Beginners
Yoga 101: Speak No Sanskrit?
No Worries
All those foreign-sounding yoga terms can be intimidating. So you’re not lost in translation, here’s a dime-sized yoga dictionary that’ll have you fluent—or at least faking it convincingly.
We know: All those foreign-sounding yoga terms can be scary, especially if, like most of us, you don’t know squat when it comes to Sanskrit (that would be the Indic language used in many yoga books and studios). This can be a real obstacle; you wouldn’t jump at the chance to take a kickboxing class in Swahili, would you? So you’re not lost in translation, here’s a dime-sized yoga dictionary that’ll have you fluent—or at least faking it convincingly—in class.
ASANA (AH-sah-nah)
It literally means “[easy] seat,” but it’s any yoga posture. A series of asanas makes up a vinyasa, or flow.
CHAKRAS (SHA-kruhz)
The Sanskrit term chakra literally means “wheel” or “disc,” referring to the shape of these whirling energy centers that control the body’s vital organs. They correspond to nerve plexes, ganglia, and glands. When one’s organs are malfunctioning, it is because they lack sufficient life energy (hence, “My chakras are out of balance”). The seven principal chakras are situated along the spinal cord, from the base to the cranium and relate to reason, cognition, memory, will power, divine love, divine sight, and illumination. Seven others exist below the spine and relate to fear, anger, envy, selfishness, and other unenlightened traits. Those who can see chakras describe them as colorful and resembling a lotus flower.
Comments
11 Mar 2008, 21:33
12 Mar 2008, 09:54
Thanks for your great comment! We're so glad we can help you and other readers who are just as confused by Yoga-speak as we were when we started. Our tip for you, when you're not motivated, is to think of how amazing you feel after a class. Hopefully that'll get you back on the mat!