Yoga Terms You Should Know
Just like ballet dancers need to learn a few words of French and runners need to be able to hear and speak the Swedish word fartlek without giggling too much, people who practice yoga will do better if they understand Sanskrit and other terms that are common in yoga classes and yoga videos.
If you are good with yoga, I would love to hear what terms confused you in the beginning and what advice would you give to beginners to follow in their first sessions. In the meantime, here are a few terms that everyone should know:
- Namaste : A greeting in India which roughly translates to “I bow to the divine in you.” He usually opens and closes yoga classes; prepare to join your hands and bow your head. (Just look around and do what everyone else is doing.)
- Vinyasa : Continuous movement from one pose to another. Flow.
- Ashtanga, Bikram, Hatha, Yin, Iyengar : these are all different types of yoga. This table will help you determine which is right for you.
Poses in yoga are called asanas , with an emphasis on the first syllable, which sounds like “aaa”. Some have common English names, while others are as likely to hear a Sanskrit name as anything else.
- Downward-facing dog : The one with your hands on the ground and your butt in the air. You will do this many times.
- Sun Salutation : A stream in which you stand upright, bend over, enter the plank position, and move back again to stand up again. There are options, but here’s a video about one of the common ways to do it .
- Tadasana : standing upright, also called mountain pose.
- Chaturanga : Imagine doing a push-up, but stop halfway. If you can.
- Updog : No, this is not a joke ! This is short for face up dog, a position in which your shins are on the floor and your upper body is vertical. The cobra pose is similar: here is a photo of both .
- Utkatasana or Chair Pose: Similar to the squat but more elegant. Imagine that there is an invisible chair behind you and sit on it. If it’s too complicated, imagine it’s a bar stool.
- Virabhadrasana or warrior I, II and III : these are standing postures. In Warrior I, you have one foot in front of the mat, the other in the back, and looking forward. It looks like a lunge. In Warrior II, your chest is turned to face the side of the mat. And Warrior III is a balance on one leg. Here’s a guide to all three .
- Shavasana : Corpse pose, mostly lying on your back, doing nothing. Many yoga classes end with an awkwardly long shavasana session. No, the instructor did not abandon you. Probably. You are allowed to open your eyes to check.