Ahamkar | Ego - individual self |
Ahimsa | Non-violence (Yama) |
Akasha | Space/sky - one of the five elements |
Ananda | State of bliss |
Ananta | Without end |
Apana | Negative energy (moves downward) |
Aparigraha | Non-possessiveness (Yama) |
Asana | >Physical postures |
Asat | Anything unreal or untrue |
Astanga | Eight limbs |
Asteya | Non-stealing (Yama) |
Atman | Spirit that lies within; source of true inner balance |
Artha | Natural pursuit of wealth |
Ayama | To master |
Avidya | Incorrect knowledge; mis-understanding |
Bandha | To bind or lock |
Bhagavad Gita | A part of the classic Mahabharata - Krishna teaches Yoga to Arjuna |
Bhakti Yoga | Yoga of Devotion - Power of Love |
Bhastrika Pranayama | Bellows breathing - alternate nostril |
Brahmacharya | Moderation (Yama) |
Brahman | Consciousness |
Bhutas | Elements - Space, Air, Light, Water, Earth |
Buddha | The Awakened One - lived and taught in North India approximately 600 BCE |
Buddhi | Intellect -Responsive - reacts to outside impressions |
Chi | Life-force, energy |
Chitt | The mind |
Deva | Devine being |
Dharana | State of mind where it is focused on only one point |
Dharma | Alignment with what is right by universal laws |
Dhyana | Meditation |
Gunas | 3 Qualities of the mind |
Ida Nadi | Nadi on one side of spinal cord - ends at left nostril |
Ishwara-Pranidhana | Awareness of Divine - surrender and offer all actions to the Divine |
Isvara | God or Lord |
Japa | Repetition of a mantra |
Jiva | Individual; self |
Jnana Yoga | Yoga of Wisdom - self-realization |
Kaivalya | Ultimate state of Yoga |
Kama | Natural pursuit of pleasure |
Kapalabhati Pranayama | Bellows breathing |
Karma | Results of actions |
Karma Yoga | Yoga of Action - Purifies heart |
Kriya Yoga | Body purifications |
Ksipta | Agitated mind |
Kundalini | Union of Prana and Apana |
Mahat | Great principle |
Manas | Sensory -the part of us which gathers impressions from the outside world |
Mantra | Sacred sound |
Moksha | Liberation |
Maya | Illusion |
Mudha | Dull mind-state |
Mudra | Symbol |
Mulabhanda | Base of torso - perineal floor |
Nada | Sound |
Nadis | Body channels where Prana flows |
Nadi Sodhana Pranayama | Alternate nostril breathing |
Nidra | Sleep |
Nirodha | Mind-state where the mind focuses on one thing |
Nirvana | Spiritual liberation |
Niyama | Observances Disciplines dealing with self (Saucha, Tapas, Santosha, Ishwara-Pranidhana, Swadhyaya) |
Pingala Nadi | Nadi on one side of spinal cord - ends at right nostril |
Prakriti | Elemental stuff found in all the universe |
Pramana | Right perception |
Prana | Life-force, energy (moves upward) |
Pranayama | Controlled, regulated breathing techniques |
Pratyahara | Withdrawal of the senses |
Purusha | Spirit - source of consciousness Literally "Godhead that dwells within the body" |
Rajas | One of the 3 Gunas - energy/activity |
Raja Yoga | Yoga of Physical and Mental Control |
Sadhana | Practice |
Sakti | Power |
Samadhi | Meditative state in which only the object being meditated on is in our awareness |
Samsara | Cycle of birth and death |
Samskara | Habitual movement of the mind |
Sankhya | Theory / Philosophical system |
Santosha | Contentment |
Sattva | One of the 3 Gunas - Harmony/equilibrium |
Satvada | The idea that everything that we see and experience is not illusion but real |
Satya | Truthfulness (Yama) |
Saucha | Purity, cleanliness (Niyama) |
Shakti | Female - dynamic energy |
Shraddha | Faith |
Siddhi | Power that is given |
Siva | Male - passive energy |
Sodhana | Purification |
Sthira | Alertness |
Sushumna Nadi | Central Nadi running through the spinal cord |
Swadhyaya | Education - Study of sacred texts |
Tamas | One of the 3 Gunas - Inertia |
Tanu | Mild |
Tapas | Austerity |
Trataka | Gazing at an object to promote meditation |
Udana-Vayu | Aspect of Prana which is responsible for upward movement and energy |
Ujjayi Pranayama | Breathing technique which uses the back of the throat (whisper breath, ocean breath) |
Vairagya | Detachment |
Vayu | Air, breath |
Vedas | Hindu scriptures |
Vidya | High level of knowledge |
Viparya | False perception |
Yama | Restraints - Disciplines dealing with others (Ahimsa, Asteyam, Aparigraha, Satya, Brahmacharya) |
Yoga Sutra | Classic Yoga text created by Patanjali |
Yogi | Practitioner of Yoga |