Vocab Flashcards
What is an Aspirant?
The practitioner who seeks truth and an end to suffering
What does Asteya mean?
Non-stealing; one of the yamas
What is Avidya?
Ignorance; one of the kleshas
What is the Axial skeleton?
Used to hold the body upright; contains the vital organs and includes the spine, cranium, and rib cage
What is Ayurveda?
System of medicine that’s based on the belief that dis-ease begins as an imbalance or stress in a person’s consciousness
(Johns Hopkins University)
What are Bandhas?
Internal and external energetic locks that are integrated into the physical body to help hold and preserve energy
What is Bahya kumbhaka?
The suspension of breath after the exhalation
What is the Biceps Femoris?
The outermost hamstring in the posterior compartment of the leg (hip extender)
What does Brahmacharya mean?
Moderation; one of the yamas
What is the Central nervous system?
The brain, spine, and peripheral nerves that send messages and control functions throughout the body
What are Chakras?
Energetic centers of the body; seven in total
What is Chitta vritti?
The fluctuations of consciousness
What is the Clavicle?
The collar bone that connects from the sternum to the shoulder joint
What is the acetabulum?
The hip socket where the femoral head sits.
What does Ahimsa mean?
Non-violence; one of the yamas.
What is the Ajna chakra?
Third Eye Chakra, located in the middle of the forehead, slightly above the eyebrows.
What is the Anahata chakra?
Heart Chakra, located at the heart.
What is the Anandamaya kosha?
The Bliss body; the seat of the soul and the supreme seat of wisdom.
What is Antara kumbhaka?
The retention of breath after the inhalation.
What is Annamaya kosha?
The physical body including muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and the nadi system.
What is Apana-Vayu?
Grounding force found in the elimination of CO2 and food waste, as well as in birthing.
What does Aparigraha mean?
Non-hoarding; one of the yamas.
What is the appendicular skeleton?
Used for locomotion and to use technology (literally to do work); includes arms, legs, shoulder blades, clavicle, pelvis, hands, and feet.
What is Asana?
Physical practice of yoga.
What is compassionate self-forgiveness?
The application of self-compassion and self-forgiveness when realizing that you have bought into or believed that you are less than whole.
What is the coronal plane?
Division of the body into front and back.
What does Dharma mean in Buddhism?
It means one’s path.
What is Dharana?
Concentration; the first state of being before reaching the state of meditation (dhyana).
What is Dhyana?
Meditation - a state of being, not a practice.
What is discernment?
The ability to choose the most appropriate path based on all the factors at hand.
What does Dukkha refer to?
Suffering of the mind.
What is the eight-limbed path of yoga?
A protocol for reaching enlightenment and liberation through the ancient wisdom of yoga.
What are essential values?
The most important and intrinsic values within your being.
What is extension in anatomy?
The action of moving a bone further away from another bone by releasing a muscle.
What is fascia?
A mesh-like covering that holds the muscles together; connective tissue that spans the entire body.
What is the femur bone?
The long bone of the thigh.
What is flexion?
The action of moving a bone closer to another bone by contracting a muscle.
What is the glenoid?
The flat underside of the scapula (shoulder blade) that attaches to the humorous to make the shoulder joint.
What is the Gluteus Medius?
The smaller, outermost gluteal muscle (hip extender)
What is the Gluteus Maximus?
The larger gluteal muscle (hip extender)
What are Gunas?
The energetic forces that affect our lives and take us through the cycles of nature: rajas, tamas, and sattva
What is Hasta Bandha?
The hand lock; the first bandha to develop in early childhood
What is Hatha yoga?
Yoga of ‘force’; the art of leveraging the solar and lunar aspects of the human to bring balance
What does it mean to hold space?
To listen objectively, without judgment, and without projection of your own agenda
What is the Humerus Bone?
The long bone of the upper arm
What is Ida?
The feminine, left nadi that sits next to the sushumna
What is the Iliac Crest?
The back side of the pelvis that resembles a butterfly wing
What is Introception?
The ability to connect with feelings that arise about one’s environment or experience
What is Ischium?
The curved bone forming the bottom of the pelvis; the sit bones
What is Isvara pranidhana?
Devotion to a higher power
What is Jalandhara Bandha?
The throat lock; the first bandha taught when teaching bandhas
What is Karma?
Work, actions, or deeds
What are Kleshas?
Obstacles to our practice; veils of illusion that begin with ignorance (avidya)
What are Koshas?
Energetic sheaths of the body
What is Kriya?
Internal and external body purification
What is Laya yoga?
The art of purifying the body to lead to an awakening of the kundalini energy within; also known as Kundalini yoga
What is Liberation?
A practice of contentment and non-suffering
What is Manipura chakra?
The solar plexus chakra, located in the upper abdomen, below the rib cage
What is Manomaya kosha?
The mental body, composed of three compartments: unconscious mental fluctuations, conscious mental fluctuations, and superconscious interpretation of Pure Awareness
What is Memory?
Derived of right knowledge, perception, verbalization, and the misconception that nothing exists
What are Meridians?
System of nerves and plexuses that run throughout the entire body and help the body communicate unconsciously with our extremities and organs
What is Metacognition?
Psychological practice or self-study of looking back on our thoughts
What is Mindfulness?
Observation without judgment
What is Mula Bandha?
The root lock; the last bandha taught when teaching bandhas
What is Muladhara chakra?
The root chakra, located just below the tailbone
What is the Nadi system?
The energetic pathways present in the tissues and the subtle bodies
What are Niyamas?
The five observances; spiritual practices.
What is Pada Bandha?
The foot lock; the four (or three) points on the bottom of the foot.
What is the Panchamaya kosha system?
The five energetic bodies, or koshas.
What is the Parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)?
Part of the nervous system responsible for rest and digest that helps you to heal, refresh, and restart.
What are Perceptions?
Judgments based on previous experiences that are shaped and molded from other people’s projected opinions and the experiences that go along with them.
What is the Peripheral nervous system?
Part of the nervous system that exists outside the brain and spinal cord.
What is Pingala?
The masculine, right nadi that sits next to the sushumna.
What is Postnatal Yoga?
A yoga practice specifically modified for women postpartum.
What is Prakriti?
Matter that goes through the cycles of life such as wood, bodies, and food.
What is Prana?
Breath of life.
What is Prana-vayu?
Inward-moving energy located at the heart, chest, and lungs. Its functions include respiration and sensory perception.
What is Pranayama?
Physical control of the breath that’s meant to remove mental disruptions and create a calm mind for meditation.
What is Pranamaya kosha?
The energetic body; the air energy needed for respiration.
Pratyahara : Withdrawal of the senses
Prenatal Yoga : A yoga practice specifically modified for women who are expecting
Primary movement : The main effort or initiation movement required to get into a pose
Projection : One’s perspective on reality
Proprioception : The ability to sense your body in time and space
Psoas : The muscle that stabilizes the lumbar spine and acts as a hip flexor
Pubic Bone : The front of the pelvis at the pubic mound
Puraka : The inhalation
Pure Awareness : The soul as reflected by the intellect
Purusha : God
spirit
Quadratus Lumborum : A paired muscle
often called the QL
Rajas : A turning away from
or an attachment to
Raja yoga : Royal yoga of devotion and renunciation
Rechaka : The exhalation
