: Self-discipline through the challenge of fire; the process of burning away impurities; accepting pain as a teacher. Trimurti: the Hindhu three-fold diety consisting of the Creator (Brahma), Maintainer (Vishnu), Destroyer (Shiva.)
U:
Upanishads: Final portion of the Vedas’ Vedanta (non-dualistic) philosophy; the ancient scriptures of Hindu philosophy containing the doctrines of Yoga, meditation and karma.
V:
Vairagyam: Detachment; non-attachment. Vibhuti: Blessing; power. Vidya: Knowledge; learning. Vinyasa: The fluid movement of a sequence of asanas (postures). Viparyaya: Misconception. Virya: Vital energy; strength; semen Vishnu: The “Maintainer,” diety that forms part of the Trimurti. Viveka: Discrimination of the real from the unreal.
Y:
Yama: Abstinence; self-regulating behaviors that form the 1st limb of the 8-limbed Yogic Path (includes: benevolence, truthfulness, even-exchange, non-attachment, non-excess.) Yantra: A sacred geometrical figure representing a particular aspect of the Divine. Yoga: “Union”; Union of the Self with all its parts; Union of the Self with the Absolute; any path that allows such a union to form; the stilling of the ripples (fluctuations) of the mind. Yoga Nidra: The practice of Yogic Sleep; Uses the principles of asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, and dhyana to recondition the mind, and create Yoga in the body. Yogi: Someone who follows the path of Yoga. A female yogi is called a yogini.
