Yoga: a part of the American health pursuit for decades

As you continue your journey of discovery in yoga, you will no doubt come across some unfamiliar terms, whether from your yoga instructor, classmates, or in books and magazines you may have read on the subject. Some terms may refer to yoga postures or movements, or may refer to specific yoga concepts.

Don’t panic if you don’t know them. Like many special practices, yoga comes with unique terms that become familiar to yoga enthusiasts on their journey. Many of the terms (if not all) are of Hindu origin and can be difficult to understand (or even pronounce) at first. But as your yoga journey continues, these words and others will become clear and relevant to your life.

Below are some terms that you may come across in the yoga studio. This list, of course, is by no means complete, but it could provide a useful overview of yoga concepts.

Abhyasa means “practice” and refers to the constant practice of spiritual yoga.

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

Ananda is the state of supreme bliss and bliss. It is named after one of the most devoted followers of the Buddha.

Asana is the name of the actual yoga poses, which are designed to promote a sense of well-being and harmony in 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 doctors around the world, many Western doctors consider it an alternative medicine.

Bhakti Yoga, or the “yoga of devotion”, is an important branch of yoga that focuses on forming a devotion to a personal form of God. Within Bhakti, there are three schools: Shaivism, Shaktism, and Vaishnavism.

Bodhi means “awakening” or “enlightenment” and is the state of the awakened Buddha.

Buddha is the title given to a person who has achieved enlightenment and maximum inner peace. Is it the honorary title of the founder of Buddhism, Gautama?

Chakra means “wheel” and refers to the psycho-energy centers of the body. Buddhist yoga holds that there are five chakras in the human body, while Hindu yoga practitioners believe that there may be seven or more.

Diksha is an initiation process that is given to those who gain insight into the hidden aspects of yoga. It can include the presentation of a mantra given by a guru of Buddhism, Hinduism, or Chaimism.

Goraksha was the founder of hatha yoga and was its first teacher. These days the name is also applied to a person who has reached a higher level of yoga practice and has mastered some of the more difficult hatha yoga postures and practices.

Guru is a counselor and spiritual teacher.

Guru-Yoga is a yoga theory that places the guru at the center of a yoga practitioner’s learning process.

Hatha Yoga is one of the main branches of yoga that stands out for its combination of postures, 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 a branch of yoga that focuses on gaining knowledge and wisdom. The practice focuses on four distinct paths: the development of a discriminating mind, the ability to remain dispassionate when necessary, virtue, and freedom from earthly ties.

Kaivalya is the ultimate goal of yoga, to be free from the material limitations of the world and “isolated”. People in a state of kaivalya are aware of everything around them, but they have the ability to stay out of it.

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

Kundalini-shakti is the lowest psychoenergetic center in the body and is the key to total enlightenment. To activate the kundalini-shakti, the practitioner must awaken it and direct it upward to the crown.

Laya Yoga is a tantric yoga process in which the energy from various psycho-energy centers of the body gradually dissolves.

Mandala is a circular design that is created as a representation of the cosmos and is often used in meditation techniques.

Mantra means a sound or phrase that is sacred and has the power to induce a meditative state when chanted. Mantras are sounds or phrases, such as “om” or “hum”, that are chanted. They are usually given to a student before undergoing a disksha.

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

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

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

Nyasa is the ability to fill certain areas of the body with “life force” simply by touching or thinking of the areas.

Om is a phrase that is often referred to as the original mantra and is considered the “ultimate reality”.

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

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

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

Samadhi is the unity of body and mind that is achieved through meditation. In this, the highest level of meditation, the mind awake, asleep and dreaming, work in harmony.

Samatva refers to balance and harmony in the mind.

Sat refers to the “ultimate reality”.

Siddhi is somehow related to Sat in the sense that it refers to spiritual perfection and the attainment of a state of ultimate reality.

Sushumna-nadi is the central area of ​​life force in the body. It begins at the base of the spine and extends to the ravens 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 human spirit in harmony with human experience and is the focus of a great deal of meditation.

Upaya refers to the practice of compassion in the teachings of Buddhist yoga.

Veerasana, also known as the “hero pose”, is considered an essential pose for concentration and discriminating thinking.

Yoga is the practice of harmonizing the state of body and mind, individual and universal consciousness. Join opposing states within the body to reach a higher state of consciousness.

WoYoPracMo refers to World Yoga Practice Month, a period when yoga practitioners, both veteran and new, promise to practice yoga every day for an entire month. Many yoga studios offer special rates and sessions during this month, and yoga practitioners help each other with motivation and support.