YOGA DICTIONARY

Sanskrit Definitions:

All terms are alphabetized by the sanskirt name:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Abhyasa — practice; cf. vairagya

Acarya (sometimes spelled Acharya in English) a preceptor, instructor; cf. guru

Advaita (“nonduality”) — the truth and teaching that there is only One Reality
(atman, brahman), especially as found in the Upanishads; see also Vedanta

Ahamkara (“I-maker”) — the individuation principle, or ego, which must be
transcended; cf. asmita; see also buddhi, manas

Ahimsa (“nonharming”) — the single most important moral discipline (yama)

Akasha (“ether/space”) — the first of the five material elements of which the
physical universe is composed; also used to designate “inner” space, that is,
the space of consciousness (called cid-akasha)

Amrita (“immortal/immortality”) — a designation of the deathless Spirit
(atman, purusha); also the nectar of immortality that oozes from the
psychoenergetic center at the crown of the head (see sahasrara-cakra)
when it is activated and transforms the body into a “divine body” (divya-deha)

Ananda (“bliss”) — the condition of utter joy, which is an essential quality
of the ultimate Reality (tattva)

Anga (“limb”) — a fundamental category of the yogic path, such as asana,
dharana, dhyana, niyama, pranayama, pratyahara, samadhi, yama;
also the body (deha, sharira)

Aranyaka (“that which pertains to the forest”) — an early type of ritual
text used by forest-dwelling renouncers; cf. Brahmana, Upanishad, Veda

Arjuna (“White”) — one of the five Pandava princes who fought in the great
war depicted in the Mahabharata, disciple of the God-man Krishna whose
teachings can be found in the Bhagavad-Gita

Asana (“seat”) — a physical posture (see also anga, mudra); the third limb
(anga) of Patanjali’s eightfold path (astha-anga-yoga); originally this meant
only meditation posture, but subsequently, in Hatha-Yoga, this aspect of the
yogic path was greatly developed

Ashrama (“that where effort is made”) — a hermitage; also a stage of life,
such as brahmacarya, householder, forest dweller, and complete
renouncer (samnyasin)

Ashta-anga-yoga, ashtanga-yoga (“eight-limbed union”)—the eightfold
Yoga of Patanjali, consisting of moral discipline (yama), self-restraint
(niyama), posture (asana), breath control (pranayama), sensory inhibition
(pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and ecstasy
(samadhi), leading to liberation (kaivalya)

Asmita (“I-am-ness”) — a concept of Patanjali’s eight-limbed Yoga,
roughly synonymous with ahamkara

Atman (“self”) — the transcendental Self, or Spirit, which is eternal
and superconscious; our true nature or identity; sometimes a distinction
is made between the atman as the individual self and the parama-atman
as the transcendental Self; see also purusha; cf. brahman

Avadhuta (“he who has shed [everything]”) — a radical type of renouncer
(samnyasin) who often engages in unconventional behavior

Avidya (“ignorance”) — the root cause of suffering (duhkha); also called
ajnana; cf. vidya

Ayurveda, Ayur-veda (“life science”) — one of India’s traditional systems
of medicine, the other being South India’s Siddha medicine

B

Bandha (“bond/bondage”) — the fact that human beings are typically
bound by ignorance (avidya), which causes them to lead a life governed
by karmic habit rather than inner freedom generated through wisdom
(vidya, jnana)

Bhagavad-Gita (“Lord’s Song”) — the oldest full-fledged Yoga book found
embedded in the Mahabharata and containing the teachings on Karma-Yoga
(the path of self-transcending action), Samkhya-Yoga (the path of discerning
the principles of existence correctly), and Bhakti-Yoga (the path of devotion),
as given by the God-man Krishna to Prince Arjuna on the battlefield 3,500
years or more ago

Bhagavata-Purana (“Ancient [Tradition] of the Bhagavatas”) — a voluminous
tenth-century scripture held sacred by the devotees of the Divine in the form
of Vishnu, especially in his incarnate form as Krishna; also called
Shrimad-Bhagavata

Bhakta (“devotee”) — a disciple practicing Bhakti-Yoga

Bhakti (“devotion/love”) — the love of the bhakta toward the Divine
or the guru as a manifestation of the Divine; also the love of the Divine
toward the devotee

Bhakti-Sutra (“Aphorisms on Devotion”) — an aphoristic work on
devotional Yoga authored by Sage Narada; another text by the
same title is ascribed to Sage Shandilya

Bhakti-Yoga (“Yoga of devotion”) — a major branch of the Yoga
tradition, utilizing the feeling capacity to connect with the ultimate
Reality conceived as a supreme Person (uttama-purusha)

Bindu (“seed/point”) — the creative potency of anything where all
energies are focused; the dot (also called tilaka) worn on the forehead
as indicative of the third eye

Bodhi (“enlightenment”) — the state of the awakened master, or buddha

Bodhisattva (“enlightenment being”) — in Mahayana Buddhist Yoga,
the individual who, motivated by compassion (karuna), is committed
to achieving enlightenment for the sake of all other beings

Brahma (“he who has grown expansive”) — the Creator of the
universe, the first principle (tattva) to emerge out of the ultimate
Reality (brahman)

Brahmacarya (from brahma and acarya “brahmic conduct”) — the
discipline of chastity, which produces ojas

Brahman (“that which has grown expansive”) — the ultimate Reality
(cf. atman, purusha)

Brahmana — a brahmin, a member of the highest social class of traditional
Indian society; also an early type of ritual text explicating the rituals and
mythology of the four Vedas; cf. Aranyaka, Upanishad, Veda

Buddha (“awakened”) — a designation of the person who has attained
enlightenment (bodhi) and therefore inner freedom; honorific title of
Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, who lived in the sixth century B.C.E.

Buddhi (“she who is conscious, awake”) — the higher mind, which is the
seat of wisdom (vidya, jnana); cf. manas

C

Chakra (“wheel”) — literally, the wheel of a wagon; metaphorically,
one of the psycho-energetic centers of the subtle body (sukshma-sharira);
in Buddhist Yoga, five such centers are known, while in Hindu Yoga often
seven or more such centers are mentioned: mula-adhara-cakra
(muladhara-cakra) at the base of the spine, svadhishthana-cakra at the
genitals, manipura-cakra at the navel, anahata-cakra at the heart, vishuddha-
or vishuddhi-cakra at the throat, ajna-cakra in the middle of the head, and
sahasrara-cakra at the top of the head

Cin-mudra (“consciousness seal”) — a common hand gesture (mudra) in
meditation (dhyana), which is formed by bringing the tips of the index finger
and the thumb together, while the remaining fingers are kept straight

Cit (“consciousness”) — the superconscious ultimate Reality
(see atman, brahman)

Citta (“that which is conscious”) — ordinary consciousness, the mind,
as opposed to cit

D

Darshana (“seeing”) — vision in the literal and metaphorical sense; a
system of philosophy, such as the yoga-darshana of Patanjali; cf. drishti

Deva (“he who is shining”) — a male deity, such as Shiva, Vishnu, or
Krishna, either in the sense of the ultimate Reality or a high angelic being

Devi (“she who is shining”) — a female deity such as Parvati, Lakshmi,
or Radha, either in the sense of the ultimate Reality (in its feminine pole)
or a high angelic being

Dharana (“holding”) — concentration, the sixth limb (anga) of Patanjali’s
eight-limbed Yoga

Dharma (“bearer”) — a term of numerous meanings; often used in the
sense of “law,” “lawfulness,” “virtue,” “righteousness,” “norm”

Dhyana (“ideating”) — meditation, the seventh limb (anga) of Patanjali’s
eight-limbed Yoga

Diksha (“initiation”) — the act and condition of induction into the
hidden aspects of Yoga or a particular lineage of teachers; all
traditional Yoga is initiatory

Drishti (“view/sight”) — yogic gazing, such as at the tip of the nose
or the spot between the eyebrows; cf. darshana

Duhkha (“bad axle space”) — suffering, a fundamental fact of life,
caused by ignorance (avidya) of our true nature (i.e., the Self or atman)

G

Gayatri-mantra — a famous Vedic mantra recited particularly at
sunrise: tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo
nah pracodayat, “….

Gheranda-Samhita (“[Sage] Gheranda’s Compendium”) — one of
three major manuals of classical Hatha-Yoga, composed in the
seventeenth century; cf. Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika, Shiva-Samhita

Goraksha (“Cow Protector”) — traditionally said to be the
founding adept of Hatha-Yoga, a disciple of Matsyendra

Granthi (“knot”) — any one of three common blockages in the
central pathway (sushumna-nadi) preventing the full ascent of the
serpent power (kundalini-shakti); the three knots are known as
brahma-granthi (at the lowest psychoenergetic center of the subtle body),
the vishnu-granthi (at the heart), and the rudra-granthi (at the eyebrow center)

Guna (“quality”) — a term that has numerous meanings, including “virtue”;
often refers to any of the three primary “qualities” or constituents of Nature
(prakriti): tamas (the principle of inertia), rajas (the dynamic principle),
and sattva (the principle of lucidity)

Guru (“he who is heavy, weighty”) — a spiritual teacher; cf. acarya

Guru-bhakti (“teacher devotion”) — a disciple’s self-transcending
devotion to the guru; see also bhakti

Guru-Gita (“Guru’s Song”) — a text in praise of the guru, often
chanted in ashramas

Guru-Yoga (“Yoga [relating to] the teacher”) — a yogic approach
that makes the guru the fulcrum of a disciple’s practice; all traditional
forms of Yoga contain a strong element of guru-yoga

H

Hamsa (“swan/gander”) — apart from the literal meaning, this term
also refers to the breath (prana) as it moves within the body; the
individuated consciousness (jiva) propelled by the breath; see
jiva-atman; see also parama-hamsa

Hatha-Yoga (“Forceful Yoga”) — a major branch of Yoga,
developed by Goraksha and other adepts c. 1000 C.E., and
emphasizing the physical aspects of the transformative path,
notably postures (asana) and cleansing techniques (shodhana),
but also breath control (pranayama)

Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika (“Light on Hatha-Yoga”) — one of three
classical manuals on Hatha-Yoga, authored by Svatmarama
Yogendra in the fourteenth century

Hiranyagarbha (“Golden Germ”) — the mythical founder of Yoga;
the first cosmological principle (tattva) to emerge out of the infinite
Reality; also called Brahma

I

Ida-nadi (“pale conduit”) — the prana current or arc ascending
on the left side of the central channel (sushumna nadi) associated
with the parasympathetic nervous system and having a cooling or
calming effect on the mind when activated; cf. pingala-nadi

Ishvara (“ruler”) — the Lord; referring either to the Creator
(see Brahma) or, in Patanjali’s yoga-darshana, to a special
transcendental Self (purusha)

Ishvara-pranidhana (“dedication to the Lord”) — in Patanjali’s
eight-limbed Yoga one of the practices of self-restraint (niyama);
see also Bhakti-Yoga

J

Jaina (sometimes Jain) — pertaining to the jinas (“conquerors”),
the liberated adepts of Jainism; a member of Jainism, the spiritual
tradition founded by Vardhamana Mahavira, a contemporary of
Gautama the Buddha

Japa (“muttering”) — the recitation of mantras

Jiva-atman, jivatman (“individual self”) — the individuated
consciousness, as opposed to the ultimate Self (parama-atman)

Jivan-mukta (“he who is liberated while alive”) — an adept who,
while still embodied, has attained liberation (moksha)

Jivan-mukti (“living liberation”) — the state of liberation while
being embodied; cf. videha-mukti

Jnana (“knowledge/wisdom”) — both worldly knowledge or
world-transcending wisdom, depending on the context;
see also prajna; cf. avidya

Jnana-Yoga (“Yoga of wisdom”) — the path to liberation
based on wisdom, or the direct intuition of the transcendental
Self (atman) through the steady application of discernment
between the Real and the unreal and renunciation of what
has been identified as unreal (or inconsequential to the
achievement of liberation)

K

Kaivalya (“isolation”) — the state of absolute freedom from
conditioned existence, as explained in ashta-anga-yoga; in the
nondualistic (advaita) traditions of India, this is usually called moksha
or mukti (meaning “release” from the fetters of ignorance, or avidya)

Kali — a Goddess embodying the fierce (dissolving) aspect of the Divine

Kali-yuga — the dark age of spiritual and moral decline, said to be
current now; kali does not refer to the Goddess Kali but to the
losing throw of a die

Kama (“desire”) — the appetite for sensual pleasure blocking the
path to true bliss (ananda); the only desire conducive to freedom is
the impulse toward liberation, called mumukshutva

Kapila (“He who is red”) — a great sage, the quasi-mythical founder
of the Samkhya tradition, who is said to have composed the
Samkhya-Sutra (which, however, appears to be of a much later date)

Karman, karma (“action”) — activity of any kind, including ritual acts;
said to be binding only so long as engaged in a self-centered way; the
“karmic” consequence of one’s actions; destiny

Karma-Yoga (“Yoga of action”) — the liberating path of self-transcending
action

Karuna (“compassion”) — universal sympathy; in Buddhist Yoga
the complement of wisdom (prajna)

Khecari-mudra (“space-walking seal”) — the Tantric practice of
curling the tongue back against the upper palate in order to seal the
life energy (prana); see also mudra

Kosha (“casing”) — any one of five “envelopes” surrounding the
transcendental Self (atman) and thus blocking its light: anna-maya-kosha
(“envelope made of food,” the physical body), prana-maya-kosha
(“envelope made of life force”), mano-maya-kosha (“envelope made of mind”),
vijnana-maya-kosha (“envelope made of consciousness”), and
ananda-maya-kosha (“envelope made of bliss”); some older traditions
regard the last kosha as identical with the Self (atman)

Krishna (“Puller”) — an incarnation of God Vishnu, the God-man
whose teachings can be found in the Bhagavad-Gita and the
Bhagavata-Purana

Kumbhaka (“potlike”) — breath retention; cf. puraka, recaka

Kundalini-shakti (“coiled power”) — according to Tantra and
Hatha-Yoga, the serpent power or spiritual energy, which exists in
potential form at the lowest psycho-energetic center of the body
(i.e., the mula-adhara-cakra) and which must be awakened and
guided to the center at the crown (i.e., the sahasrara-cakra) for full
enlightenment to occur

Kundalini-Yoga — the yogic path focusing on the kundalini process
as a means of liberation

L

Laya-Yoga (“Yoga of dissolution”) — an advanced form or
process of Tantric Yoga by which the energies associated with the
various psycho-energetic centers (cakra) of the subtle body are gradually
dissolved through the ascent of the serpent power (kundalini-shakti)

Linga (“mark”) — the phallus as a principle of creativity; a symbol
of God Shiva; cf. yoni

M

Mahabharata (“Great Bharata”) — one of India’s two great ancient
epics telling of the great war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas
and serving as a repository for many spiritual and moral teachings

Mahatma (from maha-atman, “great self”) — an honorific title
(meaning something like “a great soul”) bestowed on particularly
meritorious individuals, such as Gandhi

Maithuna (“twinning”) — the Tantric sexual ritual in which the
participants view each other as Shiva and Shakti respectively

Manas (“mind”) — the lower mind, which is bound to the senses and
yields information (vijnana) rather than wisdom (jnana, vidya); cf. buddhi

Mandala (“circle”) — a circular design symbolizing the cosmos and
specific to a deity

Mantra (from the verbal root man “to think”) — a sacred sound or
phrase, such as om, hum, or om namah shivaya, that has a transformative
effect on the mind of the individual reciting it; to be ultimately effective,
a mantra needs to be given in an initiatory context (diksha)

Mantra-Yoga — the yogic path utilizing mantras as the primary
means of liberation

Marman (“lethal [spot]”) — in Ayur-Veda and Yoga, a vital spot
on the physical body where energy is concentrated or blocked; cf. granthi

Matsyendra (“Lord of Fish”) — an early Tantric master who founded the
Yogini-Kaula school and is remembered as a teacher of Goraksha

Maya (“she who measures”) — the deluding or illusive power of the world;
illusion by which the world is seen as separate from the ultimate singular
Reality (atman)

Moksha (“release”) — the condition of freedom from ignorance (avidya)
and the binding effect of karma; also called mukti, kaivalya

Mudra (“seal”) — a hand gesture (such as cin-mudra) or whole-body
gesture (such as viparita-karani-mudra); also a designation of the
feminine partner in the Tantric sexual ritual

Muni (“he who is silent”) — a sage

N

Nada (“sound”) — the inner sound, as it can be heard through
the practice of Nada-Yoga or Kundalini-Yoga

Nada-Yoga (“Yoga of the [inner] sound”) — the Yoga or process
of producing and intently listening to the inner sound as a means of
concentration and ecstatic self-transcendence

Nadi (“conduit”) — one of 72,000 or more subtle channels along
or through which the life force (prana) circulates of which the three
most important ones are the ida-nadi, pingala-nadi, and sushumna-nadi

Nadi-shodhana (“channel cleansing”) — the practice of purifying the
conduits, especially by means of breath control (pranayama)

Narada — a great sage associated with music, who taught
Bhakti-Yoga and is attributed with the authorship of one
of two Bhakti-Sutras

Natha (“lord”) — appellation of many North Indian masters
of Yoga, in particular adepts of the Kanphata (“Split-ear”)
school allegedly founded by Goraksha

Neti-neti (“not thus, not thus”) — an Upanishadic expression
meant to convey that the ultimate Reality is neither this nor that,
that is, is beyond all description

Nirodha (“restriction”) — in Patanjali’s eight-limbed Yoga, the very
basis of the process of concentration, meditation, and ecstasy; in
the first instance, the restriction of the “whirls of the mind” (citta-vritti)

Niyama (“[self-]restraint”) — the second limb of Patanjali’s
eightfold path, which consists of purity (shauca), contentment
(samtosha), austerity (tapas), study (svadhyaya), and
dedication to the Lord (ishvara-pranidhana)

Nyasa (“placing”) — the Tantric practice of infusing various
body parts with life force (prana) by touching or thinking of the
respective physical area

O

Ojas (“vitality”) — the subtle energy produced through practice,
especially the discipline of chastity (brahmacarya)

Om — the original mantra symbolizing the ultimate Reality,
which is prefixed to many mantric utterances

P

Parama-atman or paramatman (“supreme self”) — the transcendental
Self, which is singular, as opposed to the individuated self (jiva-atman)
that exists in countless numbers in the form of living beings

Parama-hamsa, paramahansa (“supreme swan”) — an honorific title
given to great adepts, such as Ramakrishna and Yogananda

Patanjali — compiler of the Yoga-Sutra, who lived c. 150 C.E.

Pingala-nadi (“reddish conduit”) — the prana current or arc ascending
on the right side of the central channel (sushumna-nadi) and associated
with the sympathetic nervous system and having an energizing effect on
the mind when activated; cf. ida-nadi

Prajna (“wisdom”) — the opposite of spiritual ignorance (ajnana, avidya);
one of two means of liberation in Buddhist Yoga, the other being
skillful means (upaya), i.e., compassion (karuna)

Prakriti (“creatrix”) — Nature, which is multilevel and, according to
Patanjali’s yoga-darshana, consists of an eternal dimension
(called pradhana or “foundation”), levels of subtle existence
(called sukshma-parvan), and the physical or coarse realm
(called sthula-parvan); all of Nature is deemed unconscious
(acit), and therefore it is viewed as being in opposition to the
transcendental Self or Spirit (purusha)

Prakriti-laya (“merging into Nature”) — a high-level state of
existence that falls short of actual liberation (kaivalya); the being
who has attained that state

Prana (“life/breath”) — life in general; the life force sustaining
the body; the breath as an external manifestation of the subtle life force

Pranayama (from prana and ayama, “life/breath extension”) —
breath control, the fourth limb (anga) of Patanjali’s eigthfold path,
consisting of conscious inhalation (puraka), retention (kumbhaka),
and exhalation (recaka); at an advanced state, breath retention
occurs spontaneously for longer periods of time

Prasada (“grace/clarity”) — divine grace; mental clarity

Pratyahara (“withdrawal”) — sensory inhibition, the fifth limb
(anga) of Patanjali’s eightfold path

Puja (“worship”) — ritual worship, which is an important aspect
of many forms of Yoga, notably Bhakti-Yoga and Tantra

Puraka (“filling in”) — inhalation, an aspect of breath control
(pranayama)

Purana (“Ancient [History]”) — a type of popular encyclopedia
dealing with royal genealogy, cosmology, philosophy, and ritual;
there are eighteen major and many more minor works of this nature

Purusha (“male”) — the transcendental Self (atman) or Spirit,
a designation that is mostly used in Samkhya and Patanjali’s yoga-darshana

R

Radha — the God-man Krishna’s spouse; a name of the divine Mother

Raja-Yoga (“Royal Yoga”) — a late medieval designation of Patanjali’s
eightfold yoga-darshana, also known as Classical Yoga

Rama — an incarnation of God Vishnu preceding Krishna; the principal
hero of the Ramayana

Ramayana (“Rama’s life”) — one of India’s two great national epics
telling the story of Rama; cf. Mahabharata

Recaka (“expulsion”) — exhalation, an aspect of breath control (pranayama)

Rig-Veda; see Veda

Rishi (“seer”) — a category of Vedic sage; an honorific title of certain
venerated masters, such as the South Indian sage Ramana, who is
known as maharshi (from maha meaning “great” and rishi); cf. muni

S

Sadhana (“accomplishing”) — spiritual discipline leading to siddhi
(“perfection” or “accomplishment”); the term is specifically used in Tantra

Sahaja (“together born”) — a medieval term denoting the fact that the
transcendental Reality and the empirical reality are not truly separate
but coexist, or with the latter being an aspect or misperception of
the former; often rendered as “spontaneous” or “spontaneity”;
the sahaja state is the natural condition, that is, enlightenment or realization

Samadhi (“putting together”) — the ecstatic or unitive state in
which the meditator becomes one with the object of meditation,
the eighth and final limb (anga) of Patanjali’s eightfold path; there
are many types of samadhi, the most significant distinction being
between samprajnata (conscious) and asamprajnata (supraconscious)
ecstasy; only the latter leads to the dissolution of the karmic factors deep
within the mind; beyond both types of ecstasy is enlightenment, which is
also sometimes called sahaja-samadhi or the condition of “natural” or
“spontaneous” ecstasy, where there is perfect continuity of superconscious
throughout waking, dreaming, and sleeping

Samatva or samata (“evenness”) — the mental condition of harmony, balance

Samkhya (“Number”) — one of the main traditions of Hinduism, which is
concerned with the classification of the principles (tattva) of existence and
their proper discernment in order to distinguish between Spirit (purusha) and
the various aspects of Nature (prakriti); this influential system grew out of the
ancient (pre-Buddhist) Samkhya-Yoga tradition and was codified in the
Samkhya-Karika of Ishvara Krishna (c. 350 C.E.)

Samnyasa (“casting off”) — the state of renunciation, which is the fourth
and final stage of life (see ashrama) and consisting primarily in an inner
turning away from what is understood to be finite and secondarily in an
external letting go of finite things; cf. vairagya

Samnyasin (“he who has cast off”) — a renouncer

Samprajnata-samadhi; see samadhi

Samsara (“confluence”) — the finite world of change, as opposed to
the ultimate Reality (brahman or nirvana)

Samskara (“activator”) — the subconscious impression left behind by
each act of volition, which, in turn, leads to renewed psychomental activity;
the countless samskaras hidden in the depth of the mind are ultimately
eliminated only in asamprajnata-samadhi (see samadhi)

Samyama (“constraint”) — the combined practice of concentration
(dharana), meditation (dhyana), and ecstasy (samadhi) in regard to the same object

Sat (“being/reality/truth”) — the ultimate Reality (atman or brahman)

Sat-sanga (“true company/company of Truth”) — the practice of frequenting
the good company of saints, sages, Self-realized adepts, and their disciples,
in whose company the ultimate Reality can be felt more palpably

Satya (“truth/truthfulness”) — truth, a designation of the ultimate Reality;
also the practice of truthfulness, which is an aspect of moral discipline (yama)

Shakti (“power”) — the ultimate Reality in its feminine aspect, or the power
pole of the Divine; see also kundalini-shakti

Shakti-pata (“descent of power”) — the process of initiation, or spiritual
baptism, by means of the benign transmission of an advanced or even
enlightened adept (siddha), which awakens the shakti within a disciple,
thereby initiating or enhancing the process of liberation

Shankara (“He who is benevolent”) — the eighth-century adept who
was the greatest proponent of nondualism (Advaita Vedanta) and whose
philosophical school was probably responsible for the decline of Buddhism
in India

Shishya (“student/disciple”) — the initiated disciple of a guru

Shiva (“He who is benign”) — the Divine; a deity that has served yogins
as an archetypal model throughout the ages

Shiva-Sutra (“Shiva’s Aphorisms”) — like the Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali,
a classical work on Yoga, as taught in the Shaivism of Kashmir;
authored by Vasugupta (ninth century C.E.)

Shodhana (“cleansing/purification”) — a fundamental aspect of all yogic
paths; a category of purification practices in Hatha-Yoga

Shraddha (“faith”) — an essential disposition on the yogic path, which
must be distinguished from mere belief

Shuddhi (“purification/purity”) — the state of purity; a synonym of shodhana

Siddha (“accomplished”) — an adept, often of Tantra; if fully Self-realized,
the designation maha-siddha or “great adept” is often used

Siddha-Yoga (“Yoga of the adepts”) — a designation applied especially
to the Yoga of Kashmiri Shaivism, as taught by Swami Muktananda
(twentieth century)

Siddhi (“accomplishment/perfection”) — spiritual perfection, the attainment
of flawless identity with the ultimate Reality (atman or brahman); paranormal
ability, of which the Yoga tradition knows many kinds

Spanda (“vibration”) — a key concept of Kashmir’s Shaivism according
to which the ultimate Reality itself “quivers,” that is, is inherently creative
rather than static (as conceived in Advaita Vedanta)

Sushumna-nadi (“very gracious channel”) — the central prana current or
arc in or along which the serpent power (kundalini-shakti) must ascend
toward the psychoenergetic center (cakra) at the crown of the head in
order to attain liberation (moksha)

Sutra (“thread”) — an aphoristic statement; a work consisting of aphoristic
statements, such as Patanjali’s Yoga-Sutra or Vasugupta’s Shiva-Sutra

Svadhyaya (“one’s own going into”) — study, an important aspect of the
yogic path, listed among the practices of self-restraint (niyama) in
Patanjali’s eightfold Yoga; the recitation of mantras (see also japa)

T

Tantra (“Loom”) — a type of Sanskrit work containing Tantric teachings;
the tradition of Tantrism, which focuses on the shakti side of spiritual life
and which originated in the early post-Christian era and achieved its
classical features around 1000 C.E.; Tantrism has a “right-hand” (dakshina)
or conservative and a “left-hand” (vama) or unconventional/antinomian branch,
with the latter utilizing, among other things, sexual rituals

Tapas (“glow/heat”) — austerity, penance, which is an ingredient of all yogic
approaches, since they all involve self-transcendence

Tattva (“thatness”) — a fact or reality; a particular category of existence such
as the ahamkara, buddhi, manas; the ultimate Reality (see also atman, brahman)

Turiya (“fourth”), also called cathurtha — the transcendental Reality, which
exceeds the three conventional states of consciousness, namely waking,
sleeping, and dreaming

U

Upanishad (“sitting near”) — a type of scripture representing the concluding
portion of the revealed literature of Hinduism, hence the designation Vedanta
for the teachings of these sacred works; cf. Aranyaka, Brahmana, Veda

Upaya (“means”) — in Buddhist Yoga, the practice of compassion (karuna); cf. prajna

V

Vairagya (“dispassion”) — the attitude of inner renunciation, the counterpole
to abhyasa; cf. samnyasa

Vasana (“trait”) — the concatenation of subliminal activators (samskara) deposited
in the depth of the mind where they exert a binding effect

Veda (“Knowledge”) — the body of sacred wisdom found in the four Vedic
hymnodies that form the source of Hinduism: Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda,
and Atharva-Veda; also the collective name for these hymnodies; cf. Vedanta

Vedanta (“Veda’s end”) — the teachings forming the doctrinal conclusion of the
revealed literature (shruti) of Hinduism; see also Upanishad; cf. Aranyaka,
Brahmana, Veda

Videha-mukti (“disembodied liberation”) — the state of liberation without a
physical or subtle body; cf. jivan-mukti

Vidya (“knowledge/wisdom”) — a synonym of prajna

Vijnana Bhikshu — a sixteenth-century Yoga master who authored several
works on Yoga, including the Yoga-Varttika (a comprehensive commentary
on the Yoga-Sutra) and Yoga-Sara-Samgraha (a summary of Raja-
Yoga as taught by Patanjali)

Vishnu (“Worker”) — the deity who is worshiped by the Vaishnavas and
who has had nine incarnations, including Rama and Krishna, with the tenth
incarnation (avatara)—Kalki—coming at the close of the kali-yuga

Viveka (“discernment) — a most important aspect of the yogic path

Vratya (from vrata “vow”) — a member of the sacred brotherhood in
Vedic times in whose circles early yogic practices were developed

Vritti (“whirl”) — in Patanjali’s yoga-darshana, specifically the five
types of mental activity: valid cognition (pramana), misconception
(viparyaya), imagination (vikalpa), sleep (nidra), and memory (smriti)

Vyasa (“Arranger”) — name of several great sages, but specifically
referring to Veda Vyasa, who arranged the Vedic hymnodies in their
current form and who also is attributed with the compilation of the Puranas,
the Mahabharata, and other works, including the Yoga-Bhashya commentary
on the Yoga-Sutra

Y

Yajna (“sacrifice”) — ritual sacrifice is fundamental to Hinduism; Yoga
also knows of an inner sacrifice (as accomplished through meditation
and self-surrender)

Yajnavalkya — the most renowned sage of the early Upanishadic era

Yama (“discipline”) — the first “limb” (anga) of Patanjali’s eightfold path,
comprising moral precepts that have universal validity (such as nonharming
and truthfulness); also the name of the Hindu deity of death

Yantra (“device”) — a geometric design representing the body of one’s
meditation deity, used for external and internal worship

Yoga (“union/discipline”) — the unitive discipline by which inner
freedom is sought; spiritual practice, as practiced in Hinduism, Buddhism,
and Jainism; the spiritual tradition specific to India; the specific school
of Patanjali (see ashta-anga-yoga)

Yoga-darshana (“Yoga view/system”) — Patanjali’s Raja-Yoga

Yoga-Sutra (“Aphorisms of Yoga”) — Patanjali’s aphoristic
compilation forming the source of Raja-Yoga, also called “Classical Yoga”

Yogin — a male practitioner of Yoga

Yogini — a female practitioner of Yoga

Yoni (“womb”) — the perineum or female genitals, but also the source of the
universe; cf. linga

Yuga (“age/era”) — a division of time; see kali-yuga

Ayurveda

Translation: Auy: “ life” or “daily living” and Veda: “knowing”

Definition: Ayurveda is the ancient science and are of living in balance
with nature. It means knowing how to live your life in a balanced way.
It is the sister science to yoga.

Asa na

Translation: “pose,” “posture,” or “comfortable seat”

Definition: Internal rhythm where we explore and expand our consciousness
through our postures. Each movement or expressions allows us to discover
more of our interior awareness. The asana is a marriage between mind and body.

“The asanas are useful maps to explore yourself, but they are not the territory.
The goal of asana practices is to live in your body and to learn to perceive
clearly through it.”

--Donna Farhi, from Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit

Chakras:

Translation:

Definition:There are seven inner energies that yogi believe are stimulated
through practicing.

Co re:

Your belly, entire spinal cord and all internal organs will undulate with every breath.
All six limbs (head, tail or coccyx, legs and arms) radiate and communicate
through the core.

Pranayama

Translation:

Definition: constant motion

Breath

Ujjayi

Translation: powerful breath

Definition: This is the pranayama technique where you very slightly close the vocal
cords off at the base of the throat. When done correctly, it sounds like the ocean
in a seashell. The sound is only for yourself to hear.

Vinyasa

Definition: meaning "breath-synchronized movement