Whether or not or not you attend yoga classes at a studio or observe on-line, you’ve greater than doubtless encountered some phrases that don’t sound English. It is as a result of an historic Indian language known as Sanskrit was traditionally used inside the observe of yoga, and some of those phrases are nonetheless used as we converse.
Whenever you’ve fallen in love with yoga and its unbelievable benefits, learning some Sanskrit phrases will help you larger understand what you may be doing in your mat and why. Don’t concern; you don’t need to be taught a model new language to get most likely probably the most out of your observe. Listed below are most likely a very powerful yoga phrases every yogi must know.
The Historic Language Of Sanskrit
Sanskrit is an historic language that originates inside the Indian subcontinent among the many many Hindu customized. It is the oldest of the entire Indo-European languages and has influenced many extra moderen Indian languages. Some people think about that Sanskrit was the first language of the universe as a result of it was the language used inside the earliest accepted scriptures of the human race; the Vedas.
Sanskrit was the predominant language in India until throughout the thirteenth century. In the mean time, it is primarily utilized in Hindu prayers, rituals, and Buddhist chants.
The Hyperlink Between Sanskrit And Yoga
Sanskrit appears in yoga as the standard yogic texts, harking back to Pantajali’s Yoga Sutras, had been written on this language. Although these texts have now been translated into English, using yoga’s Sanskrit roots is an integral part of preserving the standard observe of yoga.
Moreover, along with staying true to yoga’s roots, it is believed that Sanskrit phrases have potent religious vitality and should stimulate the vitality services inside us (known as the chakras). It is as a result of each letter of the Sanskrit alphabet carries extreme vibrational sound prime quality and each Sanskrit phrase has its private inherent sound and therapeutic properties. As a consequence of this truth, by the usage of Sanskrit terminology, we’ll advance alongside the path of yoga whereas staying true to its roots.
8 Sanskrit Phrases Every Yogi Needs To Know
Let’s start with among the many commonest Sanskrit phrases you will have most definitely already heard.
Yoga
Because of yoga is now a worldwide phenomenon, many people do not launch that yoga is a Sanskrit phrase. The phrase yoga interprets as “to yoke” nonetheless is finest described as “to unite” or “to hitch.” This union refers again to the turning into a member of of the ideas, physique, and spirit the observe evokes.
Yoga moreover refers again to the union between the particular person self and the divine. By the use of yoga, we uncover that we aren’t separate folks nonetheless part of the frequent vitality. As a consequence of this truth, this well-known Sanskrit phrase represents the frequent connection between folks, nature, and god.
Asana
Asana is one factor you do quite a lot of events in a yoga class. The Sanskrit phrase Asana means posture or yoga pose, nonetheless the literal translation is “seat.” That’s why a lot of the Sanskrit names of many yoga poses end in asana, harking back to Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold), Utkatasana (Chair Pose), and Dhanurasana (Bow Pose).
Hatha
Whenever you take a look on the schedule of any yoga studio, you’ll seemingly see a bunch of Sanskrit phrases for the class names. It is as a result of the observe of yoga has completely completely different lineages, which can be what everyone knows as we converse as yoga varieties.
Hatha yoga is doubtless one of many oldest and most acknowledged yoga varieties. The Sanskrit phrase Hatha means photo voltaic and moon (Ha: photo voltaic, Tha: moon). Thus, the purpose of Hatha Yoga is to steadiness the opposing forces (energies) inside the physique to hold you into entire harmony.
Vinyasa
Vinyasa is a technique of yoga categorized as flowing from one posture to the next and should suggest the transition between asanas. The English translation of vinyasa is “in a selected method,” which in vinyasa yoga refers again to the position of the poses.
Vinyasa means to hyperlink yoga poses collectively in a specific method. That’s with the breath, as you typically inhale into one pose, then exhale into the next.
Ashtanga
The yoga kind and lineage Ashtanga means “the eightfold path.” To interrupt the Sanskrit phrase down: Ashta means eight, and Anga means organ or physique half. Nonetheless, it is not about using eight completely completely different physique parts like in Muay Thai’s “art work of eight limbs.” As an alternative, the eightfold path in Ashtanga yoga refers again to the eight options of yoga observe, along with asana, meditation, and respiratory methods.
Shanti
Shanti is a widely known Sanskrit chant, usually chanted 3 occasions after the phrase Om. Shanti means peace, and chanting this Sanskrit phrase invokes peace and the highest of struggling for all dwelling points.
Chakra
The Sanskrit phrase Chakra interprets to “wheel” nonetheless refers again to the energetic services in our delicate our our bodies, which spin clockwise like wheels. We can’t see this vitality, nonetheless after we observe yoga, we work to open and cleanse the seven chakras so as that we are going to experience the constructive qualities of each one and switch alongside our religious path.
Prana
Prana means “life stress,” identical to the Chinese language language phrase Chi (moreover spelled qi). The literal translation is “life wind,” referring to the air we breathe. With out air, there is no life, so prana refers again to the essential act of respiratory that sustains life and the vitality that flows by the use of every dwelling issue.
12 Sanskrit Phrases To Improve Your Yoga Apply
By understanding the which implies behind these Sanskrit phrases, you’ll be able to take your yoga observe to a loads deeper stage.
Bandha
The Sanskrit phrase Bandha means “bond” or “bind” and refers to three energetic locks utilized in yoga to lock essential vitality. The three bandhas are the Jalandhara bandha, which happens when you tuck the chin to the chest, the Uddiyana bandha, which occurs when you contract the abdomen into the rib cage, and the Mula Bandha (contraction of the perineum).
Drishti
Drishti refers to imaginative and prescient and sight and is the focus in a yoga pose. Each asana has a selected Drishti; that is maybe to lookup, down, straight ahead, or to a specific physique half. As an example, in standing balances, your Drishti must be straight ahead on some extent that isn’t transferring.
Drishti might be utilized in meditation, usually on the tip of your nostril or between the eyebrows. In yoga and meditation, Drishti helps you common your ideas and focus.
Mudra
Mudra means “seal” and is the Sanskrit phrase for a symbolic hand gesture used for channeling vitality motion. Each mudra has a definite intention and distinctive qualities. Basically probably the most acknowledged mudra in yoga is the Gyan mudra, the place you be a part of the index finger to the thumb.
Mantra
A mantra is a chant of a selected Sanskrit phrase or group of phrases. When you chant sacred phrases or phrases, you experience their extremely efficient vibration. Chanting mantras moreover helps to clear your ideas and focus your vitality ahead of yoga or meditation observe. Some mantras require a selected rhythm or repetition to evoke the religious vitality it holds.
Pranayama
Pranayama comes from the inspiration phrase prana, which we talked about earlier. As prana means “life stress,” pranayama is about controlling that life stress, or in easier phrases, breath administration. All of us breathe repeatedly all by the day, nonetheless this is not what pranayama is. As an alternative, pranayama is conscious administration and route of the breath.
We’re in a position to administration our breath in some methods, and each strategy has a definite intention. As an example, some pranayamas are calming whereas others are energizing.
Dhyana
Dhyana is the Sanskrit phrase for meditation and is the seventh limb of the eight-limbed union taught in Ashtanga yoga and the yoga sutras. Dhyana refers again to the union of the ideas, physique, and soul you experience with inside peace and self-awareness.
Tantra
Tantra is doubtless probably the most misinterpreted phrases in Sanskrit. The Sanskrit phrase Tantra interprets to “loom” or “weave” and is a metaphorical time interval for a method diverse yogic teachings are woven into one self-discipline. It moreover refers to a selected tutorial textual content material launched as a dialogue between a god and a goddess.
Kundalini
Kundalini means “coiled vitality” or “coil of vitality”. The kundalini yoga lineage believes that every one of us have serpent vitality (the type of a coil) sitting dormant on the bottom of our spine (the Muladhara chakra). The practices of kundalini yoga help awaken that stress and produce it up by the use of the spine to the crown of the head, the place one will attain enlightenment.
Kriya
The most common translation for the Sanskrit phrase Kriya is “completed movement,” nonetheless it might even be described as a deed or effort. The muse “Kri” means to create; thus, Kriya refers again to the top results of that creation or movement.
In kundalini yoga, a kriya is a selected cleansing strategy, harking back to a form of breathwork. The results of a Kundalini kriya is to spice up consciousness and advance alongside your religious journey.
Nadi
Nadi means “energetic channel” or a tube the place vitality runs by the use of the physique. In yogic teachings, there are three Nadis inside us; the Ida Nadi (left channel), the Sushumna Nadi (central channel), and the Pingala Nadi (correct channel).
Agni
Throughout the Sanskrit language, Agni means fireplace, coming from the fireside god in Hindu mythology. This Hindu god is alleged to be the fireside of the photo voltaic, lightning, and the house and sacrificial hearth.
In yoga and Ayurveda, Agni refers again to the fragile pranic stress of the fireside side now now we have inside ourselves. Explicit yoga postures, respiratory methods, and meals can dampen or improve the Agni inside us.
Samadhi
Samadhi is the Sanskrit phrase for religious enlightenment and the ultimate of the eight limbs of yoga. As soon as we get hold of Samadhi, we attain a state of full union and, thus, get hold of the target of yoga. It is a state of transcendence, ecstasy, and bliss.
8 Sanskrit Phrases To Deepen Your Yoga Data Further
Have you ever ever been coaching yoga for a while and are intrigued about what’s previous the poses? In that case, these Sanskrit phrases will improve your yogic data significantly.
Dharma
Dharma is a stupendous Sanskrit phrase for objective. The phrase’s root means “to hold or to help” and is fastidiously linked to the thought of obligation. Thus, dharma refers to our distinctive objective in life and the exact lifestyle we should at all times adjust to.
Karma
Karma is a extensively recognized phrase to clarify the implications of our actions. It represents the religious regulation of set off and influence and the way in which we’re solely liable for what happens to us. Consistent with the regulation of Karma, what happens to a person happens as a consequence of their earlier actions.
Maya
Maya is the basic Hindu thought of illusion. It refers again to the formless god’s vitality (AKA the ideas) to make folks think about in what’s simply not precise and implies that the world we perceive by the use of our senses is inaccurate. It is as a result of the human ideas constructs a subjective experience of the world, which is not the final phrase actuality.
Ananda
The Sanskrit phrase Ananda means bliss, which in keeping with yogic and Hindu philosophy, is one of the best state of being. Throughout the historic Indian textual content material, the Upanishads, Ananda is an attribute of Brahman’s supreme being. This state is expert when you attain the final phrase goal of yoga, enlightenment, and the highest of the rebirth cycle.
Bhakti
The English translation of Bhakti is unfaltering devotion. It means loyalty or faith that is absolute and with out question. Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion, one among many oldest sorts of yoga. In Bhakti yoga, the target of reaching enlightenment is through worship and entails chanting and devotional singing.
Jnana
The Sanskrit phrase Jnana comes from one different of the oldest yoga varieties. Jnana means religious data, information, or deep understanding. In Jnana yoga, it is believed that you just get hold of union with the divine by gaining data inseparable from your complete experience of actuality.
Svadhyaya
Svadhyaya is doubtless one of many 5 Niyamas acknowledged inside the yoga sutras by Indian sage Patanjali. Svadhyaya refers to self-study and gaining self-awareness. In modern-day events, Svadhyaya is the inner work and personal development we do to larger understand ourselves, break free from our limiting beliefs, and launch the constraints of the ego.
Tapas
Whenever you envision small plates of delicious Mediterranean meals when you hear Tapas, you’ll be shocked to take heed to that moreover it’s a Sanskrit phrase. Tapas means self-discipline and is one different of the 5 Niyamas. Tapas is the period of heat attained by the use of exercising self-discipline. This vitality can then be used to understand religious vitality or purification.
Sanskrit Wall Decors To Maintain In Your Home
You probably can faucet into the extremely efficient qualities of Sanskrit phrases by speaking, chanting, or displaying them in your home as wall art work. Listed below are three gorgeous Sanskrit phrases and mantras which will add a contact of spirituality to your dwelling space.
12” Om Lotus Wall Paintings | 12” Diameter – 1/8” Thick | Wooden Wall Paintings, Crystal Grid, Chakras,…
Om (or Aum) might be probably the most usually chanted Sanskrit phrase. It is typically chanted firstly or end of a yoga class. There is no such thing as a such factor as a direct English translation for this phrase as Om, nonetheless it primarily means “the distinctive sound,” because it’s believed Om was the first sound to be created inside the universe and the one from which all completely different sounds come.
So why can we chant it whereas coaching yoga? Because of historic yogis believed that chanting om creates a sturdy vibration that helps you faucet into frequent vitality. Hanging this Om wall decor in your home will remind you of your connection to the divine.
Zen Decor, Namaste Wall Decor, Buddha Wall Paintings – 8×10 Poster Print for Yoga Meditation Room, Spa…
You solely should attend a few yoga classes to take heed to the well-known Sanskrit phrase Namaste. Many yoga lecturers end their courses by bringing their palms into the prayer place and saying Namaste to their school college students. Nonetheless what does Namaste suggest?
The literal translation of Namaste is “I bow to you.” Breaking down this Sanskrit phrase, Nama means bow, As means I, and Te means you. Nonetheless, one amongst Namaste’s hottest and pleasant interpretations is “The divine in me honors the divine in you.” As a consequence of this truth, it might be a greeting, a farewell, or only a method of exhibiting love and respect.
Namaste comes from the inspiration phrase Namaskar, the usual Indian gesture of respect, accompanied by palms in a prayer place and a slight bow. This Namaste wall poster choices the entire translation of this extremely efficient phrase and a stupendous Hamsa Hand Mandala design.
ExclusiveLane Terracotta Gayatri Mantra Wall Décor for Home | Religious/Spiritual Wall/Door Hanging…
The Gayatri Mantra is doubtless one of many oldest and most potent Sanskrit mantras. It is believed that chanting this mantra will enhance learning vitality and focus and brings prosperity. By hanging this terracotta Gayatri Mantra plaque in your wall, you probably can get hold of the qualities of this mantra all day prolonged.
The mantra interprets to “O Divine mother, may your pure divine light illuminate all realms (bodily, psychological, and religious) of our being. Please expel any darkness from our hearts and bestow upon us the true data.”
Remaining Concepts On Sanskrit Phrases
By learning these Sanskrit phrases, you’ll not solely know what your yoga coach is saying all through class, nonetheless you’ll moreover understand the observe on a deeper stage.
Should you want to improve your Sanskrit data extra, you probably can search a spiritual coach who’s well-rehearsed in Sanskrit that may show you how to be taught the right pronunciation. I moreover advocate learning The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit, an entire nonetheless accessible Sanskrit data for all ranges.
Thanks in your options!