YOGA DICTIONARY
ANUSARA YOGA
In 1997 John Friend, an American yoga teacher, started a modern school of Hatha yoga, Anusara, whose vision is grounded in a Non Dual Tantric philosophy. According to Anusara yoga, as stated in its website, everything in the world is an embodiment of a Supreme Consciousness, which pulsates with awareness and the highest bliss. The goal of Anusara yoga is to find the intrinsic goodness in every situation in order to respond appropriately to the present moment. Its methodology is based on the “Universal Principles of Alignment” applied to each yoga position and to sequences of poses. For more information www.anusarayoga.com.
ASANA
Yoga body posture.
ASHRAM
It is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery. A famous ashram in Rishikesh, India, is Parmath Niketan.
ASHTANGA YOGA
Ashtanga Yoga was codified by K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009), who created the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in 1948 in Mysore. As stated in the Institute website, Ashtanga Yoga is an ancient system of Yoga taught by Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta. Pattabhi Jois considered the main components of Ashtanga Yoga. 1) Vinyasa, the breathing and movement system, whose purpose is internal cleansing. For each movement, there is one breath. 2) Tristhana, the three elements that are essential for every yoga practice and they are always performed together (posture, breathing system, and gaze). These three components are connected to three levels of purification of the body, nervous system, and mind. 3) Six poisons that surround the spiritual heart (desire, anger, delusion, greed, envy, and sloth). “When yoga practice is sustained with great diligence and dedication over a long period of time, the heat generated from it burns away these poisons, and the light of our inner nature shines forth.” For more information http://kpjayi.org/.
AYURVEDA
Ayurveda means science or knowledge of life and it is an old medical system of natural healing originated in India more that 5,000 years ago. It provides guidelines on diet and behavior in order to help people stay vital and healthy. According to Ayurveda, human beings are part of nature and there are 5 elements that constitute everything within our bodies and outside of them: space, air, fire, water, and earth. In biological systems they combine into three primary body-mind principles, doshas. They are: Vata (space and air) and it regulates movement and change, Pitta (fire and water) and it governs digestion and metabolism, and Kapha (earth and water) and it maintains the integrity and structure of our body-mind system. Every person has a different proportion of the three doshas and this influences our nature.
BHAKTI YOGA
Bhakti yoga is based on devotion. It is a spiritual path, whose goals are love, faith, and surrender to God and the purification from jealousy, hatred, lust, anger, egoism, pride, and arrogance. It infuses joy, divine ecstasy, bliss, peace, and knowledge.
BIKRAM YOGA
Bikram Yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury from Hatha Yoga in the Seventies. It is a sequence of 26 postures that, according to its founder, can offer health and well being to all the internal organs, all the veins, all the ligaments, and all the muscles. The postures are practiced in heated yoga studios, because a heated body is more flexible and the sweat helps cleansing the body and purifying it from toxins. For more information www.bikramyoga.com.
CHAKRAS
The word chakra comes from the Sanskrit and it means “wheel”. The chakras are energy centers in our body in which energy, the life force called prana, flows through energy channels called nadiis. Both chakras and nadiis are part of the subtle and non-physical body. The chakras connect the body and the mind and any block in the flow of energy create physical and/or mental illness. The yoga scholar David Gordon White in his book, Kiss of the Yogini (p. 122), underlines that “there is no “standard” system of the chakras. Every school, sometimes every teacher within each school, has had their own chakra system.” Nevertheless, seven main chakras are recognized by Tantric traditions and, according to them, a mantra, a vibration or primordial sound is associated to each chakra and the repetition of this sound helps releasing the congested or blocked energy in that region.
1. Root Chakra, Muladhara. It is located in the tailbone area at the base of the spine and it represents our stability and foundation. It is connected to issues concerning food, money, and sense of belonging to a family or group. Its color is red and its mantra is LAM.
2. Sacral Chakra, Svadhisthana. It is located in lower abdomen below the navel, in the reproductive area, and it represents creativity, birth, our relationship to the others, openness to new experiences, tolerance, and acceptance. It is connected to issues concerning pleasure, sexuality, well-being, and new projects. Its color is red and its mantra is VAM.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra, Manipura. It is located in the stomach area, in the solar plexus, and it represents confidence and control. It is connected to issues concerning self esteem and self confidence. Its color is yellow and its mantra is RAM.
4. Heart Chakra, Anahata. It is located in the chest above the heart and it represents love, the ability to love, and compassion. It is connected to issues concerning love, happiness, and inner peace. Its color is green and its mantra is YAM.
5. Throat Chakra, Vishuddha. It is located in the throat and it represents our ability to communicate. It is connected to issues concerning communication and self-expression. Its color is blue and its mantra is HAM.
6. Third Eye Chakra, Ajna. It is located between the eyes in the forehead and it represents our ability to focus and the centre of our insight about life. It is connected to issues concerning decision making, imagination, intuition, and inner wisdom. Its color is indigo and its mantra is SHAM.
7. Crown Chakra, Sahaswara. It is located at the top of the head and it represents our ability to spiritually connect to a higher consciousness and we reach pure awareness. It is connected to issues concerning spirituality. It is also called the “Thousand Petaled Lotus” that opens when human beings experience enlightenment. Its color is violet and its mantra is AUM
GUNAS
The word guna from the Sanskrit means “string”. In Samkhya philosophy (one of the schools of Hindu philosophy), there are three gunas, principles or constituents of the universal nature or cosmic substance called Prakṛti. The gunas are responsible for processes of creation and evolution. They are sattva, rajas, and tamas. Sattva is connected to balance, order, purity, and creation, rajas to change, movement, dynamism, and preservation, while tamas to inertia, darkness, ignorance, and destruction.
HATHA YOGA
Hatha yoga focuses on yoga postures and their sequence in order to align the body, build physical and mental strength, and open the main channels so that the life energy can flow and we reach physical and mental health and balance. Prana, breath, is an important element to reach this goals and it accompanies all the asanas, postures.
IYENGAR YOGA
Iyengar Yoga is a development of Hatha Yoga created by B. K. S. Iyengar. Iyengar yoga focuses on alignment and precision of postures, asanas, and on breath, pranayama. It is based on the eight limbs of yoga explained by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras and it is composed by 200 yoga postures and around 14 types of pranayama. The use of such props as belts, blocks, and blankets, is welcome to help students perform the asanas and avoid any injury.
KIRTAN
It is a call-response chanting of hymns and mantras with instruments, typical of Indian bhakti traditions. In the United States there is a great wave of Kirtan represented by such singers as Govindas and Radha, Durga Das, Donna De Lory, Philippo Franchini, and Wah. For info about Kirtan in California http://bhaktiyogashala.com.
KUNDALINI YOGA
Kundalini Yoga is perfectly described in the homonymous 1935 treatise by Swami Sivananda Saraswati, founder of the Divine Life Society. It focuses on the awakening of Kundalini life force (located at the base of the spine and represented by a coiled-up snake) in our body-mind through a regular practice of yoga postures, pranayama, mantras, and chanting. This practice of Kundalini Yoga will awaken the sleeping Kundalini Shakti, the universal energy of consciousness, from its base through the six chakras to the crown chakra. For more information, Swami Sivananda Saraswati’s treatise Kundalini Yoga http://w_ww.dlshq.org/download/kundalini.htm#_VPID_31.
MALA
Mala is a Sanskrit word that means garland and it is a set of beads used in Hindu and Buddhist traditions to keep count when reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra. This practice is called in Sanskrit japa.
MANDALA
Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means circle. In Hinduism and Buddhism, it is a spiritual symbol composed by a square with four T shaped gates containing a circle with a center point. Mandalas represent the universe and, in different spiritual traditions, they are used as an aid for meditation.
MANTRA
It is a special and sacred sound, syllable, word, or formula used for meditation by various schools of Hinduism and Buddhism.
POWER YOGA
Power Yoga has its origin in Hatha Yoga with a focus on postures (asanas), sequences, breath (pranayama), and meditation. It developed in North America and it combines Hatha Yoga, or sometimes Ashtanga primary series, with Western civilization’s need for physical exercise. It is extremely popular and one of its founders is Bryan Kest with his Los Angeles yoga studios. For more info http://www.poweryoga.com
PRANAYAMA
Pranayama is a Sanskrit word that means “extension of the prana (life force)”. This practice of controlling the breath is essential in yoga practice in order to revitalize the body, calm and uplift the mind, and reach concentration and a state of meditation.
RESTORATIVE YOGA
Restorative yoga focuses on stress relief and physical and mental relaxation. It is a gentle form of yoga based on the use of props and inspired by B.K.S Iyengar’s teaching. One of Iyengar’s students, Judith Lasater, based in California, made it popular in the United States.
SHAKTI
Shakti is a Sanskrit word and it refers to the divine feminine creative power and to the cosmic and dynamic energy that moves the universe in Hinduism.
SHIVA
Shiva is a Hindu God and, with Brahma and Vishnu, one of the three gods responsible for creation, preservation, and destruction of the world. Bramha is the creator of the universe, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. This destruction in Hinduism is not negative, but constructive, since it prepares recreation and beneficial changes. Shivaism is a Hindu sect that worships Shiva as primary God.
TANTRA
Tantra is a belief system and a practice that originated in India and it is present in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It also used to refer to some esoteric religious texts in different Indian traditions. Tantra incorporates elements of different religions and numerous practices, some involving sexual activity. This doesn’t lead to an epicurean or libertine lifestyle, on the contrary. In Tantra sexual energy is an instrument to reach the union with the Divine. Tantra is difficult to define and, according to us, David Gordon White’s explanation of Tantra is one of the most enlightening: “Tantra is that Asian body of beliefs and practices which, working from the principle that the universe we experience is nothing other than the concrete manifestation of the divine energy of the godhead that creates and maintains that universe, seeks to ritually appropriate and channel that energy, within the human microcosm, in creative and emancipatory ways.” (Tantra in Practice, p. 9)
VINYASA FLOW
Vinyasa describes a dynamic and flowing yoga based on the connection between pranayama, breath, and asanas, postures. Transitions between postures are essential in order to create a flow.
YOGA SUTRAS
The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali are aphorisms that describe the world of yoga around 200 BCE. It is the foundation of the eight-limbed yoga, ashtanga (ashta= eight, anga= limb), and Raja Yoga and one of the most important yoga texts. The eight limbs are:
-Yama, universal morality or how we relate to the external world. They are: Ahimsa non violence, Satya commitment to the truth, Asteya non-stealing, Brahmacharya abstinence and sense control, Aparigraha non-possessiveness.
-Niyama, personal observances or how we relate to the inner world. They are: Sauca purity of body and mind, Santhosha contentment, Tapas disciplined use of our energy, Svadhyaya self study and observation, Isvarapranidhana celebration of the Spiritual within us and all.
-Asanas, body postures.
-Pranayama, breathing and control of life force energies, prana.
-Pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses.
-Dharana, concentration.
-Dhyana, meditation.
-Samadhi, union with the Divine.
ANUSARA YOGA
In 1997 John Friend, an American yoga teacher, started a modern school of Hatha yoga, Anusara, whose vision is grounded in a Non Dual Tantric philosophy. According to Anusara yoga, as stated in its website, everything in the world is an embodiment of a Supreme Consciousness, which pulsates with awareness and the highest bliss. The goal of Anusara yoga is to find the intrinsic goodness in every situation in order to respond appropriately to the present moment. Its methodology is based on the “Universal Principles of Alignment” applied to each yoga position and to sequences of poses. For more information www.anusarayoga.com.
ASANA
Yoga body posture.
ASHRAM
It is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery. A famous ashram in Rishikesh, India, is Parmath Niketan.
ASHTANGA YOGA
Ashtanga Yoga was codified by K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009), who created the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in 1948 in Mysore. As stated in the Institute website, Ashtanga Yoga is an ancient system of Yoga taught by Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta. Pattabhi Jois considered the main components of Ashtanga Yoga. 1) Vinyasa, the breathing and movement system, whose purpose is internal cleansing. For each movement, there is one breath. 2) Tristhana, the three elements that are essential for every yoga practice and they are always performed together (posture, breathing system, and gaze). These three components are connected to three levels of purification of the body, nervous system, and mind. 3) Six poisons that surround the spiritual heart (desire, anger, delusion, greed, envy, and sloth). “When yoga practice is sustained with great diligence and dedication over a long period of time, the heat generated from it burns away these poisons, and the light of our inner nature shines forth.” For more information http://kpjayi.org/.
AYURVEDA
Ayurveda means science or knowledge of life and it is an old medical system of natural healing originated in India more that 5,000 years ago. It provides guidelines on diet and behavior in order to help people stay vital and healthy. According to Ayurveda, human beings are part of nature and there are 5 elements that constitute everything within our bodies and outside of them: space, air, fire, water, and earth. In biological systems they combine into three primary body-mind principles, doshas. They are: Vata (space and air) and it regulates movement and change, Pitta (fire and water) and it governs digestion and metabolism, and Kapha (earth and water) and it maintains the integrity and structure of our body-mind system. Every person has a different proportion of the three doshas and this influences our nature.
BHAKTI YOGA
Bhakti yoga is based on devotion. It is a spiritual path, whose goals are love, faith, and surrender to God and the purification from jealousy, hatred, lust, anger, egoism, pride, and arrogance. It infuses joy, divine ecstasy, bliss, peace, and knowledge.
BIKRAM YOGA
Bikram Yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury from Hatha Yoga in the Seventies. It is a sequence of 26 postures that, according to its founder, can offer health and well being to all the internal organs, all the veins, all the ligaments, and all the muscles. The postures are practiced in heated yoga studios, because a heated body is more flexible and the sweat helps cleansing the body and purifying it from toxins. For more information www.bikramyoga.com.
CHAKRAS
The word chakra comes from the Sanskrit and it means “wheel”. The chakras are energy centers in our body in which energy, the life force called prana, flows through energy channels called nadiis. Both chakras and nadiis are part of the subtle and non-physical body. The chakras connect the body and the mind and any block in the flow of energy create physical and/or mental illness. The yoga scholar David Gordon White in his book, Kiss of the Yogini (p. 122), underlines that “there is no “standard” system of the chakras. Every school, sometimes every teacher within each school, has had their own chakra system.” Nevertheless, seven main chakras are recognized by Tantric traditions and, according to them, a mantra, a vibration or primordial sound is associated to each chakra and the repetition of this sound helps releasing the congested or blocked energy in that region.
1. Root Chakra, Muladhara. It is located in the tailbone area at the base of the spine and it represents our stability and foundation. It is connected to issues concerning food, money, and sense of belonging to a family or group. Its color is red and its mantra is LAM.
2. Sacral Chakra, Svadhisthana. It is located in lower abdomen below the navel, in the reproductive area, and it represents creativity, birth, our relationship to the others, openness to new experiences, tolerance, and acceptance. It is connected to issues concerning pleasure, sexuality, well-being, and new projects. Its color is red and its mantra is VAM.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra, Manipura. It is located in the stomach area, in the solar plexus, and it represents confidence and control. It is connected to issues concerning self esteem and self confidence. Its color is yellow and its mantra is RAM.
4. Heart Chakra, Anahata. It is located in the chest above the heart and it represents love, the ability to love, and compassion. It is connected to issues concerning love, happiness, and inner peace. Its color is green and its mantra is YAM.
5. Throat Chakra, Vishuddha. It is located in the throat and it represents our ability to communicate. It is connected to issues concerning communication and self-expression. Its color is blue and its mantra is HAM.
6. Third Eye Chakra, Ajna. It is located between the eyes in the forehead and it represents our ability to focus and the centre of our insight about life. It is connected to issues concerning decision making, imagination, intuition, and inner wisdom. Its color is indigo and its mantra is SHAM.
7. Crown Chakra, Sahaswara. It is located at the top of the head and it represents our ability to spiritually connect to a higher consciousness and we reach pure awareness. It is connected to issues concerning spirituality. It is also called the “Thousand Petaled Lotus” that opens when human beings experience enlightenment. Its color is violet and its mantra is AUM
GUNAS
The word guna from the Sanskrit means “string”. In Samkhya philosophy (one of the schools of Hindu philosophy), there are three gunas, principles or constituents of the universal nature or cosmic substance called Prakṛti. The gunas are responsible for processes of creation and evolution. They are sattva, rajas, and tamas. Sattva is connected to balance, order, purity, and creation, rajas to change, movement, dynamism, and preservation, while tamas to inertia, darkness, ignorance, and destruction.
HATHA YOGA
Hatha yoga focuses on yoga postures and their sequence in order to align the body, build physical and mental strength, and open the main channels so that the life energy can flow and we reach physical and mental health and balance. Prana, breath, is an important element to reach this goals and it accompanies all the asanas, postures.
IYENGAR YOGA
Iyengar Yoga is a development of Hatha Yoga created by B. K. S. Iyengar. Iyengar yoga focuses on alignment and precision of postures, asanas, and on breath, pranayama. It is based on the eight limbs of yoga explained by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras and it is composed by 200 yoga postures and around 14 types of pranayama. The use of such props as belts, blocks, and blankets, is welcome to help students perform the asanas and avoid any injury.
KIRTAN
It is a call-response chanting of hymns and mantras with instruments, typical of Indian bhakti traditions. In the United States there is a great wave of Kirtan represented by such singers as Govindas and Radha, Durga Das, Donna De Lory, Philippo Franchini, and Wah. For info about Kirtan in California http://bhaktiyogashala.com.
KUNDALINI YOGA
Kundalini Yoga is perfectly described in the homonymous 1935 treatise by Swami Sivananda Saraswati, founder of the Divine Life Society. It focuses on the awakening of Kundalini life force (located at the base of the spine and represented by a coiled-up snake) in our body-mind through a regular practice of yoga postures, pranayama, mantras, and chanting. This practice of Kundalini Yoga will awaken the sleeping Kundalini Shakti, the universal energy of consciousness, from its base through the six chakras to the crown chakra. For more information, Swami Sivananda Saraswati’s treatise Kundalini Yoga http://w_ww.dlshq.org/download/kundalini.htm#_VPID_31.
MALA
Mala is a Sanskrit word that means garland and it is a set of beads used in Hindu and Buddhist traditions to keep count when reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra. This practice is called in Sanskrit japa.
MANDALA
Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means circle. In Hinduism and Buddhism, it is a spiritual symbol composed by a square with four T shaped gates containing a circle with a center point. Mandalas represent the universe and, in different spiritual traditions, they are used as an aid for meditation.
MANTRA
It is a special and sacred sound, syllable, word, or formula used for meditation by various schools of Hinduism and Buddhism.
POWER YOGA
Power Yoga has its origin in Hatha Yoga with a focus on postures (asanas), sequences, breath (pranayama), and meditation. It developed in North America and it combines Hatha Yoga, or sometimes Ashtanga primary series, with Western civilization’s need for physical exercise. It is extremely popular and one of its founders is Bryan Kest with his Los Angeles yoga studios. For more info http://www.poweryoga.com
PRANAYAMA
Pranayama is a Sanskrit word that means “extension of the prana (life force)”. This practice of controlling the breath is essential in yoga practice in order to revitalize the body, calm and uplift the mind, and reach concentration and a state of meditation.
RESTORATIVE YOGA
Restorative yoga focuses on stress relief and physical and mental relaxation. It is a gentle form of yoga based on the use of props and inspired by B.K.S Iyengar’s teaching. One of Iyengar’s students, Judith Lasater, based in California, made it popular in the United States.
SHAKTI
Shakti is a Sanskrit word and it refers to the divine feminine creative power and to the cosmic and dynamic energy that moves the universe in Hinduism.
SHIVA
Shiva is a Hindu God and, with Brahma and Vishnu, one of the three gods responsible for creation, preservation, and destruction of the world. Bramha is the creator of the universe, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. This destruction in Hinduism is not negative, but constructive, since it prepares recreation and beneficial changes. Shivaism is a Hindu sect that worships Shiva as primary God.
TANTRA
Tantra is a belief system and a practice that originated in India and it is present in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It also used to refer to some esoteric religious texts in different Indian traditions. Tantra incorporates elements of different religions and numerous practices, some involving sexual activity. This doesn’t lead to an epicurean or libertine lifestyle, on the contrary. In Tantra sexual energy is an instrument to reach the union with the Divine. Tantra is difficult to define and, according to us, David Gordon White’s explanation of Tantra is one of the most enlightening: “Tantra is that Asian body of beliefs and practices which, working from the principle that the universe we experience is nothing other than the concrete manifestation of the divine energy of the godhead that creates and maintains that universe, seeks to ritually appropriate and channel that energy, within the human microcosm, in creative and emancipatory ways.” (Tantra in Practice, p. 9)
VINYASA FLOW
Vinyasa describes a dynamic and flowing yoga based on the connection between pranayama, breath, and asanas, postures. Transitions between postures are essential in order to create a flow.
YOGA SUTRAS
The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali are aphorisms that describe the world of yoga around 200 BCE. It is the foundation of the eight-limbed yoga, ashtanga (ashta= eight, anga= limb), and Raja Yoga and one of the most important yoga texts. The eight limbs are:
-Yama, universal morality or how we relate to the external world. They are: Ahimsa non violence, Satya commitment to the truth, Asteya non-stealing, Brahmacharya abstinence and sense control, Aparigraha non-possessiveness.
-Niyama, personal observances or how we relate to the inner world. They are: Sauca purity of body and mind, Santhosha contentment, Tapas disciplined use of our energy, Svadhyaya self study and observation, Isvarapranidhana celebration of the Spiritual within us and all.
-Asanas, body postures.
-Pranayama, breathing and control of life force energies, prana.
-Pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses.
-Dharana, concentration.
-Dhyana, meditation.
-Samadhi, union with the Divine.
