Yoga Terminology

I've really been getting into my yoga practices.  Mostly, I believe because I'm trying to not only deepen my practice, but enhance my life through mantras.  (More on that another time.)  Something I'm also trying is to get more involved in things that I'm interested in.  For example, I enjoy yoga.  But, in the past, if someone had asked me to tell them about yoga and practice, I would have told them, "Well... I do a 30 minute at home practice a couple of days a week?"  I think I can go deeper in life, relationships, my thoughts, and my interests.  Hence... I looked up the history of yoga and some common yoga terms that I should be familiar with. 

Asanas ("seat") (ah-sahn-ah) : Physical postures of yoga.

Chakra: energy center; the basic system has seven chakras (root, sacrum, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown), each of which is associated with a color, element, syllable, significance, etc.

Dharma: truth; the teachings of the Buddha; the path of truth

Mudra (moo-drah) : A seal. Positions of the body that have an influence on the energies of the body, or mood. Mostly the hands and fingers are held in a mudra.

This term refers to the hand gestures used in yoga. This word is often combined with other words in order to create a full image of the desired hand gesture. For example, anjali mudra, is the term used to indicate the gesture of placing the palms together and at your heart.

Namaste (Nah-mah-stay): Commonly said at the end of yoga class by the instructor and the students. 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.  Or, “the divine essence in me recognizes the divine essence in you.” It is common to hold the hands together in front of the heart (anjali mudra) while saying this greeting.

Prana (Prah-nah) : life energy; chi; qi

Pranayama (Prah-nah-yah-mah) : Breath awareness to facilitate inner stillness and awareness.  

Savasana (Sah-vah-sahnah) : Final relaxation; literally translated as "corpse pose."

Ujjayi (ooo-jay-ee) (a.k.a as Hissing Breath, Victorious Breath): A type of pranayama in which the lungs are fully expanded and the chest is puffed out; most often used in association with yoga poses, especially in the vinyasa style.

Vinyasa (Vihn-yah-sah): Vinyasa literally means to place in a special way. In a yoga class, it refers to the linking of movement with breath through a series of postures.

Yogi/Yogini (Yo-gee or Yo-gee-nee) : a male/female practitioner of yoga.