This page explains words you might encounter and gives you a link to a Sanskrit-English dictionary.
Click on a letter of the alphabet to get to that section of our glossary
| Anusara yoga |
A style of yoga that emphasizes heart-opening, alignment, and energetic asanas. |
| Asana |
(seat) Originally meaning the surface on which the yogi sat. Now the most common meaning is “posture”. Refers to one of the “eight limbs” of yoga. Wikipedia |
| Ashtanga yoga |
(yoga of eight limbs) Originally referring to the path of yoga proposed by Patanjali. Now used to refer to a style of yoga that involves a fast, energetic series of asanas proposed by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Wikipedia |
| Ashram |
A place to study yoga. Also a community living according to yogic traditions. |
| Ayurvedic |
A system of Indian traditional medicine. |
| Bhagavan |
A Hindu title of veneration often translated as "Lord". |
| Bikram yoga |
A style of hatha yoga that emphasizes an energetic workout in a hot (40°C, 105°F), humid room to cleanse the body. The system was synthesized from traditional yoga postures by Bikrum Choudhury. Wikipedia |
| Chakra |
Centers of spiritual power (commonly seven) in the human body. |
| Flow yoga |
See Vinyasa Yoga. |
| Guru |
A spiritual teacher, esp. one who imparts initiation |
| Hatha yoga |
Originally referring to a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama , a Hindu sage of 15th century India. Now (in the west) refers to any form of yoga involving physical exercise and breathing. Wikipedia |
| Hot yoga |
See Bikram Yoga. |
| Iyengar yoga |
A wide-spread style of yoga that emphasizes precise alignment and the use of props to ensure it is available to everyone. It is based on the traditional eight limbs of yoga as expounded by Patanji in the Yoga Sutras. B.K.S. Iyengar denies that there is “Iyengar Yoga” He says what he teaches is Hatha Yoga. Wikipedia |
| Kharma |
Actions or deeds which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect, death and rebirth. |
| Kripalu yoga |
A style of yoga that emphasizes alignment, coordinating breath and movement, and developing body awareness. |
| Kundalini |
Energy that lies dormant in the body until released by yoga. |
| Maharishi |
A Hindu honorary title |
| Mantra |
A word or sound repeated to aid concentration during meditation. |
| Meditation |
Mental exercises performed for mental wellness and spiritual growth. |
| Mindfulness |
The act of letting go of the past and future and focusing entirely on the present moment |
| Naked/Nude yoga |
Hatha yoga performed while nude. This is a controversial practice. |
| Namaste |
A Hindu greeting made by holding your hands together and bowing your head. |
| Neti |
A cleansing method for the nasal passages using various liquids. |
| Niyama |
One of the eight limbs of yoga, Niama lists things we ought to do. See also Yama |
| Om |
A common mantra. It is considered very powerful and important. |
| Paramahansa |
A Hindu religious title of honor applied to spiritual leaders |
| Patanjali |
A Hindu who wrote a book recording the known yoga knowledge of his time, perhaps 2,000 years ago. His book makes little mention of asanas. Wikipedia |
| Partner yoga |
Asanas designed to be done by two people. |
| Performance yoga |
Yoga designed to be watched by others. This is a controversial practice. |
| Pilates |
The Pilates method seeks to develop controlled movement from a strong core and it does this using a range of apparatuses to guide and train the body. Joe Pilates originally developed his method as mat exercises early in the 20th century. Wikipedia |
| Postnatal yoga |
Yoga designed for women who have recently given birth. |
| Practice |
The asanas and possibly meditation that a person does usually on a daily basis. |
| Prana |
A life-sustaining force possessed by living beings, similar to the Chinese notion of Qi. |
| Pranayama |
Breathing exercises and breath control designed to control prana. |
| Prenatal yoga |
Yoga designed for pregnant women. |
| Raja yoga |
Raja Yoga is traditionally referred to as Astanga (eight-limbed) yoga because there are eight aspects to the path to which one must attend however the emphasis is usually on meditation. Wikipedia |
| Restorative yoga |
A style of yoga that emphasizes healing existing health conditions as opposed to maintaining health. The asanas are held for 5 - 10 minutes. |
| Saraswati |
In Hinduism, a goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. In Buddhism, a guardian deity. Sometimes used as a title of respect |
| Sri |
A Hindu title of respect used before a man's name |
| Studio |
A place where yoga is taught. |
| Swami |
The term usually refers to men, but can also apply to women who have taken the oath of renunciation and abandoned their social and or worldly status to follow the spiritual path. Wikipedia |
| Tai Chi |
A Chinese system of slow meditative physical exercise designed for relaxation, balance and health. |
| Tantra |
From the two root words tanoti "stretch, extend, expand", and trayati "liberation"), An important characteristic of this movement was that it is a radically positive, world-embracing vision of the whole of reality as an expression of a joyous Divine Consciousness. Tantric spiritual practices and rituals aim to bring about an inner realization of this truth, bringing freedom from ignorance and rebirth in the process. Wikipedia |
| Vedanta |
A group of philosophical traditions concerned with self-realization. |
| Vedas |
Four ancient Indian texts that give guidelines for all aspects of life. |
| Vegan |
A person who does not use any animal products include eggs, milk, honey, leather, wool, etc. Contrast with Vegetarian. |
| Vegetarian |
A person who does not eat meat, fish or chicken but does eat eggs, milk and honey. Contrast with Vegan. |
| Vinyasa yoga |
A style of yoga that emphasizes smooth transition (flow) from one asana to another. |
| Yama |
One of the eight limbs of yoga, Yama list things we out not to do. See also Niyama |
| Yoga |
A Hindu spiritual discipline seeking to unite body, mind and spirit. It involves: 1) Yama (moral observance), 2) Niyama (self-restraint), 3) Asana (posture), 4) Pranayama (breath control), 5) Pratyahara (sensory inhibition), 6) Dharana (concentration), 7) Dhyana (meditation), and 8) Samadhi (union with God). The word originates from a Sanskrit word meaning unite, join or connect |
| Yogi |
A person who practices yoga. There are separate terms for men and women but they are not commonly used now. |