The consciousness immanent in physical creatures and the physical cosmos.
The Yogic Encyclopedia
Agya Chakra
आज्ञा - ājñā
The sixth chakra or highest spinal center. The center of consciousness of enlightened beings.
Anahata Chakra
अनाहत - anāhata
The fourth chakra or heart center. Expresses as love, for either the divine or the material world.
Aparaprakriti
अपरप्रकृति - aparāprakṛti
The outer world that we can experience through the senses.
Asana
/ˈɑːsənə/ - आसन
Asana (the third “limb” of Ashtanga Yoga outlined by the sage Patanjali) means to be seated in a firm, pleasant, and relaxed position. Paramhansa Yogananda said that this means to keep the spine straight and the body relaxed. It is also a term commonly used to refer to a hatha yoga postures. Yoga postures, while having many great benefits , … Read More
Astral Body
/ˈastrəl ˈbädē/
The astral body is the type of body one possesses in the astral world, where most beings go after death. It is made of prana, or life force.
Astral world
/ˈastrəl wərld/
A world of energy rather than physical matter made of vibrations of light and color, where most physical beings go after death and before reincarnating. It is also full of astral beings, and is hundreds of times larger and more beautiful and joyous than the physical world.
Astrological Bangle
/ˌastrəˈläjikl ˈbaNGɡəl/
An astrological bangle is a band worn next to the skin which counteracts negative energy from the planets. Astrology is the study of humanity’s response to the planetary stimuli, the positive and negative radiations from the planets. Planets do not in themselves help or harm, but they act as a channel for people’s karma. Children are born at a time … Read More
AUM
ॐ
Aum (ॐ) is the vibration by which the Supreme Spirit brings all things into manifestation. It is the Holy Ghost of the Christian Trinity. Paramhansa Yogananda has explained that everything — all matter, all energy, all thoughts — exists in Aum. All major religions recognize this creative vibration, though they call it by different names. For example, the Bible calls … Read More
Bhakti Yoga
/bhākti/ - भक्ति
Bhakti yoga is union with God through devotion. A bhakti yogi thinks of God in personal terms. This helps the bhakti yogi to awaken love for God.
Bishuddha Chakra
विशुद्ध - bees shoo duh
The fifth chakra or throat center. Controls the voice and speech, and allows one to break through the veils of delusion.
Brahmacharya (Stage of Renunciation)
ब्रह्मचर्य - brɑːməˈtʃɑːrjə
The student stage of life. The first of four ashrams or stages of life in Hindu philosophy.
Brahmanadi
brahmanāḍi - ब्रह्मनाडि
The causal (deepest) spine. Raising one’s energy through the brahmanadi is the last test a yogi must go through to attain full union with the Divine.
Caste System
kæst ˈsɪstəm
System of four true castes or “races” of man. Based not on birth but on man’s natural capacities and goals of life.
Causal Body
/ˈkôzəl ˈbädē/
A body made of thought or ideas, rather than physical matter. A causal body is very similar to an individual soul.
Causal World
/ˈkôzəl wərld/
The world of ideas or thoughts. It is the most subtle of the three worlds, or the closest one to God.
Day of Brahma
ब्रह्मा - deɪ əv ˈbrəhmɑː
A period of one kalpa or a thousand mahayugas during which creation is manifested.
Gyana (Jnana) Yoga
/jñāna ˈjoʊɡə - ज्ञान योग
Union with the Divine through wisdom or knowledge of the Divine. It is also sometimes referred to as the path of discrimination.
Hatha Yoga
/ˌhäTHə ˈyōɡə/
Hatha Yoga, which literally means “union through discipline of force”, is a school of Yoga that stresses mastery of the body as a way of attaining a state of spiritual perfection in which the mind is withdrawn from external objects. Hatha Yoga has grown in popularity in the West as a form of exercise that develops strength, flexibility, bodily relaxation, and … Read More
Ida
ईडा - Idā
On either side of the (astral or energetic, not physical) spine there is an energetic nerve channel, or nadi : ida on the left and pingala on the right. Energy automatically moves up the ida nadi, and down the pingala nadi, along with the breath. When prana, or energy, travels upward through the ida nadi, the breath is automatically drawn … Read More
Manipura Chakra
मणिपूर - maṇipūra
The third chakra or lumbar center. Expresses as anger or fiery self-control.
Muladhara Chakra
मूलाधार - mūlādhāra
The first chakra or coccyx center. Supports an attitude of either perseverance or stubbornness.
Night of Brahma
ब्रह्मा - naɪt əv ˈbrəhmɑː
A period of one kalpa or a thousand mahayugas during which creation is unmanifested.
Nishkam Karma
niṣkāmakarma - निष्काम कर्म
Action without desire for the fruits of action that allows one to gradually and ultimately free oneself from the bondage of karma.
Param Mukta
परमुक्त
A supremely free soul that has been liberated from the actions committed by his soul in delusion during all incarnations.
Patanjali
Patañjali - पतञ्जलि
Patanjali in an ancient exponent of raja yoga and the author of the Yoga Sutras, a series of verses about the eight steps needed to attain Self-Realization. No one knows when he lived or much about his life, although there are stories. Although Patanajali was a yogi raised in the Hindu tradition, his sutras are general guidelines for spiritual growth … Read More
Pingala
piṅgala - पिङ्गल
On either side of the (astral or energetic, not physical) spine there is an energetic nerve channel, or nadi : ida on the left and pingala on the right. Energy automatically moves up the ida nadi, and down the pingala nadi, along with the breath. When apana, or downward-moving energy, travels down through the pingala nadi, its movement is related … Read More
Prana
prāṇa - प्राण
Can refer to energy, life, or breath. In other traditions it is called chi or qui. Energy Prana is the universal sea of energy that infuses and vitalizes all matter. This sea of energy coalesces into sub-atomic particles and atoms, which become the basic building blocks of all matter manifesting the physical world. So, every atom, molecule, and cell is … Read More
Pranayama
ˌpränəˈyämə - प्राणायाम
Pranayama (prana = energy + yama = control) is a type of meditation technique that involves various ways of controlling the breathing, with the goal being to withdraw ones senses from the outside world. This helps one to raise one’s prana (or Kundalini energy in this case) up the deep spine to the spiritual eye or sixth chakra, which brings … Read More
Pratyahara
प्रत्याहार
Pratyahara is the withdrawing of the mind and senses from the objects of the senses. It is the fifth limb, or requirement, to attain full Self-realization as outlined in the Yoga Sutras attributed to the sage Patanjali.
Rajas (or Rajoguna)
रजस् - ruhj-uh s
The activating element of nature. That which represents movement between the two opposing sides of duality.
Sahasrara Chakra
सहस्रार - sahasrāra
The seventh chakra or crown center. The center at which one attains liberation.
Sattwa (or Sattwa Guna)
सत्त्व - suht-vuh
The elevating quality of nature. That which lifts the soul toward divinity.
Sevaka Order
सेवक - seː.ʋək ˈɔrdər
A monastic order in relation to Ananda communities. Membership is comprised of single people as well as householders.
Smriti
स्मृति
In its root form smriti means “memory” or “remembrance.” In spiritual terms, it is the or memory of our soul nature — thus it also means “divine memory.” Smriti is referred to in the Bible, which says, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring … Read More
Sushumna
suṣumṇa - सुषुम्ण
The deep (astral or energetic, not physical) spine, through which Kundalini energy rises as a person advances spiritually. Generally, energy is not rising in the sushumna, but going outward through the senses. However, when one redirects this energy through pranayama techniques, it rises us through the sushumna to the spiritual eye, giving enlightenment. Kriya Yoga, a technique made popular by … Read More
Swadisthana Chakra
स्वाधिष्ठान - svādhiṣṭhāna
The second chakra or sacral center. Controls sexual energy and creativity.
Tamas (or Tamoguna)
तमस् - tuhm-uh s
The darkening quality of nature. That which obscures the underlying unity of life.
Vanaprastha
वनप्रस्थ - ˌvənəˈprəstə
The stage of partial retirement from worldly life. The third of four ashrams or stages of life in Hindu philosophy.
Yagya (Yajña)
यज्ञ
A sacrificial rite or performance of duty. It should be offered with devotion, without any desire for personal gain, and with firm belief in its rightness. Traditional yagas in Vedic culture were offerings of food, money, or cows for milk. They also were performed according to instructions written in Vedic scriptures. They were accompanied by other rituals such as prayers, … Read More