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Adho-mukha
Downward facing.
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Adho-mukha svanasana
Downward facing dog pose.
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Anga
The body; a limb or a part of the body; a constituent part.
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Asana
Physical posture or pose; The third stage of yoga.
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Astanga Yoga
The eight limbs of Yoga described by Patanjali.
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Aum
Like the Latin word ‘Omne’, the Sanskrit word ‘Aum’ means ‘all’ and conveys concepts of ‘Omniscience’, ‘Omnipresence’ and ‘Omnipotence’.
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Baddha
Bound, caught, restrained, firm.
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Bakasana
Crow; elbow balancing pose.
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Bandha
A bond or lock; it means a posture where certain organs or parts of the body are contracted and controlled.
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Bhakti
Worship, adoration.
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Bhuja
The arm or the shoulder.
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Bhujanga
A serpent, a snake.
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Chakra
Literally, a wheel or circle. Energy (prana) is said to flow in the human body through three main channels (nadis), namely, Susumna, Pingala and Ida. Susumna is situated inside the spinal column. Pingala and Ida start respectively from the right and left nostrils, move up to the crown of the head and course downwards to the base of the spine. These two nadis intersect with each other and also the Susumna. These junctions of the nadis are known as chakras or the fly-wheels which regulate the body mechanism.
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Chaturanga
Crocodile; four limbs; a push-up position a few inches off the ground.
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Chitta
The mind in its total or collective sense, being composed of three categories: (a) Mind, having the faculty of attention, selection and rejection; (b) Reason, the decisive state which determines the distinction between things and (c) Ego, the I-maker.
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Dharana
Concentration or complete attention. The sixth limb or stage of Yoga mentioned by Patanjali.
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Dhyana
The seventh limb or stage of Yoga mentioned by Patanjali.
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Drisht
A point of focus or gazing point.
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Dwi-pada
Two feet or legs.
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Eka
One, single, alone, only.
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Gu
First syllable in the word ‘Guru’, meaning darkness.
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Gunas
Three forces of nature; Satva, a positive creating nature or influence; Ragas, a negative or destructive nature or influence; Tamas, the influence or nature of things to stay the same.
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Guru
A guide who brings one from darkness to lightness; one who removes spiritual doubt.
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Ha
First syllable of the word ‘Hatha’, which is composed of the syllables ‘ha’ meaning the sun, and ‘tha’ meaning the moon. The object of Hatha-yoga is to balance the flow of solar and lunar energy in the human system.
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Hatha-yoga
The way towards realization through rigorous physical discipline.
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Jnana
Sacred knowledge derived from meditation on the higher truths of religion and philosophy, which teaches a man how to understand his own nature.
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Karma-yoga
The achievement of union with the Supreme Universal Soul through action.
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Kriya
Process; anything you can do that brings one to a state of union, yoga.
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Kundalini
The Kundalini (kundala=coil of a rope; Kundalini=a coiled female serpent) is the divine cosmic energy. This force or energy is symbolised as a coiled and sleeping serpent lying dormant in the lowest nerve centre at the base of the spinal column, the Muladhara-chakra. This latent energy has to be aroused and made to ascend the main spinal channel, the Susumna piercing the chakras right up to the Sahasrara, the thousand-petalled lotus in the head. Then the Yogi is in union with the Supreme Universal Soul.
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Mantra
A sacred word, thought or sound.
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Namaste
Commonly said at the end of yoga class by the instructor and the students.
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One beautiful interpretation: I honor that place in you where the whole Universe resides. And when I am in that place in me and you are in that place in you, there is only one of us.
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Niyama
Self-purification by discipline. The second stage of yoga mentioned by Patanjali.
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Pada
The foot or leg; also part of a book.
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Paripurna
Entire, complete.
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Parivrtta
Revolved or rotated; to twist.
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Parivrtta Trikonasana
Revolved or rotated triangle pose.
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Paschima
West; the back side of the body.
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Paschimottana
Intense stretch of the back side of the body from the nape to the heels.
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Paschimottanasana
Seated forward bend.
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Patanjali
The author of the yoga sutras. The propounder of Astanga yoga. He put it on paper, so the world could experience it.
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Pida
Pain, suffering, pressure.
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Prajna
Intelligence, wisdom.
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Prana
Breath, respiration, life, vitality, wind, energy, strength. It also connotes the soul.
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Pranayama
Rhythmic control of the breath. The fourth stage of yoga.
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Pratyahara
A withdrawal from the senses; the body and mind to a focused place within; the self. The fifth stage of yoga.
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Purva
East, the front of the body.
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Purvottana
Intense stretch of the front side of the body.
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Raja-yoga
The achievement of union with the Supreme Universal Spirit, by becoming the ruler of one’s own mind by defeating its enemies.
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The chief of these enemies are: Kama (passion or lust), krodha (anger or wrath), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (pride) and matsara (jealousy or envy). The eight-fold yoga of Patanjali shows the royal road (raja-marga) for achieving this objective.
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Ru
The second syllable in the word ‘guru’, meaning light.
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Samadhi
The eighth limb or stage of Yoga mentioned by Patanjali; a state in which all thought has completed itself. The divine state. A state in which one experiences union with the universal source.
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Samasthiti
Standing in attention.
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Samyana
The meditative process as described by Patanjali involving different states of awareness; the sixth, seventh, and eighth limbs or stages of yoga, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi, together are commonly referred to as Samyana.
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Sarvangasana
Shoulder stand.
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Sava
A corpse, a dead body.
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Setu-bandha
The construction of a bridge. Name of an asana in which the body is arched.
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Setu-bandhasana
Bridge pose.
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Siddha
A sage, seer or prophet; also a semi-divine being of great purity and holiness.
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Sukha
A lightness of being; easy.
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Supta
Sleeping; supine or laying back.
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Supta Virasana
Supine hero pose.
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Tadasana
Mountain pose; standing tall.
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Tan
To stretch, extend, lengthen out.
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Tapas
Burning away impurities through self-discipline.
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Tha
The second syllable of the word ‘hatha’. The first syllable ‘ha’ stands for the sun, while the second syllable ‘tha’ stands for the moon. The union of these two is Hatha-yoga.
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Trikonasana
Triangle pose.
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Ujjayi
A type of pranayama in which the lungs are fully expanded and the chest is puffed out.
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Urdhva
Up or upwards; to raise or elevate.
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Urdhva-mukha
Upward facing.
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Ut
A particle, denoting intensity.
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Utkatasana
Chair or awkward pose.
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Uttana
An intense stretch.
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Uttanasana
Intense standing forward bend.
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Vajra
A thunderbolt, the weapon of Indra.
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Vasistha
A celebrated sage, author of several Vedic hymns.
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Vinyasa
Flow; a physical or energy flow.
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Virabhadra
A powerful warrior created out of Siva’s matted hair.
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Virabhadrasana I
Warrior I pose.
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Virabhadrasana II
Warrior II pose.
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Virabhadrasana III
Warrior III pose.
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Yama
The god of death. Yama ia also the first of Patanjalis eight limbs or stages of yoga.
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Yamas are universal moral commandments or ethical disciplines transcending creeds, countries, age and time. The five mentioned by Patanjali are:
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non-violence, truth, non-stealing, continence and non-coveting.
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Yogi or Yogini
One who follows the path to union.
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