Sanskrit Words for Yoga Teachers (Adapted from Nicolai Bachman s The Language of Yoga )

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1 Sanskrit Words for Yoga Teachers (Adapted from Nicolai Bachman s The Language of Yoga ) Animals baka crane bheka frog bhujaṅga serpent cakora partridge garuḍa eagle go cow gorakṣa cowherder, one who tends cows haṃsa swan kāka - crow kapota pigeon krauñca heron kukkuṭa rooster kūrma tortoise makara sea animal like crocodile matsya fish mayūra peacock nakra crocodile śalabha locust śaśa rabbit siṃha lion śvāna dog tittibha firefly uṣṭra camel vātāyana - horse vṛścika scorpion Aṣṭāṅga (eight-limbs of yoga) yama - social ethics "restraints" niyama - personal ethics "internal restraints" āsana - posture, sitting prāṇāyāma - breath regulation pratyāhāra - internalization of the senses, "drawing back" dhāraṇā - focus, concentration dhyāna - maintaining a focus, meditation samādhi - complete absorption Bandhas jālandhara-bandha throat lock net support mūla-bandha root lock uḍḍīyāna-bandha rising up lock

2 Body Parts aṅga - limb aṅguṣṭha - big toe, thumb bhuja - arm gaṇḍa - cheek garbha - womb hanu - jaw hasta - hand jānu - knee jaṭhara - stomach karṇa - ear mukha - face pāda - foot, leg śīrṣa - head Cakras mūlādhāra - base of the spine, "root-support" svādhiṣthāna - sacrum/reproductive area, "self-established" maṇipūra - navel area, "filled with jewels" anāhata - heart area, "unstruck" viśuddha - throat area, "purified" ājñā - between the eyebrows, command, will, "enhanced knowledge" sahasrāra - crown of the head, "one thousand-spoked" Directions/Positions adho - downward parivartana - revolving parivṛtta - revolved pārśva - side paścima - back, behind, west prasārita - spread pūrva - front, east sthiti - standing tiryaṅ - oblique upaviṣta - seated ūrdhva - upward utthita - extended uttāna - out-stretching viparīta - inverted Numbers eka - one dvi - two tri - three catur - four pañca - five ṣaṭ - six sapta - seven aṣṭa/aṣṭau - eight nava - nine daśa - ten ekādaśa - eleven dvādaśa - twelve trayodaśa - thirteen chaturdaśa - fourteen pañcadaśa - fifteen ṣodaśa - sixteen sapatadaśa - seventeen aṣṭadaśa - eighteen navadaśa - nineteen ekonaviṃśati - nineteen vimśati - twenty

3 General Terms abhyāsa - practice, focus advaita - non-duality principle agni - fire principle ānanda - joyfulness ātman - soul, self āyurveda - science of life/longevity baddha - bound bandha - a binding, lock bhakti - devotion bhāvana - intention, attitude bhūmi - earth buddhi - intellect, reason, decision-making aspect of the citta cakra - energy center of the subtle body candra - moon cikitsā - treatment, therapy cit - pure consciousness citta - conditioned consciousness daṇḍa - staff, pole deva - God, male deity devī - Goddess, female deity dhanur - bow dharma - religion, law, duty, virtue, that which upholds dṛṣṭi - view duḥkha - pain, suffering "bad space" ekāgratā one-pointedness guru - teacher guṇa - attribute, quality haṭha - force, joining of sun (ha) and moon (ṭha) hṛdaya - heart iḍā - left nāḍī (feminine, lunar) indriya - sense organ (eye, ear, nose, tongue, skin) īśvara - personal God jīvātman individual-self enshrined in the human body jñana - knowledge, insight kanda - knot karma - action, effect of past actions karuṇā compassion kīrtana telling, praising kleśa - affliction koṇa - angle kriyā - action, work kuṇḍalinī - energy which moves up the body through the suṣumnā nāḍī "having a coil"

4 laghu light-weight liṅga phallic symbol of Ṡiva, subtle body, mark mālā - garland, necklace maṇḍala - circle mantra - sacred sound mokśa - liberation, freedom mudrā - seal, gesture mūla - root, foundation muni sage nāḍī - channel through which energy travels nāga - snake nātha yogic lineage namaskāra - a very respectful greeting namaste - a greeting "salutations to you" nidrā - deep, dreamless sleep, fourth vṛtti nirodha - still, restraint, thinning out, cessation nirvāṇa extinguishing, liberated from existence, without wind or blown out ojas strength of prāṇa, subtle energy of the immune system padma lotus paramātman higher-self, supreme-self pariṇāma - transformation, change paripūrṇa - entire piṅgalā - right nāḍī (masculine, solar) prakṛti - manifest world, nature, one's genetic constitution prāṇa - breath, energy puja worshipful celebration puruṣa - witnessing consciousness unaffected by the material world rāja - king rajas - guṇa of activity rūpa - form śakti - power, ability, energy sama - equal, same saṃsāra - perpetual cycle of birth and death saṃskāra - acquired subliminal impressions, habits samyama - complete control (of the mind); the last three limbs of yoga śanti - peace, calmness sarva - all sattva - guṇa of light, intelligence, purity siddha accomplished siddhi power, accomplishment soma yogic nectar, sacred juice, moon sthira - stable sukha - pleasurable, comfortable "good space" śūnya empty, zero, void

5 śūnyatā - emptiness sūrya - sun suṣumnā - central nāḍī near the spinal cord sūtra - thread, aphorism svarūpa - one's own true nature "own-form" tamas - guṇa of dullness, inertia tantra - technique usually involving mantra, yantra and deities, especially the Goddess tapas - a practice causing change, "heat" tejas brilliance and heat of prāṇa, fire ubhaya - both upaniṣad - texts compiled after the Vedas encapsulating their wisdom, "sitting close and beneath" vāc - speech vairāgya - non-attached awareness vajra - hard, diamond, thunderbolt vāsanā - innate predisposition, tendency, trait vastu object, design, science of placing objects vāyu wind veda knowledge, name of ancient Indian scriptures vedānta - philosophy of Vedic thought encapsulated in the Upaniṣads viniyoga - application of yoga vinyāsa - flowing sequence, arrangement vīrya strength, virility viṣaya object of the senses vrtti - fluctuation, activity, "a turning" yantra - visual geometrical pattern yoga - union, concentration, relationship

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