A

B

a voluminous tenth-century scripture held sacred by the devotees of the Divine in the form of Vishnu, especially in his incarnate form as Krishna; also called Shrimad- Bhagavata. Sacred work dealing with the doctrines of creation, etc

the love of the bhakta toward the Divine or the guru as a manifestation of the Divine; also the love of the Divine toward the devotee. Bhakti is one of the four paths of Yoga.

the Creator of the universe, the first principle (tattva) to emerge out of the ultimate Reality (brahman)

a brahmin, a member of the highest social class of traditional Indian society; also an early type of ritual text explicating the rituals and mythology of the four Vedas; cf. Aranyaka, Upanishad, Veda

C

("wheel") Centres of energy in the human system. : literally, the wheel of a wagon; metaphorically, one of the psycho-energetic centers of the subtle body (sukshma-sharira);mula-adhara-cakra (muladhara-cakra) at the base of the spine, svadhishthana-cakra at the genitals, manipura-cakra at the navel, anahata-cakra at the heart, vishuddha-cakra or vishuddhi-cakra at the throat, ajna-cakra in the middle of the head, and sahasrara-cakra at the top of the head .

D

Divine

a male deity, such as Shiva, Vishnu, or Krishna, either in the sense of the ultimate Reality or a high angelic being

second of the shatkarmas; cleansing technique of the eyes, ears, tongue, forehead, oesophagus, stomach, rectum and anus

Suffering, a fundamental fact of life, caused by ignorance (avidya) of our true nature (i.e., the Self or atman)

E

Eleventh day of the Hindu lunar fortnight

G

River Ganges.

H

apart from the literal meaning, this term also refers to the breath (prana) as it moves within the body; the individuated consciousness (jiva) propelled by the breath; see jiva-atman; see also parama-hamsa

one of three classical manuals on hatha yoga, authored by Svatmarama Yogendra in the fourteenth century

the mythical founder of yoga; the first cosmological principle (tattva) to emerge out of the infinite Reality; also called Brahma. Cosmic intelligence; the supreme lord of the universe; cosmic mind.

I

the prana current or arc ascending on the left side of the central channel (sushumna nadi) associated with the parasympathetic nervous system and having a cooling or calming effect on the mind when activated; one of the main energy channels running on the left side of the spine from the mooladhara (base) chakra to the ajna chakra in the head.

in Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga one of the practices of self-restraint (niyama); see also bhakti yoga

pertaining to the jinas ("conquerors"), the liberated adepts of Jainism; a member of Jainism, the spiritual tradition founded by Vardhamana Mahavira, a contemporary of Gautama the Buddha

hroat lock' to restrict the flow of bereath through the throat - done by resting the chin on the upper sternum (chest).

("muttering") continuous chanting i.e repetition of a mantra

Individual Soul.

the individuated consciousness, as opposed to the ultimate Self (parama-atman)

one of the shatkarma techniques for cleansing the tongue.

Wisdom, understanding.. Knowledge of the Self. both worldly knowledge or world-transcending Jnana is one of the four paths of Yoga.

attained through spontaneous self-analysis and investigation of abstract and speculative ideas. the path to liberation based on wisdom, or the direct intuition of the transcendental Self (atman) through the steady application of discernment between the Real and the unreal and renunciation of what has been identified as unreal (or inconsequential to the achievement of liberation)

Emancipation; state of absolute independence from conditioned existence, as explained in ashta-anga-yoga; in the nondualistic (advaita) traditions of India, this is usually called moksha or mukti (meaning "release" from the fetters of ignorance, or avidya)

the appetite for sensual pleasure blocking the path to true bliss (ananda); the only desire conducive to freedom is the impulse toward liberation, called mumukshutva

a great sage, the quasi-mythical founder of the Samkhya tradition, who is said to have composed the Samkhya-Sutra (which, however, appears to be of a much later date)

sheath or body; realm of experience and existence. ("casing"): any one of five "envelopes" surrounding the transcendental Self (atman) and thus blocking its light: anna-maya-kosha ("envelope made of food," the physical body), prana-maya-kosha ("envelope made of life force"), mano-maya-kosha ("envelope made of mind"), vijnana-maya-kosha ("envelope made of consciousness"), and ananda-maya-kosha ("envelope made of bliss"); some older traditions regard the last kosha as identical with the Self (atman)

an incarnation of God Vishnu, the God-man whose teachings can be found in the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata-Purana

Forgiveness.

breath retention; cf. puraka, recaka

man's retained energy or potential energy and consciousness

philosophy expounding the awakening of potential energy and inherent consciousness within the human body and mind.

also referred as the short intestinal wash. Involves the drinking of several glasses of water and the expelling it through stool after a series of exercises (asanas); in the process a thorough cleansing of the colon takes place.

an advanced form or process of Tantric yoga by which the energies associated with the various psycho-energetic centers (cakra) of the subtle body are gradually dissolved through the ascent of the serpent power (kundalini-shakti) union with the supreme consciousness through pranayama or devotion. Literally, union by absorption

Great.

the great lock - combines the three locks in yoga - the moola bandha, jalandhara bandha and uddiyana bandha - together with breath retention.

crocodile' pose

the energy centre in the spinal column located behind the navel - corresponding to the solar plexus.

in Ayurveda and yoga, a vital spot on the physical body where energy is concentrated or blocked; cf. granthi

an early Tantric master who founded the Yogini-Kaula school and is remembered as a teacher of Goraksha

fainting or swooning breath' in which the breath is inhaled slowly and retained for an extended period.

the inner sound, as it can be heard through the practice of nada yoga or kundalini yoga / Mystic sound.

the practice of purifying the conduits, especially by means of breath control (pranayama)

Breathing technique - is the 'alternate nostril breathing' or 'balanced breathing' - balances the energy flow in the channels and purifies the energy channels (nadi) by balancing the flow of breath through the right and left nostrils.

hand gesture adopted during pranayama to alternate the flow of breath through the nostrils.

the subtle energy produced through practice, especially the discipline of chastity (brahmacharya)/ Spiritual energy.

the universal mantra; cosmic vibration of the universe; represents the four states of consciousness The sacred monosyllable which symbolizes Brahman. the original mantra symbolizing the ultimate Reality, which is prefixed to many mantric utterances

foot; section of a literary work

lotus pose - a seated meditative posture

the transcendental Self, which is singular, as opposed to the individuated self (jiva-atman) that exists in countless numbers in the form of living beings / the supreme atma; God

an honorific title given to great adepts, such as Ramakrishna and Yogananda /The highest class of Sannyasins .

back stretching pose

full moon night

a high-level state of existence that falls short of actual liberation (kaivalya); the being who has attained that state

purpose of the consciousness, of man's existence- the four basic needs or desires, arth, kaama, dharma, moksha

the God-man Krishna's spouse; a name of the divine Mother