Learn the Terms Used in Yoga to Gain More Understanding

Don't panic if they are unfamiliar to you. Like many activities, yoga has its own set of terms unique to the practice that become familiar to yoga enthusiasts as the years go on. Many of the terms used in yoga are Hindu in origin and may be hard to grasp upon first hearing them. But the deeper one gets into the practice of yoga, the words will become familiar and relevant.

Below are a few terms related to the practice of yoga that you might find helpful. This list is, of course, in no ways a complete one, but it might provide a useful overview of the concepts of yoga.

Abhyasa simply means "practice", as in the regular and constant spiritual practice of yoga.

Acarya is a guide or an instructor, usually in religious matters, but can also apply in yoga.

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

Asana is the name of the physical poses in yoga designed to promote and maintain the yoga practitioner's sense of well being, both physical and mental. Different asanas are specifically designed to promote flexibility and/or mental peace.

Ayurveda is an Indian study of medicine that has a long tradition. While it has many practitioners around the world, it is considered an "alternative medicine" by many Western doctors.

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. 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 attained enlightenment and ultimate inner peace. The title has been bestowed upon the founder of Buddhism, Gautama.

Chakra, which means "wheel", refers to the various psycho-energy areas on the body. In Buddhism yoga, there are five chakras on the body, while Hindu yoga there may be seven chakras or more.

Diksha is an initiation process given to those who gain insight into the hidden aspects of yoga. It may include the presentation of a mantra given by a guru of Buddhism, Hinduism 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 a theory in yoga that placed the guru at the center of a yoga practitioner'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 focuses on self-control, restraint and a dedication to the spirit.

Jnana-Yoga is a branch of yoga that focuses on obtaining knowledge and wisdom. Jnana-yoga focuses on four paths: developing a discriminating mind, the ability to remain dispassionate when necessary, virtue and freedom from the limits of the earth.

Kaivalya refers to the ultimate goal of yoga: to be free of material constraints and possess the ability to remained "isolated" from them. 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 in the body and is 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 process in which the energy of several psycho-energy centers of the body is gradually dissolved.

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

Mantra is a phrase or sound that holds a sacred place in the life of a yoga practitioner when seeking to achieve a meditative state Mantras are sounds or phrases, such as "om" or "hum" that are chanted. 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 an area on the body where a great deal of physical energy is concentrated or blocked.

Nada is a sound contained within the body that practitioners of nata or kundalini yoga say is heard during meditation. 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 refers to a state of mental clarity and pure grace that is reached 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, a term that is related to "sat", refers to spiritual perfection and 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 that seeks to bring harmony in the body and mind, as well as individual and universal harmony. Yoga seeks to unite these opposing states in the body to attain a higher level 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.

Linda Adams loves all things health and fitness related.

One of the leading health websites Linda has found is Yoga Classes Kamloops, which is a extraordinary mix of yoga and exercise.

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