Yoga Flashcards
Sauca- first niyama
Cleanliness. Being clean inside and out.
Samtosha- second niyama
Contentment. Being at peace with who you are, and what you have is the essence of niyama.
Niyamas
The way we act in relationship to ourselves. They are codes or rules that are followed for personal observance.
Tapas- third niyama
Fire. Refers to the discipline of a daily practice that results in toxins inside the body being burned away. It is the mental habit of routine.
Svadhyaya- fourth niyama
The study of the self. Sva means self. Adhyaya means inquiry or examination.
Isvarapranidhana- fifth niyama
To surrender to something greater than you. This is knowing there is a Devine presence and that you are a part of it.
Asana
Yoga poses performed in yoga practice or class. Translates as “to take a quiet seat”
Pranayama
Controlled intake and outflow of breath in a firmly established posture. Connection of breath to the body is what differentiates asana from stretching or calisthenics.
Ujjayi breathing
The sound comes from the vibration in the throat both on the inhale and the exhale and when the mind is solely focused on each phase of breath, the breath will grow louder than ones own thoughts.
Pratyahara
Means to draw the senses and awareness inward, to move away from the stimulation of the external and become engaged with the occurrences inside the body. Meditation is an active state of pratyhara.
Dharana
Means to hold, representing the immovable concentration of the mind when focused on the breath.
Dhyana
Is a contemplation of worship, wherein concentration on the currents of the mind in meditation narrow down to awareness, taking it one step further from Dharana which is focused on one thought or sensation. It creates a path for the eighth and final limb.
Samadhi and the Isvarapranadhana
Eighth limbs of yoga. Isvarapranahana means to surrender, to be conscious of a greater being than you. Samadhi is the state of enlightenment where you are connected to the greater being and are totally present and aware.
