Ahamkara

Self-sense of ego.

Ajna chakra

The sixth or brow chakra located between the eyebrows; nondual-knowing center.

Alchemy

A method or power of transmutation; seemingly miraculous change of one thing into another.

Amrita

Divine nectar; essence that drips from the crown lotus.

Anahata chakra

The heart center, associated with love and courage, presides over the air element. The spiritual center located at the heart. The unstruck (anahata) sound heard in meditation originates in this center.

Anna-maya kosha

fleshy food-eating body

Asanas

Various bodily postures practiced to strengthen the body and purify the nadis.

Atman

Soul

Aura

Subtle bodily radiance arising from virtuous action

Ayurveda

The medical system of the Vedas, : physical body, a holistic spiritual approach

Bandha

Lock, an exercise of hatha yoga. The three main locks are jalandhara bandha, in which the head is bent forward and the chin is pressed against the chest, uddiyana bandha, in which the stomach muscles are pulled inward toward the spine, and mula bandha, in which the anus is pulled inward.

Bhakti yoga

The path of love, devotion and surrender to the divine.

Bindu

The subtle abode of the inner Self. See Blue Pearl.

Blue Pearl

A brilliant blue light, the size of a tiny seed, which appears to the meditator whose energy has been awakened.

Brahma

The supreme Lord...in the Hindu trinity, God in His aspect as the creator of the universe.

Brahmacharya

A life of following the Absolute.

Buddhi

Intellect, knowing aspect of mind.

Chakra

(lit. "wheel") A subtle energy center, or nerve plexus, located in the subtle body. There are seven major chakras: muladhara, svadhishthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha, ajna and sahasrara.

Chi

Life energy, according to the Chinese system of medicine.

Citta prana

Energy of consciousness

Dharana

Intermediate maturation of sustained attentional focus.

Dharma

Religion; duty; righteousness. The highest dharma is to recognize the Truth in one's own heart.

Dhyana

Advanced maturation of sustained attentional focus.

Divya sharira

Fully matured "divine body".

Granthi

Three knots in Saraswati nadi where it intersects Susumna

Guru

An enlightened being authorized to guide and initiate disciples.

Hatha yoga

The foundation of Raja yoga; ethics, postures, breathing.

Ida nadi

Left side channel along the spinal sushumna channel; moon, receptive, cooling.

Jiva

The being that has the life; the soul of one's being.

Kaivalya

Separated from all illusions and resting in the natural state; eternal beatitude.

Karma

The sequential flow of consequences.

Karma yoga

The path of loving, selfless service to the divine.

Khecari mudra

Yogic puberty of the tongue. Advanced stage of urdhva-reta in which the tongue spontaneously moves back toward the palatial cavity of the head, as the body seeks its own source.

Koshas

The five sheaths: physical body, energy, mind, wisdom, bliss.

Kriya

A movement of the body caused by Kundalini process.

Kundalini

(lit. "coiled one") The supreme Power, the primordial shakti or Energy, which lies coiled at the base of the spine, in the muladhara chakra of every human being. When this extremely subtle force is awakened, it begins to purigy the whole system.

Kundalini

The spiritual capacity/presence in a person; static or dynamic

Kundalini yoga

The process of attaining union of the individual self with the supreme Self through the evolution of awakened Kundalini energy.

Laya

The yoga of dissolution; the tattvas absorbed into their subtlest

Linga

The column-shape of Sushumna nadi in root, heart and brow chakra

Maha yoga

The "highest" yoga; Kundalini yoga

Manipura chakra

The navel chakra,; primary site of urdva-retas.

Mantra yoga

The yoga of the divine word, the science of sound, integral to Siddha yoga. The path to union through mantra yoga is based on repetition of a sacred mantra and contemplation of its meaning.

Mudra

Symbolic gestures and movements of the hands which express inner feelings and inner states, or which convey various meanings such as charity, knowledge, and fearlessness.

Muladhara chakra

The root chakra; sacral center; seat of Kundalini.

Nadi

A channel in the subtle body through which the vital force flows. The three main nadis are the sushumna nadi, the central spinal channel; the ida, feminine or lunar channel, which is on the left of sushumna; and the pingala, masculine or lunar channel, which is on the right side of sushumna..

Niyama

Soteriological sentiment cultivations.

Patanjali

A great sage and author of the famous Yoga Sutras, the exposition of one of the six philosophies of India and the authoritative text of the path of Raja yoga.

Pingala nadi

Solar energy channel corresponding to ida along the spinal sushumna channel and passing through each of the first six chakras.

Pranayama

A yogic technique, consisting of systematic regulation and restraint of the breath, which leads to steadiness of mind.

Pranotthana

Withdrawal of the senses from their sense objects; restraining the mind's outward-flowing tendency.

Qi gong

Chinese yoga, cultivation of qi (chi), or prana

Rajas

Female sexual fluids.

Rasa

Nectar, sweetness. The subtle energy that gives the experience of pleasure.

Retas

Vital juice-current, procreative essence.

Rumi

Jalalud-Din Rumi. The most eminent Sufi poet-saint of Persia.

Sadhana, Sadana

Practices, both physical and mental, on the spiritual path; spiritual discipline.

Sahasrara chakra

The crown chakra; the "thousand-petaled lotus". When this chakra is pierced at the crown of the head, the individual self merges into the supreme Self.

Samadhi

State of meditative union with the Absolute.

Samskaras

Impressions of past actions or thought which remain in the unconscious and are stored in the sushumna, the central nerve channel in the subtle body. They are brought to the surface and eliminated by the action of the awakened Kundalini energy.

Satchakra-nirupana

"Description of six chakras" a major text of Kundalini. "The Serpent Power" by Arthur Avalon is a translation in part of this text.

Shakti

Kundalini Shakti. Spiritual power; the divine cosmic Power which creates and maintains the universe. The immanent aspect of Divine Consciousness.

Shambhavidi mudra

The puberty of the eyes and pineal, leading to inner vision of the soul's (melatonin-like) radiances.

Shiva

Shiva is Pure Consciousness; the masculine principle of the universe. In the Hindu trinity, Shiva is the aspect of God as the destroyer of ignorance.

Shukra

Male sexual fluid.

Siddha

A perfected yogi. One who has attained the state of unity-consciousness, or enlightenment.

Siddha yoga

Yoga of the Siddhas, the adepts.

Soteriological

Redemptive-healing..i.e. gratitude, forgiveness, longing, praise-love, compassion, and awe of the Eternal.

Subtle body

In the Vedic tradition it is believed that the physical body has a subtle counterpart made not of gross matter but of a finer substance, or energy. The chakras, nadis are the basic structures of the subtle body.

Sushumna

See nadi.

Svadhisthana chakra

The chakra at the genital pubic center; associated with sexual and reproductive functioning; presides over the water element.

Tantra

Yoga of weaving the spiritual into the physical.

Tummo

The Tibetan word for Kundalini.

Udana Pran

Pranic currents from the throat to the top of the head; govern swallowing movements of throat and tongue.

Unmani Mudra

No-mind-mind puberty of stable consciousness.

Urdhva-reta

Upward refinement of the juice-current of life, the body's inherent capacity of "inner alchemy", or what is loosely known as sublimation.

Vairagha

Nonattachment arising from contentment and dispassion.

Vasanas

Deep-seated, strong desires in the unconscious.

Veda

The most ancient scriptures of Indian Philosophy

Virya

The quintessential distillate of sublimation, arising from virtuous activity.

Vishuddha chakra

The fifth or throat chakra located at the pit of the throat.

Viyoga

The hidden union that occurs when one believes that only separation exists.

Yama

Soteriological observances.

Yoga

(lit. "Union") The sate of oneness with the Self, with God; the practices leading to that state.

Yogi

One who practices yoga; also, one who has attained perfection through yogic practices.