GLOSSARY

Yoga Terms and Descriptions

A

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
Asana – yoga position or yoga pose, also called yogasana. A balanced position for smooth energy flow in specific
areas of the body and mind
Ashram – 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

B

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
Brahman – supreme consciousness, absolute reality

C

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

D

Danda – stick
Danda Dhauti - one of the cleansing techniques (shatkarmas), used to clean the esophagus with a stick
Danta Dhauti – teeth cleansing technique
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

G

Ghrita Neti - neti (nasal cleansing technique) performed with ghee
Guna - quality of nature viz. tamas, rajas, sattwa
Guru - spiritually enlightened soul, who can dispel darkness, ignorance and illusion from the mind and
enlighten the consciousness of a devotee/disciple

H

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 center

I

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

J

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 breath 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

K

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
Kevala Kumbhaka - spontaneous cessation of breath without any conscious effort
Kleshas – afflictions or tensions – according to yoga there are 5 such afflictions present in humans from birth
Kosha – sheath or body; realm of experience and existence
Kriya – activity, dynamic yogic practice
Kriya Yoga – the practice of kundalini yoga
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

L

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

M

Maha - great
Maha Bandha – the great lock – combines the three locks in yoga -the mula bandha, jalandhara bandha and uddiyana
bandha – together with breath retention
Maha Mudra – the great gesture – combines the practice of mula bandha, shambhavi and khechari mudras
simultaneously
Maha Nadi – literally means ‘great nadi’, which is the ’sushumna’in yoga
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
Moksha – liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Mula – root
Mula Bandha – energy lock created by the contraction of the perineum in the male and the cervix in the female
Muladhara 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

N

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
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.

O

Om - the universal mantra; cosmic vibration of the universe; represents the four states of
consciousness

P

Pada – foot; section of a literary work
Pancha Tattwa – the five elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether
Param - highest, supreme, God
Paramatma – the supreme atma; God
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
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

R

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

S

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
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 focuses at the mid-eyebrow centre
Shatkarma – the six yogic techniques of purification of the body,
viz. neti, dhauti, nauli, basti, trataka, kappalabhati
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
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
Surya Bheda Pranayama – breathing technique in which inhalation is done through the right nostril ; increases vitality
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 aspecial thread
Swadhisthana Chakra – second chakra in the spinal column, above the muladhara

T

Tamas – the quality of inertia, laziness, procrastination
Trataka -one of the cleansing techniques (shatkarma) in which the gaze is focussed upon an object such as a
candle flame

U

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

V

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

Y

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