Teacher Training Flashcards
What are the 5 internal vayus?
Prana Apana Samana Udanya Vyana
What are the 5 external vayus?
Kurma (tortoise, eyes)
Krikara (partridge, sneezing, hunger, belching)
Devadatta (gift of the gods, yawning)
Naga (serpent)
Dhanamjaya (giver of victory, movement of sound throughout the body)
What are the 5 yamas?
Ahimsa (non-violence) Satya (truth) Asteya (non-stealing) Brahmacharya (moderation, channeling emotions) Aparigraha (non-possessiveness)
What are Patanjali’s 5 niyamas?
Saucha (purity, cleanliness of thought, mind and body. Traditionally, this item is listed under Yama; this word means purity.)
Santosha (contentment; happy satisfaction; good contentment.)
Tapas (austerity, heating practices; spiritual effort; austerity)
Swadhyaya (self-education; self study, study to know more about God and the soul, which leads to introspection on a greater awakening to the soul and God within.)
Ishwara Pranidhana (surrender to God; devotion; devotion to a cause)
Who brought yoga to the West and who were his 3 protégés?
Krishnamacharia
His son Desekechar
Iyengar
Jois
What are the 7 vital principles in Vijnana?
Relaxation or undoing the body Emptying the mind Intent Rooting Connecting Breathing Elongating
What are the 10 sections of asana?
Surya namaskar Sitting poses Standing poses Forward bends Twists Hand balances Backbends Leg stretches Inversions Savasana
Sukha
Good space. Openness. Relaxation without dullness
Staira
alertness without tension. Stable. Steadiness. Stand. Stirrum
Duhkha
Bad space. Suffering. Unsatisfcation; lack distress; sorrow; that which is unsatisfactory because it is impermanent. From “dur,” meaning “bad,” plus “kha,” meaning “state.
Yoga
Samadhi
Chitta
Mind, consciousness
Vritti
Fluctuations, churnings, chatter
Nirodhah
Discipline, restraint, control of
Klista
Afflictions, like sorrow or conflict. Moves us away from liberation. Caused by kleshas
Aklista
Non-affliction. Ie, liberation.
Samskaras
Mental, vocal, or action based imprints. All thoughts words, and actions lead to imprints.
The 5 kleshas
The 5 afflictions
Avidya (Ignorance, lack of spiritual knowledge. Also the field for the other 4 kleshas) Asmita (I-am-ness; pride) Raga (Attraction) Dvesa (Aversion) Abhinivesah (Desire for continuity)
The 5 fluctuations
Correct cognitions Error Imagining Sleep Memory
Abhyasa
Practice. Sitting again and again with a goal in mind. (Self-realization)
Vairaigya
To be colourless (the mind is not coloured… a crystal is coloured by the flower, but a yogi knows the crystal is pure and colourless)
The 3 gunas
The 3 qualities, the constituent principles, the building blocks of nature. Guna: Quality; attribute; characteristic; excellence; rope; subsidiary; mode
1) Satva (Pure, luminous, no sorrow, balance)
2) Rajas (Passionate, arising from selfish desire and attachment.
3) Tamas (Born of ignorance, indolence, and sleep. Dark, slothful)
Om (Aum)
“Oh god”
“Oh god, let the teachings of my teachers guide me in every endeavor”
A - Creator, Brahmah, Waking
U - Sustainer, Vishnu, Dreaming
M- Destroyer, Redeemer, Shiva, Dreamless Sleep
Matri
Cultivation of loving kindness, for those who are happy
Karuna
Compassion, for those who are suffering
Mudita
Sympathetic joyfulness upon seeing someone perform meritous acts
Upeksha
Non-judgement, equinimity
Tonglan
Buddhist practice of taking on someone’s suffering, and breathing it out
Karma
Action (Mental, physical, or vocal)
Karmashaya
Storehouse of karma.
What are the 4 sitting pose cycles?
1) padmasana
2) vajrasana
3) virasana
4) baddha konasana
What are the 5 standing pose cycles?
1) uttanasana
2) vrksasana
3) trikonasana
4) virabhadrasana 1 & 2
5) prasarita padottanasana
Who was Vyasa, the pandit?
The first commentator of Patanjali
What comprises svadyaya, according to Vyasa?
Self-study thru Study and repetition of mantras, to come closer to true self. Not the psychological I, but exposing dif layers of the self (language, conceptualization, imagination, memory, desire, aversion, fear, etc)
What is the danger of tapas and ishvara Pranidhana without svadyaya?
Person may become strong, but w out clarity and leads to fundamentalism and violence.
What is the danger of svadyaya and ishvara without tapas?
Lack of strength and power of action
What is the danger of tapas and svadyaya without ishvara?
Arrogance and megalomania
What are the 2 objectives of Kriya Yoga, according to the sutras?
Samadhi (wide mind)
Weakening of the 5 kleshas
Viveka
The ability to discern the right path
abhinivesa
Self-preservation; instinctive clinging to life and the fear that one may be cut off from all by death; will to live; strong desire; fear of letting go of the stories of “I, me, mine”
abhyasa
Practice; action; method; continuous endeavor; repetition; exercise; exertion. From the verb root “as”, meaning to throw, plus “abhi” meaning toward.
Pranayama
(from prana and ayama, “life/breath extension”): breath control, the fourth limb (anga) of Patanjali’s eigthfold path, consisting of conscious inhalation (puraka), retention (kumbhaka), and exhalation (recaka); at an advanced state, breath retention occurs spontaneously for longer periods of time
Pratyahara
(“withdrawal”): sensory inhibition, the fifth limb (anga) of Patanjali’s eightfold path
Patanjali
compiler of the Yoga Sutra, who lived c. 150 C.E.
Prajna
(“wisdom”): the opposite of spiritual ignorance (ajnana, avidya); one of two means of liberation in Buddhist yoga, the other being skillful means (upaya), i.e., compassion (karuna)
Ahimsa
(“nonharming”): the single most important moral discipline (yama). Non-injury. Nonviolence. From the verb root “hims,” meaning “to injure,” lus the prefix “a”, meaning “not.” The word has not merely the negative and restrictive meaning of “nonkilling” or “nonviolence,” but the positive and comprehensive meaning of “love embracing all creation.”
Upanishad
(“sitting near”): a type of scripture representing the concluding portion of the revealed literature of Hinduism, hence the designation Vedanta for the teachings of these sacred works; cf. Aranyaka, Brahmana, Veda
Tantra
(“Loom”): a type of Sanskrit work containing Tantric teachings; the tradition of Tantrism, which focuses on the shakti side of spiritual life and which originated in the early post-Christian era and achieved its classical features around 1000 C.E.; Tantrism has a “right-hand” (dakshina) or conservative and a “left-hand” (vama) or unconventional/antinomian branch, with the latter utilizing, among other things, sexual rituals
Tapas
(“glow/heat”): austerity, penance, which is an ingredient of all yogic approaches, since they all involve self-transcendence
Tattva
(“thatness”): a fact or reality; a particular category of existence such as the ahamkara, buddhi, manas; the ultimate Reality (see also atman, brahman)
What are the eight limbs of Patanjali?
- Yama : Universal morality
- Niyama : Personal observances
- Asanas : Body postures
- Pranayama : Breathing exercises, and control of prana
- Pratyahara : Control of the senses
- Dharana : Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness
- Dhyana : Devotion, Meditation on the Divine
- Samadhi : Union with the Divine
Nadi
(“conduit”): one of 72,000 or more subtle channels along or through which the life force (prana) circulates, of which the three most important ones are the ida-nadi, pingala-nadi, and sushumna-nadi
What are the ten traditional Hindu niyamas
1) Hri: remorse, being modest and showing shame for misdeeds;
2) Santosha: contentment; being satisfied with the resources at hand - therefore not desiring more;
3) Dana: giving, without thought of reward;
4) Astikya: faith, believing firmly in the teacher, the teachings and the path to enlightenment;
5) Ishvarapujana: worship of the Lord, the cultivation of devotion through daily worship and meditation, the return to the source;
6) Siddhanta shravana: scriptural listening, studying the teachings and listening to the wise of one’s lineage;
7) Mati: cognition, developing a spiritual will and intellect with the guru’s guidance;
8) Vrata: sacred vows, fulfilling religious vows, rules and observances faithfully;
9) Japa: recitation, chanting mantras daily;
10) Tapas: the endurance of the opposites; hunger and thirst, heat and cold, standing and sitting etc.
What are the five Buddhist niyamas?
1) kammaniyāma “the constraint of kamma”, i.e. good actions produce good results and bad actions produce bad results. This constraint is said to be epitomised by [Dhammapada] verse 127 which explains that the consequences of actions are inescapable;
2) utu-niyāma “the constraint of the seasons”, i.e. in certain regions of the earth at certain periods the flowering and fruiting of trees all at one time (ekappahāreneva), the blowing or ceasing of wind, the degree of the heat of the sun, the amount of rain-fall, some flowers like the lotuses opening during the day and closing at night and so on;
3) bīja-niyāma “the constraint of seeds or germs”, i.e. a seed producing its own kind as barley seed produces barley;
4) citta-niyāma “the constraint of mind”, i.e. the order of the process of mind-activities as the preceding thought-moment causing and conditioning the succeeding one in a cause and effect relation;
5) dhamma-niyāma “the constraint of dhammas”, i.e. such events like the quaking of the ten thousand world-systems at the Bodhisatta’s conception in his mother’s womb and at his birth. At the end of the discussion Sumaṅgalavilāsinī passage the Commentary says that dhammaniyāma explains the term dhammatā in the text of the Mahāpadāna Sutta (D ii.12) (Cf. S 12.20 for a discussion of the use of the word dhammaniyamatā in the suttas)
What is Patanjali’s first niyama (personal observance)?
Saucha - Purity
The first niyama is sauca, meaning purity and cleanliness. Sauca has both an inner and an outer aspect. Outer cleanliness simply means keeping ourselves clean. Inner cleanliness has as much to do with the healthy, free functioning of our bodily organs as with the clarity of our mind. Practicing asanas or pranayama are essential means for attending to this inner sauca. Asanas tones the entire body and removes toxins while pranayama cleanses our lungs, oxygenates our blood and purifies our nerves. “But more important than the physical cleansing of the body is the cleansing of the mind of its disturbing emotions like hatred, passion, anger, lust, greed, delusion and pride.”
What is Patanjali’s second niyama?
Santosa - Contentment
Another niyama is santosa, modesty and the feeling of being content with what we have. To be at peace within and content with one’s lifestyle finding contentment even while experiencing life’s difficulties for life becomes a process of growth through all kinds of circumstances. We should accept that there is a purpose for everything - yoga calls it karma – and we cultivate contentment ‘to accept what happens’. It means being happy with what we have rather than being unhappy about what we don’t have.
What is Patanjali’s third niyama?
Tapas – Disciplined use of our energy
Tapas refers to the activity of keeping the body fit or to confront and handle the inner urges without outer show. Literally it means to heat the body and, by so doing, to cleanse it. Behind the notion of tapas lies the idea we can direct our energy to enthusiastically engage life and achieve our ultimate goal of creating union with the Divine. Tapas helps us burn up all the desires that stand in our way of this goal. Another form of tapas is paying attention to what we eat. Attention to body posture, attention to eating habits, attention to breathing patterns - these are all tapas.
What is Patanjali’s fourth niyama (personal observance)?
Svadhyaya – Self study
The fourth niyama is svadhyaya. Sva means “self’ adhyaya means “inquiry” or “examination”. Any activity that cultivates self-reflective consciousness can be considered svadhyaya. It means to intentionally find self-awareness in all our activities and efforts, even to the point of welcoming and accepting our limitations. It teaches us to be centered and non-reactive to the dualities, to burn out unwanted and self-destructive tendencies.
What is Patanjali’s fifth niyama (personal observance)?
Isvarapranidhana - Celebration of the Spiritual
Isvarapranidhana means “to lay all your actions at the feet of God.” It is the contemplation on God (Isvara) in order to become attuned to god and god’s will. It is the recognition that the spiritual suffuses everything and through our attention and care we can attune ourselves with our role as part of the Creator. The practice requires that we set aside some time each day to recognize that there is some omnipresent force larger than ourselves that is guiding and directing the course of our lives. Divine ideal of pure awareness (isvara); surrender, dedication (pranidhanat)
advaita
Non-dualism; nonduality. Literally “not two”, from “a”, meaning “not”, plus “dvaita”, meaning “dual” or “two”
Agni
Fire. A Vedic god.
ahankara
The concept of individuality, from the verb root “kr,” meaning “action”, plus “aham,” meaning “I”; ego or egoism; literally the “I-maker”, the state that ascertains “I know”’ “I-maker,” source of egoism; the sense that identification is occurring.
ananda
Bliss; joy; delight; a type of samadhi. From the verb root “nand,” meaning “to rejoice.”
anandamaya kosha
The sheath (kosha) of joy or bliss (ananda) enveloping the atman; the felt sense of everything being okay.
anatman
With substance; non-self. From “an,” meaning “not”, plus “atman,” meaning “self.”
annamaya kosha
The sheath of food
apana
“carrying-downwards breath”; inspired breath; out-breath; exhalation; digestive energy. From the root “an,” meaning “to breathe”, plus “apa,” meaning “away.” The downward, contracting, rooting movement characteristic of exhaling. It is based at the center of the perineum, the Muladhara Chakra. APan is said to tether prana. The inner experience of hatha yoga begins by consciously uniting prana with apana, to feel their actions within each other.
aparigraha
Nonposessession, nograsping; nondesiring; not greedy; not being acquisitive; freedom from hoarding or collecting.
asana
Posture; seat; to “sit with”
asmita
The sense of “I,” egoism; the state of concentration; an impurity. A klesha.
ashtanga
Literally, “eight limbs.” Refers to a yoga practice that leads to deep, spontaneous meditation and complete liberation. The variety of limbs guarantees that the awareness operates in all spheres of one’s life, so that no distorition, perversion, or fantasy will attempt to usurp the solid ground of real yogic insight. In many of the Yoga Upanishads, the eight
atha
The present moment, a term used to express a beginning; doubt; interrogation; condition; “after, then, now.”
atman
The inner self. “atma” means “breath”, from the verb root “at,” meaning “to breathe,” or “ap,” meaning “to pervade” or “reach up to”.
avidya
One of the five kleshas (afflictions). Not seeing things as they are; lack of wisdom, ignorance of one’s true nature; from the root verb “vid,” meaning “to know”, plus the prefix “a”, meaning “not.”
bandha
Bond; valve; control; determination. From the verb root “bandh,” meaning “to bind.”
bhakti
Loving devotion. From the verb root “bhajj,” meaning “to love, worship, revere.”
bhuta
Element; gross elemental principle. From the verb root “bhu,” meaning “to become” or “to exist.”
bhujanga
Cobra
Brahma
The creator of the universe; one of the Indian trinity comprising Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra.
brahmacharya
The fourth yama. Wise use of sexual energy; a code of conduct; dwelling in Brahman; a student; “the path that leads to Brahman” or “moving in Brahman”’ a life of celibacy, religious study and self-restraint; impeccable conduct.
buddhi
intellect; the discriminative faculty; perception. From the verb root “budh,” meaning “to enlighten, to know”
buddhindriyas
Sense capacities, i.e., hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting, and smelling.
chakra
Wheel or circle; center; disc; plexus; centers in the body; energy center. From the verb root “car,” meaning “to move.”
citta
Conciousness; where name and form meet. From the verb root “cit,” meaning “to perceive, to observe, to think, to be aware, to know”
dharana
The sixth limb of Patanjali. Concentration.
Meditation; support; single-mindedness; “holding bearing”; to keep in rememberance.
dhyana
The seventh limb of Patanjali. Mediation
Concentration.
dvesa
A klesha. Antipathy; hatred; aversion. From the verb root “dvis,” meaning “to hate.”
garuda
Eagle; Vishnu’s vehicle; “devourer.”
granthi
Knot. From the root “granth,” meaning “to string together.”
halahala
Poisonous herb; metaphor for samsara
ida nadi
The psychic nerve or tube on the right side of the spine; a nadi or channel of energy starting from the left nostril, then moving under the crown of the head and thence descending to the root of the spine. In its course it conveys lunar energy and is therefore called Chandra nadi (channel of lunar energy.)
Indra
Ruler; chief (of the gods in the Vedic pantheon); mighty; powerful.
jiva
Individual soul; life; embodied self; living entity. From the verb root “jiv,” meaning “to live.”