Ever gone to a yoga class and not understood half of what the instructor was saying. Yoga classes have their own language. There is the Sanskrit, the English transitions, individual instructor's nick names and every instructors use slightly different cues to walk you through their planned sequence.
Common terms:
Yoga = union. union of body, mind, and spirt
Asana = pose or posture
8 Limbs = 8 aspects of yoga
Easy Seat = comfortable cross-legged position
Tadasana = mountain pose. basically standing upright at the top of your mat and mindful of yourself
Chaturanga Dandasana = four limb staff or low plank, hover.
Savasana = corpse pose. laying down in complete relaxation
Sun Salutation A and B = traditional sequences that are commonly used to warm-up the body (more to come on this)
Heart Center = center of chest, sternum
Om = (A-U-M) tiny word/multitude of meanings. Often quoted as the “universal sound of consciousness”.
Prana = life energy
Namaste = it is actually a greeting not a farewell. Using this to close a class is an American phenomenon
Hatha = Ha (sun) Tha (moon) often used to describe slower-paced classes with no flow to them. Hatha is the basic style of yoga that forms the basis for most styles of yoga
Types of Yoga (there are more then listed below)
Vinyasa = varied sequences/dynamic flow with emphasis on mobility 30-60 minutes
Ashtanga=8 limb path. Traditional series of poses practiced in order. 90-120 minutes
Iyengar = alignment based and relies heavily on props, established by BKS Iyengar
Baptiste = power yoga. fast pace. typically 90 minutes 90*F heat
Hot Yoga = 26 poses done twice in 105*F heat/40% humidity
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