Are you nervous to begin your first yoga class about whether you will understand your teacher? Or do you keep on forgetting the meaning of those few yogi words? We got you.
Here is our yoga lingo for beginners. Feel free to ask us any questions about it in class.
1. Yoga
– to ‘yoke’ or ‘bind’ – often interpreted as ‘union’ (the union of breath, body and mind).
2. Asana
– literally translates as ‘seat’ – but the more modern interpretation of the word denotes physical postures or poses.
3. Bandha
– internal muscular ‘locks’ that, when engaged, support the toning and lifting of strategic areas of the body. The 3 major bandhas are:
- Mula Bandha – the pelvic floor muscles
- Uddiyana Bandha – the abdominals up to the diaphragm
- Jalandhara Bandha – the throat
4. Chakra
– meaning ‘wheel’ – energy centres in the body located between the base of the spine and the top of the head.
We have seven – Sanskrit names are in brackets
- the root – (Muladhara); base of the spine
- the sacral (Svadhisthana) – lower abdomen
- solar plexus (Manipura) – upper abdomen
- heart (Anahata) – centre of the chest
- throat (Vishuddha) – throat area
- third eye (Ajna) – forehead, between the eyebrows
- crown (Sahasrara) – the very top of the head
5. Drishti
– focal point of gazing during meditation or yoga practice (useful during balancing poses!)
6. Mantra
– a word, sound or phrase repeated either out loud (chanting) or in the mind – said to increase concentration while meditating.
7. Namaste
– roughly meaning ‘the light within me bows to the light within you’ and generally said at the end of a yoga class, bowing the head with palms pressed together at the heart.
8. Om
– (A-U-M) – a mantra usually chanted at the beginning and end of yoga classes. Om is a tiny word with a multitude of meanings – said to be the origin of all sounds and the seed of creation. Often quoted as the “universal sound of consciousness”.
9. Prana
– life energy; life force.
10. Shanti
– meaning ‘peace’ – sometimes chanted in class.
Source:
https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/practice/yoga-lingo-for-beginners
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