A
Ahimsa — non-harming. The first and foundational ethical rule of yoga: do no violence in action, word or, ideally, thought. The reason many practitioners lean vegetarian, and the root of kind hands-on adjustments.
Asana — a physical posture; literally "a seat". Originally meant a stable position for meditation; today it covers everything from Mountain Pose to headstands. See our foundational eight.
Ashram — a residential community built around spiritual practice and a teacher. The budget, no-frills end of the retreat spectrum.
Ashtanga — "eight limbs": Patanjali's complete framework for yoga. Also the name of a demanding modern style with a fixed sequence — the two meanings are related but distinct.
Ayurveda — "the science of life": India's traditional system of medicine and daily living, yoga's sister discipline. Covers constitution types, diet, sleep and seasonal routines.
B
Bandha — an energetic "lock": a subtle muscular engagement (most famously of the pelvic floor and the low abdomen) used to stabilize the body and direct breath during practice.
Bhakti — the yoga of devotion: practice oriented toward love and surrender, expressed through chanting, ritual and service.
C
Chakra — "wheel": in subtle-body anatomy, one of seven energy centers mapped along the spine. Useful as a contemplative map of the body-mind; not a structure your surgeon will find.
Chaturanga — the low push-up position of the vinyasa flow. Beloved, overused, and the most common shoulder injury in modern yoga when done sloppily. Elbows over wrists, always.
D
Dharana — concentration: the sixth limb, holding attention on a single object on purpose. The gym exercise of which meditation is the sport.
Dhyana — meditation proper: concentration that has become continuous and effortless. The seventh limb.
Drishti — a focused gaze point used in poses (the thumb, the navel, the horizon). Where the eyes go, attention follows.
G–H
Guru — "the weighty one": a spiritual teacher; literally, one who moves you from darkness (gu) to light (ru). A title to be earned by teachers and verified carefully by students.
Hatha — "force" or "effort": the branch of yoga working through body and breath; the ancestor of nearly all modern posture yoga. On studio schedules, usually means a slower foundational class.
J–K
Japa — mantra repetition, traditionally counted on a mala of 108 beads. See our mantra guide.
Karma — action and its consequences; also the yoga of selfless action (karma yoga): doing the work without clutching the results.
Kosha — "sheath": one of five layers of the person in yogic anatomy, from the physical body to the bliss body. A model for how practice works on more than muscles.
Kundalini — dormant energy pictured as a coiled serpent at the spine's base; also the name of a style using breath and chanting to wake it. Approach forceful "kundalini awakening" promises with caution.
M
Mala — a garland of 108 beads (plus one guru bead) used to count mantra repetitions.
Mantra — a "mind tool": a syllable, word or verse repeated to anchor attention. See sound as a practice.
Mudra — a symbolic hand gesture used in meditation and ceremony; the palms-together Anjali mudra is the one you already know.
N
Nadi — a channel in the subtle body through which prana flows; tradition counts 72,000, with three that matter most (ida, pingala, sushumna). Alternate-nostril breathing is named for balancing them.
Namaste — a greeting of respect: "I bow to you". In India it is an everyday hello, not a yoga-class closing ceremony — using it as one is an American invention, harmless but optional.
Niyama — the five personal observances (cleanliness, contentment, discipline, self-study, surrender): yoga's inner hygiene. See the ethics guide.
P
Prana — life energy; the vital force traditions say rides on the breath. Whether read literally or as a metaphor for physiological energy, the practices built on it work.
Pranayama — the regulation of breath; the fourth limb. See breathing on purpose.
Pratyahara — withdrawal of the senses: the fifth limb, the skill of unplugging from stimulation. What happens to you on a silent retreat by day three.
R–S
Raja yoga — "royal yoga": the classical path of meditation codified by Patanjali.
Samadhi — absorption: the eighth limb, where the boundary between observer and observed goes quiet. Described as the goal; experienced, by most of us, in fleeting seconds.
Samsara — the cycle of habitual reaction, in classical terms the wheel of birth and rebirth; psychologically, the loops we keep repeating. Yoga is the practice of stepping off.
Santosha — contentment: the second niyama and arguably the hardest practice on this list.
Satsang — "gathering in truth": a group meeting for practice, chanting or teaching.
Savasana — corpse pose: the final resting posture where practice integrates. The pose everyone skips and everyone needs.
Shatkarma — the six classical cleansing acts of hatha yoga (neti and cousins). Historical practice; some parts still used, others best left to specialists.
Sutra — "thread": a terse aphorism designed to be memorized and unpacked with a teacher. Patanjali's 195 are the most famous.
T–Y
Tapas — "heat": disciplined effort that burns away inertia; the third niyama. The virtue of showing up on the mat when you do not feel like it.
Ujjayi — the "victorious" ocean-sounding breath used to pace vinyasa practice. See the breathing guide.
Vinyasa — "placing in a special way": movement synchronized with breath; also the name of the flowing class style built on that principle.
Yama — the five ethical restraints in relating to the world: non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, wise use of energy, non-grasping. See the ethics guide.
Yoga nidra — "yogic sleep": guided deep relaxation between waking and sleeping. See rest as practice.