Glossary of Terms
Throughout our website there may be terms or words that are unfamiliar. On this page we aim to offer a description of those terms.
As you navigate our site you will find these words highlighted, and clicking on them will refer you back to this page if you need a refresher of the meaning.
As you navigate our site you will find these words highlighted, and clicking on them will refer you back to this page if you need a refresher of the meaning.
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alignment based
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focus on alignment in yoga means setting up a pose in order to maximize benefits and minimize the risk of injury. It means paying attention to the pose in a way that connects you with the observation of your body.
This precise approach is typically observed in Iyengar Yoga. |
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asana
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a yoga pose; the third limb of the eight-limbed path
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Ashtanga Yoga
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also known as the Eight Limbs of Yoga or Raja Yoga, 'ashtanga' means eight-limbed, and refers to the eightfold path outlined in the Yoga Sutras.
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Eight Limbs of Yoga
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yoga can be traced back to ancient wisdom scriptures called the Vedas. Patanjai brought together writings of Vedic knowledge known as the Yoga Sutras which describe eight limbs, or branches, of yoga that when practiced are designed to bring the practitioner liberation from suffering and achieve unbounded consciousness.
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mantra
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sacred sound for meditation
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meditation
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calming the fluctuations of the mind; the seventh limb of the eight-limbed path
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OM
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the cosmic sound vibration which includes all other sounds and vibrations; supreme consciousness as sound.
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pranayama
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yoga breathing techniques; the forth limb of the eight-limbed path
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Raja Yoga
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... or the 'royal' path. The practice of the eight-limbed path, or ashtanga yoga.
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vinyasa
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the conscious connection of breath to movement. Vinyasa classes, also known as vinyasa flow, have a rhythm to the movement that links one pose moving fluidly into another following the breath.
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Yoga Sutras
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The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, are the primary text of Raja Yoga. It consists of 196 aphorisms which offer a practical and philosophical guide for the study and practice of Yoga. Estimates of the origins of the Sutras range from 5,000 B.C. to 300 A.D.
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