As a yoga teacher I am asked what some common phrases mean. You might encounter these yoga terms in classes or in yoga books or articles. Here are my explanations:
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Asana | Physical postures or poses practiced in yoga. |
| Bandha | A “lock” where muscles are restricted in certain parts of the body to redirect energy flow. |
| Bikram Yoga | A style of hot yoga with a fixed sequence of 26 poses. |
| Chakra | Energy centers within the body. |
| Dhyana | Meditation or deep contemplation. |
| Drishti | A point of focus or gaze during yoga poses. |
| Hatha Yoga | Yoga branch emphasizing physical postures and breath control. |
| Iyengar Yoga | Yoga emphasizing precise alignment and use of props. |
| Kundalini | Yoga focused on awakening dormant energy for spiritual enlightenment. |
| Mantra | A word, sound, or phrase repeated for concentration. |
| Meditation | Practice of focused attention for mental clarity. |
| Mudra | Hand gestures influencing energy flow. |
| Namaste | A respectful greeting, meaning “I bow to the divine within you.” |
| Niyama | Personal observances in yoga philosophy. |
| Pranayama | Breath control techniques to regulate life energy (prana). |
| Pratyahara | Withdrawing your senses to turn inward. |
| Sankalpa | “Sankalpa” is similar to “intention”, except the term “Sankalpa” comes from Sanskirt and means “an intention formed by the heart and mind”. Yoga class and meditation can help you realize your heartfelt Sankalpa. Sankalpa can be thought of as putting to words your truest nature and best self and as a way of strengthening your understanding and clarity who you are. |
| Sanskrit | The ancient language from which many yoga terms are derived. |
| Savasana | Corpse Pose; relaxation pose at the end of a session. |
| Set Your Intention | An intention in yoga is a focus, such as a few words that describe a positive affirmation and what is important to you. When you focus on the positive you are more likely to go in that positive direction. |
| Sun Salutations | A sequence of yoga postures for warm up which typically contain some variation of the following postures, in order: 1. Standing Forward fold (Uttanasana) (as you exhale) 2. Standing Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana) (as you inhale) 3. Plank Pose (As you exhale, then take another inhale – option to drop knees here) 4. Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana) (as you exhale) 5. Upward-Facing Dog Pose (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) (as you inhale) 6. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) (as you exhale) 7. Look forward (as you inhale) 8. Step to stop of your mat (as you exhale) 9. Mountain pose with arms overhead (Urdhva Hastasana) (as you inhale) 10. Mountain pose (Tadasana) (as you exhale) |
| Surya Namaskar | Sun Salutation – a sequence of poses used as a warm-up. |
| Ujjayi Breath | Breathing technique with an audible sound used in Vinyasa yoga. |
| Vinyasa | An active style of yoga, “Vinyasa Yoga”, which involves movement with breath. The teacher is typically cueing not only movement with yoga postures, but also breath inhales and exhales. In vinyasa yoga classes the postures are not a fixed sequence, and classes can vary depending upon the teacher and specific class. Sometimes during yoga class, a teacher may cue you to “take your vinyasa” – usually that means make your way to Downward Facing Dog via the Sun Salutation steps below (or if you prefer, you can skip it and go right to Downward Facing Dog). |
| Yama | Ethical guidelines in yoga philosophy. |
| Yoga Nidra | A guided meditation technique for deep relaxation. There is typically no movement there is primarily an internal focus rather than external/physical focus. |
Yoga Phrases to Enhance your Practice
Here are some phrases I’ve heard in class or I’ve used myself in teaching
“add expansiveness to the heart center“
Nice for heart opening in camel, bridge or wheel pose.
“full movement of your breath and energy along the front of the body“
These words could apply to any posture where you are emphasizing unblocking energy allowing full energy flow along your front line, examples are camel, bridge or wheel postures.
Want to learn more about chakra’s and energy flow? Check out this post about your subtle body and yoga.
