Philosophy · 67 pages
Yoga philosophy, in plain English
The words you hear in a yoga class have a history. These pages explain what they mean, where they come from, and how they show up in a practice today.
All philosophy
Ahimsa meaning: non-harming, the first yamaAnjali mudra, the gesture of joined palmsAparigraha, non-graspingAshtanga yogaAtman, the selfAyurveda and its relation to yogaBandhas, the locks of hatha yogaBhakti yogaBrahmacharya, the fourth yamaBrahman, the ground of everythingChakrasDharma: order, duty and teachingGuru meaningGyan mudra and anjali mudraHatha yogaHistory of yogaJnana yogaKarma yogaKarma: action, intention and resultKundalini and Kundalini yogaKundalini awakening in the yoga traditionMandala meaningMaya meaningMoksha vs nirvana, comparedMoksha, liberationMudraNamaste: the greeting, word by wordNirvana meaningOm mani padme humOm namah shivaya, the five-syllable mantraOm shanti om meaningOm: the syllable, the symbol and the chantPatanjali, author of the Yoga SutrasPrana, breath and lifePranayamaRaja yogaSamadhi, the eighth limbSamsara meaningSamskara meaningSanskrit yoga glossaryShala meaningShanti and om shantiTantra yogaThe Bhagavad Gita and yogaThe crown chakra, or sahasraraThe doshas in AyurvedaThe eight limbs of yogaThe five koshasThe four noble truthsThe Gayatri mantraThe heart chakra, AnahataThe lotus symbol and what it meansThe number 108 in yogaThe root chakra, MuladharaThe sacral chakra, SvadhisthanaThe solar plexus chakra, ManipuraThe third eye, or ajnaThe three gunas of natureThe throat chakra, or vishuddhaThe UpanishadsThe Yoga Sutras of PatanjaliTypes of yogaWhat a mantra isWhat is yoga?Yamas and niyamasYoga quotes from two classical textsZen meaning