Yoga Sanskrit terms

Buddhi: Meaning, the Intellect in Yoga Philosophy and Buddhi Yoga

Buddhi: Meaning, the Intellect in Yoga Philosophy and Buddhi Yoga

Buddhi (Sanskrit: बुद्धि) is the part of the mind that knows, judges and decides. It is usually translated as "intellect", but "discernment" is closer: in yoga philosophy buddhi is the faculty that looks at what the senses and thoughts bring in and settles what it is and what to do...
Posted on
Yoga Sanskrit terms
Manipura Chakra: Meaning, Location and How It Is Practised

Manipura Chakra: Meaning, Location and How It Is Practised

Manipura (Sanskrit: मणिपूर, maṇipūra) is the third of the seven main chakras in yoga, placed at the navel and often called the solar plexus chakra in English. The name means "city of jewels". In the yoga tradition it is the seat of fire: digestion, heat and the will to...
Posted on
Yoga Sanskrit terms
The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Patanjali's Eight Limbs Explained

The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Patanjali's Eight Limbs Explained

The 8 limbs of yoga are the eight practices Patanjali lists in the Yoga Sutras (2.29): yama (restraints), niyama (observances), asana (posture), pranayama (breath regulation), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption). Together...
Posted on
Yoga Sanskrit terms
Sutra Meaning: What a Sutra Is, and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Sutra Meaning: What a Sutra Is, and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

A sutra (Sanskrit: सूत्र, sūtra) is a short, compressed statement of a teaching, and also the name for a whole text built from such statements. The word means "thread". In yoga the best known example is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 195 short lines that set out what yoga is and how to...
Posted on
Yoga Sanskrit terms
Drishti: The Yoga Gaze, Its Meaning and the 9 Gazing Points

Drishti: The Yoga Gaze, Its Meaning and the 9 Gazing Points

Drishti (Sanskrit: दृष्टि, dṛṣṭi) means "sight", "gaze" or "view". In yoga it is the point you rest your eyes on while you hold a pose or sit in meditation: the tip of the nose, the hand, the toes, a spot on the floor. A steady gaze keeps your attention in the room and helps...
Posted on
Yoga Sanskrit terms
Asana: The Third of the 8 Limbs of Yoga Explained

Asana: The Third of the 8 Limbs of Yoga Explained

Yoga Philosophy
Mula Bandha Benefits: What the Root Lock Does and What It Does Not

Mula Bandha Benefits: What the Root Lock Does and What It Does Not

Yoga Lingo
Amrita Meaning: The Nectar of Immortality in Yoga and Hindu Texts

Amrita Meaning: The Nectar of Immortality in Yoga and Hindu Texts

Yoga Lingo