Gain More Insight Into Yoga By Understanding The Terms

As you get deeper into the practice of yoga, you might find yourself coming across terms that you are not familiar with, whether they're used by your instructor, members of your class, or in books or magazines you might read. Some might concern certain yoga-related moves while other may describe yoga concepts.

Don’t panic if they are unfamiliar to you. Like many special practices, yoga comes with its unique terms that become familiar to yoga enthusiasts during their journey. Many of the terms (if not all) are Hindu in origin and might be difficult to grasp (or even pronounce) at first. But as you continue your yoga journey, these words and others will become clear and relevant to your life.

Below are a few terms related to the practice of yoga that you might find helpful. While this is list is by no means complete, it can serve as a good overview for the ideas and concepts contained in yoga.

Abhyasa means "practice" and refers to the constant spiritual yoga practice.

Acarlya refers to a instructor or guide, primarily one in religious areas, but it is also used in yoga.

Ananda is the state of bliss and ultimate joy. It is named after one of the most famous and devout followers of the Buddha.

Asana is the name of the actual poses in yoga, which are designed to promote a sense of well being and harmony of the mind and body. There are numerous asanas that promote different types of flexibility or mental relaxation.

Ayurveda is an Indian medical system that has a long tradition in the country. Despite the millions of practitioners worldwide, it is looked at as an alternative medicine by many doctors in the West.

Bhakti Yoga is known as the "yoga of devotion" and is a major branch of yoga that encourages the participant to devote themselves to a personal form of God. There are three schools within Bhakti: Shaktism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism.

Bodhi is the Indian word for "enlightenment" or "awakening" and is regarded as the awakened state Buddha.

Buddha is the title given to a person who has attained enlightenment and ultimate inner peace. The title has been bestowed upon the founder of Buddhism, Gautama.

Chakra means “wheel” and refers to the psycho-energy centers on the body. Buddhism yoga maintains there are five chakras on the human body, while Hindu yoga practitioners believe there may be seven or more.

Diksha is the initiation process that gives insight into the hidden aspects of yoga, which may include being given a mantra by a guru of Hinduism, Buddhism or Jaimism.

Goraksha was the founder of hatha yoga and was its first teacher. Today, the term also refers to someone who has reached the upper levels of yoga and mastered the more challenging poses and movements.

Guru is an advisory and spiritual teacher.

Guru-Yoga is the yoga theory that positions the guru as the center of a yoga student's learning process.

Hatha Yoga is one of the major branches of yoga that is highlighted by its combination of poses, body cleansing practices and breathing exercises.

Ishvara-pranidhana teaches practitioners to focus on restraint, self-control and dedication to their spiritual side.

Jnana-Yoga is the branch of yoga concerned with wisdom and knowledge. The practice focuses on four distinct paths: development of a discriminating mind, the skill to remain dispassionate when needed, virtue and freedom from earthly bonds.

Kaivalya is the ultimate goal of yoga, to be free of the material constraints of the world and “isolated”. It is said that people in a kaivalya state are away of their surroundings but possess the ability to distance themselves from them.

Karma refers to an action of any kind and its subsequent effect on one’s life. Karma concerns the entire cycle of life, the causes and effects.

Krishna is the human form of the god Vishnu, whose teachings form the basis of the practice of Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavate-Purana.

Kumbhaka is a breathing exercise in which the lungs are filled with air. The practice is generally done while meditating or chanting.

Kundalini-shakti is the lowest psycho-energy center (or chakra) on the body and is regarded as the key to full enlightenment. To employ the kundalini-shakti, it must be awakened and guided upward to the center of the crown of the head.

Laya Yoga is a Tantric yoga practice whereby the energy contained in several psycho-energy (chakra) centers is slowly dissolved.

Mandala refers to a circular design that represents the cosmos and is used in meditation.

Mantra means a sound or phrase that is sacred and has the power to induce a meditative state when chanted. Mantras can be sounds or phrases such as “om” or “hum”. Mantras are usually bestowed during a disksha.

Mantra-Yoga is yoga where a mantra is the primary means of meditation and path to enlightenment.

Marman is the area on the body where much of the physical energy is either concentrated or compressed and blocked.

Nada is an inner body sound that practitioners of nada yoga or kundalini yoga say can be heard during the practice. Nada is the key to meditation and concentration.

Nyasa refers to the ability to fill areas of the body with "life force" by merely concentrating on the areas.

Om is considered the original mantra and is symbolic of the “ultimate reality”.

Prana is the "life force" or "life breath" that yoga practitioners believe exists in all life on earth.

Prasada is a state of pure grace and mental clarity that is often achieved through meditation.

Recaka is a term uses in connection with meditative breathing and refers to the exhalation of breath and the control of the breath.

Samadhi is the unity of body and mind that is achieved through meditation. It is the highest level of meditation where the waking, dreaming and sleeping mind are all one.

Samatva refers to balance and harmony in the mind.

Sat is the “ultimate reality”.

Siddhi is somewhat related to Sat in that it refers to spiritual perfection and reaching a state of ultimate reality.

Sushumna-nadi is the central life force area in the human body. It begins at the base of the spine and extends to the crows of the head.

Turiya is a state of consciousness that goes beyond the most common states of walking, sleeping and dreaming. It is often described as the spirit engaging in the human experience and is the object of much meditation.

Upaya is the practice of compassion in Buddhist yoga.

Veerasana, additionally referred to as the "hero's pose", is regarded as an essential pose for concentration and discriminative thinking.

Yoga is the practice of bringing into harmony the state of the body and mind, individual and universal consciousness. It unites opposing states within the body to reach a higher state of awareness.

WoYoPracMo refers to World Yoga Practice Month, a period in which yoga practitioners, both veteran and new, vow to practice yoga every day for an entire month. During this month, many yoga studios offer special rates and yoga students assist each other with support and motivation.

By: Linda Adams

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Linda Adams really loves all things that have to do with health. One of the very best yoga blogs Linda has found is Kamloops Yoga Instructors, which is a distinctive combination of yoga and exercise. You can also have a look at Yoga Can Cure Your Insomnia regarding yoga and health related activities.