Yoga Exercise Dictionary

Avatar: A divine incarnation of God, usually incarnations of Vishnu and his wife Laksmi. Krishna and Rama are the two principal ones, while Buddha is considered the ninth avatar of Vishnu.

(See also: Avatar ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Yoga Instruction: Yoga instruction is a general term for a range of body-mind exercise practices used to access consciousness and encourage physical and mental well-being. Some forms concentrate on achieving perfection in posture and alignment of the body; others aim at mental control to access higher consciousness. Between these two forms are yogas that focus on the interrelationship of body, mind, and energy.

(See also: Yoga Instruction , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Hemi-Sync DEC training exercise: Derivative of Hemi-Sync designed for healing oneself and sending healing energy to others. DEC stands for Dolphin Energy Club. The Hemi-Sync DEC training exercise uses the dolphin as a symbol of intelligent universal energy.

(See also: Hemi-Sync DEC training exercise , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Bikram Yoga: A rigorous form of Yoga performed in a room heated to at least 95 degrees.  Each posture in the sequence is designed to safely stretch and open the body, in preparation for the next posture.

(See also: Bikram Yoga ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Breathing exercises , Ch'i Kung, Qi Gong, Qigong , Respiratory muscle training:

Therapeutic exercises aimed to deepen inspiration or expiration or even to alter the rate and rhythm of respiration.

(See also: Breathing exercises , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Basti - The purificatory exercise for congested bowels. Bhakta - Devotee.

(See also: Basti ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Characteristics of Vata

Physically such people are either very tall or very short, non- muscular, with thin and bony limbs and have a quick gait with short fast steps. Skin is generally thin, darkish and cool. The hair is thin, dark, coarse and either kinky or curly. The face is usually long and angular, often with an underdeveloped chin. The neck is thin and scrawny. Nose is small and narrow. May be long, crooked or asymmetrical also. Eyes tend to be small, narrow or sunken, dark brown or gray in color, with dull luster. The mouth being small, with thin, narrow or tight lips. Teeth are irregular, protruding, or broken, set in receding gums. And while the voice is weak, low or cracked, speech is fast with interruptions.

Creativity * Enthusiasm * Freedom * Generosity * Joy * Vitality

Vata people have restless minds and weak memories. They avoid confrontation. Have active and sensitive natures and express themselves through sport and creative pursuits. Likely to be artistic and creative with a good imagination, they will sometimes overindulge in pleasures. And are sexually the most active. Fearful, worrisome and anxious they are into questioning, theorising and over-analysis. Often dissatisfied with and unable to sustain friendships, they spend money quickly, often on trifles. With light, interrupted sleep of 5-7 hours a day.

Warm, well cooked food. Sweet, sour and salty tastes

Oil Massage

With calming and warming oils such as Mahanarayan Oil.

Exercise

Moderate exercise such as yoga, walking and light weights

Herbal Dietary supplements

Ashwagandha, shatavari, haritaki, Guggul, Trikatu ,Vata tea, Calming Tea.

Factors that increase vata

1.    Explosure to cold , no routine in yur life, eating to much dry, frozen or leftover food, or food with bitter, pungent or astringents taste.

2.    Fasting, too much traveling, too much or inappropriate exercise, suppressing natural urges, abdominal surgery.

3. Not oiling the skin.

(See also: VATA , Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Dictionary, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Abhyanga:  A specialized oil application and massage.

(See also: Abhyanga ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Laghoo shankhaprakshalana:

a shatkarma technique - also referred as the short intestinal wash. Involves the drinking of several glasses of water and the expelling it through stool after a series of exercises (asanas); in the process a thorough cleansing of the colon takes place.

(See also: Laghoo shankhaprakshalana ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Jada Kriya - Physical exercise.

(See also: Jada Kriya ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Ashtanga: The eight parts or stages into which the sage Patanjali divided Yoga.  He wrote a structural and functional analysis of the techniques, called the "Yoga Sutras" which to this day are still considered to be the single most definitive treatise on the subject.

(See also: Ashtanga ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Ardha Chandrasana: In Hatha Yoga, the Half-Moon posture.

(See also: Ardha Chandrasana ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

pranayama

The breath control exercises in the ashtanga-yoga system.

(See also: pranayama , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A dictionary Of Commonly Used Sanskrit terms. From Lac to Omkarasana.

Please note that all words in grey, like "yoga", "enlightenment" or "kundalini" are hyperlinked to archives further explaining the term. At the corresponding archive you will also find articles related to the term.

Amrit kalash: literally means "container of immortality".

(See also: Amrit kalash ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Yoga:

Yoga is an applied science of the mind and body, involving physical, mental and spiritual forms of practice. It comes from the Hindu Vedas (scriptures). Practice and study of it help to bring about a natural balance of body and mind in which the state of health can manifest itself. Yoga itself does not create health; rather, it creates an internal environment that allows the individual to come to his own state of dynamic balance, or health.

Basically, yoga teaches that a healthy person is a harmoniously integrated unit of body, mind and spirit. Therefore, good health requires a simple, natural diet, exercise in fresh air, a serene and untroubled mind and the awareness that main’s deepest and highest self is identical with the spirit of God. As a result, to many devotees, yoga becomes a philosophy that offers instruction and insight into every aspect of life: the spiritual, the mental and the physical.

(See also: Yoga , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

yoga:

yoga. (a) Union of the individual self or Atma with the Supreme Being or Universal Self; act of yoking. (b) A spiritual discipline or exercise aimed at control of the senses. (c) Science of divine communion. No single definition of the word yoga suffices. Patanjali's Yoga-sutras define yoga as a series of eight spiritual steps leading to union with God. This is different from the eight steps given in the section titled "The eightfold path of yoga" of Prasanthi Vahini.

(See also: yoga , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Bodhi: Enlightenment; the pursuit of pure truth without any attachment.  Prince Gautama, the Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree (actually a fig tree), determined to stay there until he experienced supreme enlightenment.

(See also: Bodhi ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Asana: Originally an immobile body posture; a seat or sitting posture that was used for meditation and to help facilitate perfect concentration. Hatha yoga developed this practice into a series of asanas or postures.

(See also: Asana ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Wai Lana Yoga: Videotape program or course of yogic exercises taught by Wai Lana, a musician and television personality born in Hong Kong. One of the principles of Wai Lana Yoga is that yogic bending, pushing, squeezing, stretching, and twisting bathes internal organs with vitality. Its theory posits chi.

(See also: Wai Lana Yoga , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Tantra: Literally a loom or warp. Tantra refers to a group of religious writings written over a period of 300 years, starting in the eighth century. The texts deal mainly with folk magic and rituals. The Tantras are in the form of a dialogue between Shiva and Shatki, and are best known for their blending of sensuality and religious practice.

(See also: Tantra ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)