GLOSSARY

ABHYANTARA KUMBHAKA Internal breath retention.

ABHYASA Constant and determined spiritual practice.

ADHAM PRANAYAMA Abdominal breathing.

ADHIBHAUTIKA Pain caused by other beings (including wild animals and insects).

ADHIDAIVIKA Pain or suffering caused by natural forces (by sound, air, fire, water, earth or by planetary forces).

ADHYAM PRANAYAMA Upper or clavicular breathing.

ADHYATMIKA Pain within oneself (physical, mental and emotional).

AGAMI KARMAS The actions which are being done in this present life and will bear fruits in a future life.

AGNI SARA DHAUTI Fire purification (purifies the nadis).

AHAM ‘I am’.

AHAMKARA Ego; identifying faculty.

AHAT NADA All external or ‘struck’ sounds such as musical instruments played.

AHIMSA Non-violence, non-injury, non-harming.

AJAPA-JAPA The spontaneous and automatic repetition of a mantra, without conscious effort.

ALABDHA BHUMIKATVA Unsuccessful in gaining a firm ground in yoga.

ALAMBANA Objective support; dependent on.

ALASYA Sloth; lethargy.

AMRITA Nectar.

ANAHATA CHAKRA The centre of consciousness at the heart.

ANAHATA NADA All sounds which do not have any external source or ‘unstruck’ sound.

ANANDA Joy, bliss.

ANANDA-SANANDA SAMADHI In this samadhi concentration on objects, both gross and subtle, ceases. The mind is absorbed in its own inner joy; ecstasy.

ANANDAMAYA KOSHA The bliss sheath. It is the cause of both the subtle and gross bodies.

ANAVASTHITATTVA Instability; unsteadiness of mind.

ANGA A limb or part of the body.

ANNAMAYA KOSHA The food sheath. The physical sheath of the gross body.

ANTAHKARANA Literally means ‘inner instrument’; inner organ of consciousness.

ANTAR Inner, internal.

ANTAR DHAUTI Internal washing of the digestive tract.

ANULOMA-VILOMA Classical pranayama; Alternate nostril breathing; purifies the subtle nerves and calms the mind.

APANA One of the five major vayus; functions in the region of the navel to the feet.

APARIGRAHA Non-attachment; non-greed.

ARDHA-PADMASANA Half-lotus pose.

ASAMPRAJNATA SAMADHI Also known as nir-bija samadhi, ‘without support’ or ‘seedless’ and nirodha samadhi — total control and final cessation of mental fluctuations (vrittis).

ASANA posture; A posture that brings steadiness to the body and calmness to the mind.

ASHTANGA YOGA (ashta ‘eight’; anga ‘limb’) The eight-fold path. The system described by the sage, Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.

ASHWINI MUDRA Horse mudra; contraction of the anal sphincter muscles.

ASMITA I-am-ness; the sense of ‘I’.

ASTA Eight.

ASTEYA Non-stealing.

ATMA Self, the eternal, individual soul.

ATMAN Self, soul.

AUM The sacred primordial sound ‘om’ is the root of all mantras; the orgin of all sounds and contains all sounds; emanating from the Holy Ghost.

AUM-TAT-SAT Aum, the creative sound vibration word-symbol for God; Tat the cosmic intelligence of spirit or the Christ consciousness, Sat, truth.

AVATAR (literally, ‘one who descends’) A plenary or partial incaranation of God who appears in the world to carry out a particular divine mission.

AVIRATI Attachment to sense-pleasure.

BAHYA KUMBHAKA External breath retention.

BAHYA-VISAYA External object.

BANDHA Lock.

BASTI Colon cleansing (water enema).

BHADRASANA Nobility pose.

BHAGAVAD GITA ‘The Song of the Lord’, name of a scripture consisting of 18 chapters from the Mahabharata epic. It is a dialogue between Lord Krishna and his disciple Arjuna.

BHAKTI YOGA (bhaj to serve, love, worship) The path of love and devotion.

BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA Bellows breath. Like a bellows used by a blacksmith in a furnace, where the air is forcibly drawn in and out.

BHRAMARI Humming Bee breath; produces the sound of a bee.

BHRANTI-DARSHANA Distorted vision; philosophical confusion; delusion.

BIJA Seed.

BIJA MANTRA A mystical seed-syllable sound.

BRAHMA God the creator.

BRAHMACHARYA Purity, non-sensuality.

BRAHMA-SUTRAS Ancient Vedic scriptures.

BRAHMAMUHURTA ‘The hour of God’. The auspicious hours of meditation, between 4.00 am and 6.00 am.

BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD Vedic scripture, which is the oldest of the Upanishads (800 BC).

BUDDHI Intellect; discriminating faculty.

CHACKSHU DHAUTI Cleaning the eyes.

CHAKRAS (‘wheels’) The seven subtle centres of consciousness, situated in the subtle spine (sushumna) in the astral body; Revolving vortices of energy.

CHANDRA Moon.

CIT Pure consciousness.

CITTA Field of consciousness (mind-intellect-ego).

DANTA DHAUTI Cleaning the teeth.

DEVADATHA Minor prana: controls yawning.

DEVAS Gods.

DHANANJAYA Minor prana: controls the decomposition of the body after death.

DHANURASANA The bow pose.

DHARANA Concentration of the mind's attention to one particular point. From the word dhri (‘to hold firm’).

DHARMA-MEGHA SAMADHI The final state of samprajnata samadhi; dharma means ‘virtue’ and megha means ‘rain cloud’. The samadhi of the rain cloud of virtue.

DHATU One of the seven basic tissues of the body.

DHYANA Meditation.

DOHANA Milking the tongue.

DOSHAS The three basic types of biological energy which determine individual constitution: vata, pitta and kapha.

DUHKHA Pain, grief and sorrow.

DVESHA Disapproval.

EKA One.

EKAGRATA (One-pointed) attention.

GHERANDA SAMHITA One of the main ancient texts on Hatha Yoga by Yogi Gheranda.

GOMUKHASANA Cow's-head pose.

GORAKSHA SAMHITA Classical treatise on Hatha Yoga by Yogi Gorakhnath (11th century).

GRANTHI Knot.

GUNA Qualities of nature: sattva, rajas and tamas.

GURU Spiritual Master.

HALASANA Plough pose.

HATHA Hatha consists of two letters: Ha (sun) and tha (moon).

HATHA YOGA A system of purifying techniques and yoga postures to control the mind through control of prana. Hatha Yoga prepares the student for Raja Yoga. It promotes good health, giving control over the body and mind.

HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA 15th-century treatise on the practice of Hatha Yoga by Svatmarama

HONG SAU Kriya mantra for developing deep concentration (‘I am He’).

HRID DHAUTI Cleaning the throat.

IDA One of the main nadis (subtle nerve channels) on the left side of sushumna; associated with cool moon.

ISVARAPRANIDHANA Surrender of oneself to God.

JAGRAT Waking state of consciousness.

JALANDHARA BANDHA Chin lock. Jala means ‘net’ or ‘network’. In the neck there is a network of nerves and arteries. Dhara means ‘pulling upwards’.

JAPA Repetition; repetition of a mantra.

JIVANMUKTA ‘Freed while living’; liberated soul.

JNANA YOGA (jna ‘to know’) The path of wisdom.

KALPA Time.

KANDA Junction of sushumna and muladhara chakra. From here the nadis distribute the prana all over the body; a knot.

KAPALABHATI Frontal brain purification (kapala means ‘skull’ and bhati means ‘shine’).

KARIKARA Minor prana: controls sneezing and induces hunger and thirst.

KARMA (kri ‘to do, to act’) Action; former actions which will lead to certain results in a cause/effect relationship.

KARMA YOGA The path of selfless action.

KARNA DHAUTI Cleaning the ears.

KATI CHAKRASANA Waist-rotating pose.

KECHARI MUDRA Tongue lock; Kha means akasha (‘space’) and chari means ‘to move’, so kechari mudra means ‘moving-in-space position’.

KEVAL KUMBHAKA Spontaneous suspension of the breath.

KIRTAN Devotional chanting.

KLESHA Pain, suffering.

KLISHTA Painful.

KOSHAS ‘sheaths’.

KRIPA Grace.

KRISHNA The eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu; ‘all-attractive’; ‘black’ or ‘the Dark One’. Krishna revealed the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.

KRIYA YOGA (kri ‘to do, to act’) Union with God through a certain action or rite. Kriya Yoga was revived in this age by the great Himalayan Yogi, Mahavatar Babaji.

KUMBHAK Retention of breath.

KUNDALINI The coiled-up, dormant, cosmic energy. The kundalini, which gives power and energy to all the chakras, lies at the muladhara chakra (base of spine).

KUNJAL KRIYA Upper digestive tract cleansing.

KURMA minor prana: controls the function of opening the eyelids and causes vision.

LAYA Dissolution; absorption of the mind.

LIKHITA JAPA Writing a mantra.

LOMA PRANAYAMA Three-part equal-breath ratio.

MADHYAM PRANAYAMA Middle or intercostal breathing.

MAHA MUDRA The great seal.

MAHA VEDHA MUDRA Great piercing mudra.

MAHARSI A great sage.

MAHASAMADHI the final superconscious meditation, in which a perfected Spiritual Master departs consciously from the physical body in Divine union with God.

MALA A garland.

MANAS Mind; recording faculty.

MANASIKA JAPA Repeating a mantra mentally.

MANIPURA CHAKRA The centre of consciousness at the level of the navel.

MANOMAYA KOSHA The mental sheath. It is more subtle than the vital pranic sheath.

MANTRA From manas (‘mind’) and tri (‘to cross over’) Mantra liberates the consciousness, it helps one to cross over the sea of the uncontrolled and conditioned mind.

MANTRAS Sound-syllables that have a spiritual vibratory potency.

MATSYASANA Fish pose.

MAYA Illusion, the power which makes form appear as reality; ‘that which is not’.

MULABANDHA Anal lock.

MULADHARA CHAKRA The centre of consciousness at the base of the spine, where kundalini resides.

MURCHA PRANAYAMA The fainting pranayama, induces calm and tranquillity to the mind.

NABHO MUDRA Sky mudra.

NADA Inner sound.

NADI SHUDDHI Subtle nerve purifying pranayama. This pranayama is also known as anuloma-viloma when the addition of breath retention is used.

NADIS Subtle nerve channels, through which energy flows in the subtle body.

NAGA Minor prana: controls the function of belching and hiccoughing; gives rise to consciousness.

NAGA PRANAYAMA A pranayama for purifying the skin.

NARADA SUTRAS The philosophy of love and devotion by the ancient holy sage, Narada.

NAULI Abdominal massage; contracting and isolating the rectus abdominal muscles.

NAULI KRIYA Intestinal wash.

NETI Nasal cleansing.

NIDRA Sleep; yoga nidra means ‘psychic sleep of the yogis’.

NIRALAMBANA No objective support in meditation.

NIRBIKALPA SAMADHI Timeless samadhi, it is not subject to change. This is the highest stage of samadhi.

NIRGUNA Formless.

NIRVICHARA SAMADHI Samadhi without subtle thought.

NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI Samadhi in which the duality of subject and object is completely transcended.

NIRVITARKA SAMADHI Samadhi without a gross thought.

NIRVITARKA SAMAPATTI At this stage of samadhi there is no word-object-idea from memory superimposed upon the physical object of concentration.

NIYAMA Five individual ethical observances of yoga.

OJAS Vitality, energy.

PADADIRASANA Breath-balancing pose.

PADANGUSTHASANA Toe-balance pose.

PADMASANA Lotus pose.

PARAMHANSA ‘Supreme Swan’; Param means ‘great’ or ‘supreme’. Hansa means ‘swan’. Symbolizes spiritual discrimination.

PATANJALI The ancient illumined author of the Yoga Sutras.

PINGALA One of the main nadis (subtle nerve channels) on the right side of the sushumna; associated with heat; sun.

PRAKRITI Supreme Matter; nature.

PRAMADA Carelessness; negligence.

PRANA Life-force, vital energy.

PRANAMAYA KOSHA The vital or etheric sheath; pranic body.

PRANAVA The sacred syllable aum (om).

PRANAYAMA Control of the life-energy through the breath.

PRARABDHA KARMAS The actions which have given the present life and have already started to bear fruit.

PRATYAHARA Interiorization of the mind, by reversing the senses’ outward attention from external objects, to their source within.

PURAK Inhalation.

PURANAS Ancient Vedic scriptures that contain hundreds of thousands of verses.

PURUSHA Supreme Spirit.

RAGA Approval.

RAJA YOGA (raja ‘royal’) The royal path; the yoga path of meditation.

RAJASIC (RAJAS) The mode of passion and desire.

RAMANA MAHARSHI A great spiritual teacher of India (1879–1950). At the age of 17 he attained a profound experience of the true Self without the guidance of a guru.

RECHAK Exhalation.

RUDRA Shiva as Destroyer.

SABIKALPA SAMADHI ‘Subject to time’; In this samadhi, some duality of subject and object remains.

SADHANA Path of spiritual discipline.

SAGUNA With form.

SAH He (the universal Spirit).

SAHASRARA The centre of consciousness located at the top of the head. The crown chakra; the thousand-petalled lotus.

SAMADHI Superconsciousness; absorption. Samadhi is attained when the meditator, the process of meditation and the object of meditation become one. Union with God.

SAMADHI Superconsciousness; absorption.

SAMANA One of the five major vayus; functions between the heart and navel.

SAMAPATTI Attainment of a state of consciousness.

SAMATA Equanimity, or equal-mindedness.

SAMITA SAMADHI In this samadhi the self is devoid of ego. The self dwells in the self.

SAMPATTI Perfection; fulfilment.

SAMPRAJNATA SAMADHI Lower samadhi also known as sa-bija samadhi, ‘with support’ or ‘with seed’. The samadhi of wisdom.

SAMSHAYA Doubt.

SAMSKARAS Deep mental impressions produced by past experiences; dormant impressions of our past lives.

SANCHITA KARMAS The actions that have accumulated in several previous lifetimes.

SANTOSHA Contentment.

SARVANGASANA Shoulder stand.

SAT Being, pure Truth.

SATCIDANANDA Pure being — pure consciousness — absolute bliss.

SATSANGA Association with spiritually orientated people.

SATTVIC (SATTVA) The mode of goodness, purity — the highest of the three gunas.

SATYA Truth, truthfulness.

SAUCHA Cleanliness, purity.

SAVICHARA SAMADHI Samadhi with subtle thought.

SAVIKALPA SAMADHI Samadhi in which some duality of subject and object remains.

SAVITARKA SAMADHI The lowest samadhi; samadhi with gross thought.

SAVITRE PRANAYAMA The difference between savitre and savitri pranayamas is that the breathing ratio is reversed in savitre.

SAVITRI PRANAYAMA The rhythmic breath; harmonizing; uses a four-part breath ratio.

SHAKTI The power and energy of consciousness.

SHANKHAPRAKSHALANA (also known as varisara dhauti) Shank meaning ‘conch shell’, which has convolutions resembling the intestines; prakshalana meaning ‘to wash thoroughly’. Complete cleansing of the entire digestive and eliminative systems.

SHANTI Perfect peace, tranquillity.

SHAT KRIYAS Internal purification techniques.

SHATKARMAS Cleansing technique.

SHIVA Auspicious, the third deity of the Hindu Trinity, Shiva the Destroyer, who brings about the destruction of the ego.

SHIVA SAMHITA Classical treatise on Hatha Yoga (late 17th century).

SHUNYA Vacuum or void.

SIDDHA Perfected being.

SIDDHA YONI ASANA The female accomplished pose.

SIDDHASANA Perfect pose; adept's pose; accomplished pose.

SIDDHI Psychic power.

SIRSHASANA Headstand.

SITALI A pranayama that cools the body system.

SITKARI A pranayama that cools the body system.

SMRITI Memory.

SOHAM The natural mantric sound of the breath.

SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM Bhagavata Purana, the most popular of the 18 Puranas are scriptures of the bhakti (devotion) path.

STYANA Mental laziness; procrastination.

SUKHASANA The easy pose.

SUKSMA SARIRA Subtle body.

SUKYA PRANAYAMA Pleasant breath.

SUMERU Mount Meru.

SURYA BHEDA Surya (‘sun’); bheda (‘to pierce’). Surya bheda pranayama activates the solar, right nostril.

SUSHUMNA The central channel or nadi of the subtle body, which the kundalini ascends through.

SUSHUPTI Dreamless sleep.

SUTRA Thread; an aphorism.

SUTRA NETI Nasal cleansing with string.

SVADHISHTHANA CHAKRA The centre of consciousness at the level of the genitals.

SVADHYAYA Self-study.

SWAMI ‘Master of the senses’, one who is awakened to the self within (swa).

SWAPNA Dream state of consciousness.

SWARA YOGA The science of the flow of prana.

SWASTIKASANA The auspicious pose.

TAMASIC (TAMAS) The mode of ignorance, inertia — the lowest of the three gunas.

TANTRIC YOGA Expression of consciousness; a spiritual path that expands the consciousness using mantras, ritual, meditation, workshop of the Goddess and her Lord Shiva. Tantra's basic principle is shakti (female power).

TAPAS Austerity; heat; inner fire.

TATTVA Elements; five states of energy matter (ether, air, fire, water, earth).

TIRYAKA BHUJANGASANA Twisting cobra pose.

TRATAK Gazing with concentration at an object.

TRI Three.

TRIDOSHA The three doshas — vata (air/ether), pitta (fire/water), kapha (water/earth). Govern all the functions of the body, mind and consciousness.

UDANA One of the five major vayus; functions in the body above the larynx and the top of the head.

UDARAKARSHANASANA Stomach-squeezing pose.

UDDIYANA BANDHA Abdominal lock.

UJJAYI PRANAYAMA The Sanskrit prefix ud means ‘to raise upwards’. Jaya means ‘victorious’. Pranayama in which the glottis of the throat is slightly contracted to produce continuous hissing sound.

UPANISHAD A division of Vedic literature, consisting of 108 metaphysical texts.

UPANSU JAPA Whispering a mantra.

VAIKHARI JAPA Speaking or chanting a mantra aloud.

VAIRAGYA Detachment; freedom from wordly desires; dispassion.

VAJRA NADI Psychic channel.

VAJRASANA Thunderbolt pose.

VAJROLI MUDRA The thunderbolt mudra.

VAMANA DHAUTI Upper digestive tract cleansing.

VASTRA DHAUTI Internal cleansing of digestive tract using a strip of finely woven muslin cloth, one metre long.

VAYU Air.

VIBHAGA PRANAYAMA Sectional breathing.

VIBHUTI PADA Third part of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali which goes into the properties of yoga and the art of integration through concentration, meditation and samadhi.

VICHARA Subtle thought; contemplation.

VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA The intelligent sheath.

VIKALPA Imagination.

VILOMA PRANAYAMA Inverse breathing.

VIPAREET KARANI MUDRA Reverse posture mudra.

VIRYASTAMBHANASANA Semen-retention pose.

VISHNU ‘The all-pervading one’. ‘The Preserver’; Vishnu descends to earth in the form of a divine incarnation, such as Krishna and Buddha.

VISHNU MUDRA Hand mudra used in alternate nostril breathing.

VISHUDDHI CHAKRA The centre of consciousness at the level of the throat.

VITARKA Gross thought.

VRITTIS Thought waves; modifications of the mind-field.

VYADHI Disease.

VYANA One of the five major vayus; functions throughout the whole body.

YAMA Five ethical disciplines of yoga.

YOGA (yuj ‘to unite’) spiritual union; a path to Self-realization.

YOGA MUDRA Yogic seal.

YOGANANDA PARAMHANSA A great spiritual Master (avatar) born in India, 1893. He left his body in mahasamadhi in 1952. Yogananda brought Kriya Yoga to the West.

YOGI One who practises yoga.

YONI MUDRA Yoni means ‘the womb’ and mudra means ‘seal’.