Whatever fitness lifestyle you take up, you need to learn the lingo. Whether it is bodybuilding, aerobics or running, a degree of familiarity with the terminology can help you fit in better. If yoga is what interests you, it can be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the terminology used before you get to even your first class. The yoga language tends to be more difficult than many others – it draws from Sanskrit, after all. If you’re interested in learning to speak the yoga language, here’s a short primer on the vocabulary.
1. Namaste
Namaste is a simple greeting used in northern India – a word that people use to greet one another each day. In yoga, it has deeper connotations. Used at several points during the average yoga class, it is meant as a greeting from one soul to another.
2. The Chakra
Chakra is the Sanskrit word for wheel. In yoga, the body is seen to have seven chakras – energy hubs that spread energy across the body. If you have a blocked chakra, your mental or physical health is seen to suffer. One of the aims of yoga is to ensure that the body’s chakras spin evenly, spreading energy where it is needed.
3. The Third Eye
The third eye is an important concept in Hindu culture – Shiva, one of the most important gods in Hinduism, possesses a third eye on the forehead. This eye is seen as the source of all the creative and destructive energy in the world. In yoga, teachers often refer to the third eye when they need to tell you to concentrate on the spot right between your eyebrows. The third eye is an important chakra in yoga.
4. Asana
The term asana, in Sanskrit, simply means pose. Every yoga pose or asana has a different Sanskrit name. The classic, cross-legged meditative pose is called the Padmasana. This is also known as the Lotus pose. The Shavasana, or literally corpse pose, is usually the last pose in any yoga class. It has you lying down still, absorbing all that you’ve learned during the class. Classic yoga teaches 87 different asanas.
5. Pranayama
The pranayama is a controlled kind of breathing, an important energy-directing exercise in yoga. In the yoga system, Pran, or life force, can be extended through breathing in specific ways. Yoga teaches many kinds of controlled breathing – Ujjayi Pranayama or ocean breathing, Sama Vriddhi Pranayama or balanced breathing, Agni Pranayama or fire breathing and so on.
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6. Mudra
In yoga, a mudra is a hand pose. It is to the hands what an asana is to the body. Different mudras are seen to help direct vital energy to different parts of the body. For instance, the Agni mudra has you directing energy to your digestive system. The Prithvi mudra helps direct energy to your heart and improves your circulation.
7. Om
The term Om is central to Hinduism. Any time you are asked to meditate in a yoga class, you will usually be asked to gently repeat this sound. The mantra is used to help you concentrate and to center your mind.
You’ll come across many other terms as you go along. The seven terms listed here, though, should see you through your first several weeks as a practitioner of yoga.
