Basic Yoga Glossary: English Translations of Sanskrit Words

The popularity of the ancient practice of yoga has taken hold in the modern Western world. A few years ago you might have thought it strange if a friend told you that they were going to take a yoga class, but now most people understand yoga to be a philosophy, or an approach to life that seeks to unite body, mind and spirit.

If you are new to yoga and want to begin taking classes, but you are just a little bit nervous because you don't know as much as you think you should about yoga, or you've been to class and you keep hearing these foreign phrases being used and you want to know what they mean, read on.

All of the names of yoga poses and concepts come from Sanskrit, the ancient classical literary language of India. The sacred texts of yoga are also in Sanskrit, and have been translated into modern English and other languages.

Here are a few common Sanskrit phrases that you will hear being bandied about when you take a yoga class:

Asanas: A series of postures or poses that make up the Hatha yoga practice designed to prepare the mind and body for meditation.

Chakra: The seven sacred energy centers in the body that store and release life force vital energy (prana)

Namaste: A traditional Indian greeting meaning: "I bow and honor the divine presence in you." One presses hands palms together near the heart and then gently bows the head towards the person they are greeting.

pranayama: Control of the breath. These are the breathing exercises which are essential to the practice of yoga.

Yogi: Refers to someone who practices yoga, or one who has mastered yoga and then teaches it.

Yogini: Refers to a female yogi

The following are some useful web sites where you can find exhaustive glossaries of other Sanskrit words that you may encounter and want to know the English words for:

http://www.yogaexpo.com/glossary.htm

http://www.healthandyoga.com/yogaglossary.html

Here are some classic yoga books that have information that will be useful for the new yoga student, and for those who wish to delve deeper into the practice of yoga.

Autobiography of a Yogi

By Paramhansa Yogananda

(read it online here: http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/contents.html)

Light on Yoga

By B.K.S. Iyengar

The Heart of Yoga

T.K.V. Desikachar

Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses

By Dharma Mittra

Taking yoga classes can be both fun and challenging. On the surface, yoga is a great way to simply relax and relieve stress. But if you are interested in delving deeper and learning about the body, mind, and spiritual aspects of yoga there is much to learn, and the process can be exciting and fascinating.

Some people might initially believe that yoga is just about stretching and twisting your body into challenging poses, but that is really just one aspect of a fascinating philosophy and approach to life that can take many lifetimes to fully master. Learning what the ancient Sanskrit words means is the first step to gaining a deeper understanding of yoga and all that it has to offer.