Yoga Vocabulary

Yoga instructors often name drop Sanskrit terms during practice.  Don’t worry, the English terms are always used to avoid confusion.

What is sanskrit?  Sanskrit (meaning “cultured or refined”), the classical language of Hinduism, is the oldest and the most systematic language in the world.

There are thousands of sanskrit yoga terms.  Here are a few that you will hear from time to time:

Yoga – Union, communion, join, connect, balance.

Namaste – is a common spoken greeting originating from India. It is commonly accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest. Its meaning is “The Divinity within me perceives and adores the Divinity within you.”   We end our yoga practice with Namaste.

Vinyasa – yoga poses will flow from one to another in conjunction with the breath.

Ujjayi Pranayama – Ujjayi means rising victoriously. This form of breath is done by inhaling and exhaling through the nose.  It is a diaphragmatic breath, which first fills the lower belly, rises to the lower rib cage, and finally moves into the upper chest and throat.  This breathe helps oxygenate the blood supply and create a sound that helps focus the mind and thus relax the body.  This form of breathe is used in most of our yoga practice and your teacher will guide you through the technique.

Sun Salutation – also known as Salute to the Sun and Surya Namaskar, is a flowing series of  poses which help warm up the body and also improve strength and flexibility of the muscles and spinal column.

Savasana – literally means ‘corpse pose’.  This is the word that describes the final activity before adjourning from a yoga practice.  It is a short period of time in which you take a moment to realize your practice and reconnect with your body.  This is a very personal activity.  The studio is generally silent or filled with soft and soothing music.

Chaturanga – a push up position a few inches above the ground.  This pose is commonly used during Vinyasa when exiting one pose and preparing for up dog and down dog.