| Abhinivesha |
Clinging to life; the instinctive urge for survival at all costs; one of the Pancha Klesha (five “hindrances” to spiritual growth).
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| Acharya |
A preceptor, teacher, guide or leader.
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| Adhi |
The highest; sometimes refers to the mind. By definition, more subtle than gross
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| Adhikarin |
One who is considered fit to receive the teachings of yoga and capable of walking the spiritual path.
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| Advaita |
Non-duality or oneness. The teaching that there is only “one reality” commonly referred to as Atma or Brahman - as found in the Upanishads; see also Vedanta.
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| Anahata Chakra |
The fourth of the seven primary Chakras; Literally: “The center (lotus) of unstruck sound”. It is associated with Vayu, the “air” element and is physically related to the heart region and associated with the cardiac plexus and the thymus glands.
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| Ananda |
Ineffable bliss; an unshakable joy; a feeling of contentment and well-being which results from the experience of the ultimate reality of Advaita, or oneness.
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| Antaranga |
denotes the “internal aspects” of yoga; from the roots: Antara, meaning “inner” and Anga, meaning “limb”; in Patanjali’s Classical Ashtanga Yoga system, it refers to the final three “limbs” of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.
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| Apana |
One of the type major forms of “Universal Energy” (along with Prana) that sustain the human organism. Primarily characterized as cooling, reflective, inhibiting and associated with lunar energy and the feminine.
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| Aprakasha Bindu |
The respiratory center (medulla oblongata) situated within the human brain stem. Responsible for autonomic body functions such as breathing.
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| Asana |
From the root Asi, meaning “to be”. Literally: “a state of being”.
Often refers to the physical poses or postures of Hatha Yoga. Asana is the third of Patanjali’s “eight limbs of yoga” (Ashtanga Yoga)as found in the "Yoga Sutras".
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| Ashram |
A spiritual community or communal dwelling where a guru's teachings are imparted to his students.
Chatus Ashrama (ashrama dharma): The four stages of life in the Vedic tradition, including brahmacari (student/disciple), grhastha (householder), vanaprastha (forest dweller), and sannyasi (renunciate).
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| Ashtanga |
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| Ashtanga Yoga |
The eight-limbs of yoga, as codified by maharishi Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras; consists of: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.
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| Asmita |
egoism; the false sense of the individual “I”; one of the Pancha Kleshas (five “hindrances” to spiritual growth)
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