Term	Definition
Abhaya mudra	gesture of fearlessness
Abhinivesha	fear of death
Adhara mudra	perineal mudra
Adharas	16 bases which support the body
Adharmic	not fulfilling one's natural role in life
Advaita	non-dual experience unity of the individual soul
Agni	fire, in all its aspects. Agni encompasses all fires, from the densest (the power of digestion) to the most rarefied (the essence of cosmic fire).
Agni mandala	zone of fire visualizing entire body in the form of agni
Agnisar kriya	practice of emptying the lungs and pumping the stomach to strengthen the diaphragm and lower stomach region
Agocharam	beyond sensory perception
Agochari mudra	another name for nasikagra drishti
Aham Bhramasmi	vedic mantra, I am Brahman'
Ahamkara	ego
Ahimsa	absence of violence from within non-violence
Ajapa japa	continuous, spontaneous repetition of mantra
Ajna chakra	third eye command center
Ajna mandala	ajna chakra symbol at the eyebrow center
Akara	form, link, continuity
Akasha	space ether
Akasha tattwa	ether element
Akashi mudra	awareness of the inner space practice of the external stage of dharana gazing into space with the head tilted back
Akhanda kirtan	ongoing, unbroken kirtan
Amaroli	auto-urine procedure drinking of one's own urine in order to detoxify the body and develop stamina and vitality
Anadi	endless
Anahada nada	unheard, unstuck sound
Anahata chakra	heart chakra or emotional center
Anahata kshetram	trigger point of anahata chakra
Ananda	everlasting bliss
Ananda samadhi	fourth state of samadhi blissful absorption
Anandamaya kosha	sheath or body of bliss, beatitude
Annamaya kosha	sheath or body of matter
Antah	inner
Antah karana	inner instrument experienced or manifest mind which includes the four aspects of manas, buddhi, chitta and ahamkara
Antar kumbhaka	internal breathe retention
Antar lakshya	internal aim to be aspired for in dharana
Antar mouna	inner silence meditative technique
Antaranga yoga	four internal stages of raja yoga
Anuman	inference
Anusandhana	discovery
Apah	water
Apana	sub-prana, which is located in the lower abdominal region, responsible for elimination and reproduction
Aparigraha	non-possessiveness
Ardhanareshwara	form of Shiva, which is half male and half female
Arjuna	one of the five Pandava back brothers he to whom Lord Krishna addressed the Bhagavad Gita
Artha	material need wealth
Asamprajnata samadhi	transitional stage of samadhi where the traces of the mind become active according to their intensity
Asamprayoge	not coming into contact
Asana	a physical posture in which one is at ease and in harmony with oneself
Asevitah	faith
Ashrama	four stages of life
Ashtanga yoga	eightfold path of yoga
Ashwini mudra	contraction of anal sphincter
Asmita	state where the ego and the sense of individuality are completely transcended and there is only pure awareness
Asmita klesha	feeling of 'I' identified with an action
Asmita samadhi	fifth state of samadhi dissolution of ego merging of body, mind and soul
Asteya	honesty
Asthi	bone found in the body tissues
Atadroop pratishtha	knowledge of false identity inability to link name with form
Atma	individual soul spirit
Aum	primordial sound mantra
Avachetan	subconscious
Avidya	ignorance lack of conscious awareness mistaking the non-eternal for the eternal confined cognition
Avyakta	unmanifest unseen
Awarohan	descending passage to the subtle body spinal passage
Ayurveda	vedic system of medical diagnosis and treatment
Bahir	external
Bahir kumbhaka	external breath retention
Bahir lakshya	external aim to focus on in order to achieve concentration
Bahiranga yoga	four external stages of raja yoga
Baikhari	audible sound produced by striking two objects
Bandha	psychic lock that concentrates the flow of energy in the body at one point or plexus postural contraction of the body
Basti	excretory cleansing technique for the intestines and colon
Beeja	seed
Bhadrasana	gentleman's pose
Bhagavad Gita	Lord Krishna's discourse to Arjuna delivered on the battlefield of Kurukshetra during the great Mahabharata war
Bhaja Govindam	ode to Shakti by Adi Shankaracharya
Bhakti	devotion
Bhal bhati	forehead bellows
Bhastrika pranayama	'bellows' breathing technique
Bhati	to shine
Bhava samadhi	absorption' in meditation due to emotional cause, e.g. kirtan
Bheda	to pass through, pierce, purify
Bhoochari mudra	practice of the external stage of dharana gazing into space after focusing on the finger nail of the hand held in front of the face
Bhoota	element
Bhrumadhya	eyebrow center
Bhrumadhya drishti	eyebrow center gazing
Bindu visarga	center or source of individual creation from where the psychic vibrations first emanate
Brahma	Lord of creation manifest force of life and creation potentiality of mooladhara chakra
Brahma dhyana	meditation on the concept of Brahma
Brahma granthi	perineal knot or psychic block
Brahma nadi	subtle pranic flow within sushumna nadi through which kundalini ascends
Brahmacharya	one who lives in higher consciousness sexual control redirection of sexual energy towards spiritual or meditational practices
Brahmacharya ashrama	first stage of life up to 25 years, which is devoted to study and learning
Brahman	absolute reality ever-expanding consciousness
Buddha	the enlightened one
Buddhi	discerning, discriminating aspect of mind from the root 'bodh', 'to be aware of', 'to know' intellect.
Chaitanya jyoti	eternal flame of spirit
Chakra	psychic center in the subtle body circle, wheel or vortex of energy conjugation point of the nadis
Chakrasana	wheel pose
Chandra bheda pranayama	breathing technique that pierces and purifies the ida nadi
Chandra mandala	another name for ajna mandala
Charvak	one of the six darshana or systems of Indian thought philosophy which accepts only the perceivable phenomena as valid, not the unperceivable
Chaturmas	four months of the rainy season
Chetana	consciousness unmanifest aspect of consciousness and energy
Chidakasha	space of consciousness experienced in the head region
Chidakasha dharana	technique of meditation involving awareness of the chidakasha
Chin mudra	attitude of chitta or consciousness upward hand position with thumb and first finger touching
Chit	eternal consciousness
Chit shakti	mental force governing the, subtle dimensions
Chitta	individual consciousness, including the subconscious and unconscious levels of mind memory, thinking, concentration, attention, enquiry
Chitta vritti	mental modification
Daharakasha	lower or deep space encompassing mooladhara, swadhisthana and manipura
Daharakasha dharana	concentration on the symbols of chakra and tattwa within the lower space
Dakshina nadi	another name for pingala nadi
Danta dhauti	method of cleaning the teeth
Darshana	to glimpse to see to have a vision
Deerghakaala	for a long period of time
Dehasamya	body stillness
Desha	place
Deva tattwa	{'first tattwa': 'the divine element'}
Devadutta	minor prana
Devata	deity
Devi	female deity goddess
Dhananjaya	minor prana
Dhara	stream, flow
Dharana	holding or binding of the mind to one point concentration
Dharma	the natural role we have to play in life ethical law duty
Dhatu	layers of tissue in the body
Dhauti	cleansing practices for the stomach region involving gentle washing with air, water, cloth or stick
Dhyana	meditation
Divya	divine
Divya loka	plane of divine or transcendental experience
Divyabhava	divine feeling
Doshas	humors of the physical body
Drashta	seer, observer awareness
Dridha bhoomihi	solid foundation
Drishti	vision, eyesight
Drishtisamya	stillness of vision
Drona	teacher of the Pandava and Kaurava princes from the Mahabharata epic
Durga	devi goddess representing energy
Dwesha	repulsion, aversion
Garbha	womb Ida
Gayatri mantra	vedic mantra of 24 matras or syllabes
Gherand Samhita	traditional yogic text by Rishi Gherand
Gomukasana	cow face pose
Granthis	psychic knots
Grihastha ashrama	second stage of life from 25-50 years householder
Guna	attribute, quality or nature of the phenomenal world
Guna rahita akasha	one of the five mental spaces of vyoma panchaka attributeless space
Gupta nadi	runs from the knees along the inside of the thighs into the perineum
Guru	one who dispels darkness
Hasta uttanasana	a pre-pranayama exercise
Hatha yoga	yoga of attaining physical and mental purity, and chanelling of the pranas in the body
Hatha Yoga Pradipika	yogic text, 'light on hatha yoga'
Himsa	anything which disrupts the natural flow of human perception and consciousness
Hiranya	golden
Hiranyagarbha	golden womb golden egg
Hreem	beeja mantra
Hridayakasha	space of the heart, experienced between manipura and vishuddhi chakra
Hridayakasha dharana	vedic meditative process involving concentration on the heart space
Ida nadi	major pranic channel in the body passive aspect of prana manifesting as mental force, chit shakti lunar force governing the manifest subtle dimension
Indra	king of the vedic gods
Indriyas	sensory organs
Ishwara	higher reality non-decaying principle of Samkhya philosophy unmanifest existence being non-changing principle or quality
Ishwara pranidhana	cultivation of faith in the higher reality
Iti	'through' or 'thus'
Jagriti	wakefulness
Jala	water
Jala neti	nasal cleansing using warm and saline water, or oil, ghee, milk, yogurt or amaroli
Jalandhara bandha	chin lock technique that frees ' the blockages of rudra granthi controls the network of nadis, nerves and blood vessels flowing to the brain
Janma chakra	wheel of life
Japa yoga	yoga of mantra repetition
Jaya	victory, success
Jiva	individual identity
Jnana	intuitive knowledge
Jnana kanda	path of knowledge
Jnana mudra	hand position that joins fingers and thumb gesture of intuitive knowledge
Jnana yoga	yoga of knowledge and wisdom attained through spontaneous self-analysis and investigation of abstract or speculative ideas
Jnanendriyas	five sensory organs
Jyoti mandir	temple of light
Kagra	tip
Kaivalya	state of consciousness beyond duality
Kala	time
Kala loka	plane that comes under the influence of time and its secondary aspect, space
Kama	emotional need or fulfillment
Kama dhauti	ways to clean the ears
Kapalbhati pranayama	frontal brain bellowing technique used to raise the pranic energy of the body and center it at ajna chakra
Kapalshodhan	variation of kapalbhati
Kapha	phlegm, one of the three humors described in ayurveda
Karana	cause
Kari	that which produces
Karma	action law of cause and effect, which shapes the destiny of each individual
Karma kanda	path of ritual
Karma shaya	deep layers of consciousness where the karma are stored in the form of impressions, symbols or archetypes
Karma yoga	yoga of action action performed with meditative awareness yoga of dynamic meditation
Karmendriyas	five physical organs of action (feet, hands, speech, excretory and reproductive organs)
Khechad mudra	tongue lock
Kirtan	singing of God's name
Kleem	beeja mantra
Koorma	tortoise
Koormasana	tortoise pose
Kosha	sheath or body
Krishna	incarnation of Vishnu
Kriya	action or motion
Kriya yoga	practices of kundalini yoga
Kukkutasana	cockerel pose
Kumbha	a pot
Kumbhaka	internal or external retention of breath
Kundalini	serpent power spiritual energy evolutionary potential
Kundalini yoga	path of yoga, which awakens the dormant spiritual force
Kunjal kriya	cleansing the stomach by voluntary vomiting using warm saline water
Kuru princes	opponents of the Pandava princes in the Mahabharata epic
Laghoo	short form
Lakshya	aim stage
Lalana upa chakra	minor chakra at the back of the throat
Lam	beeja mantra of mooladhara chakra
Laya	to dissolve
Laya yoga	yoga of conscious dissolution of individuality
Lokas	seven planes of consciousness
Madhya	intermediate
Madhya lakshya	intermediate stage
Maha	great
Maha bheda mudra	great piercing attitude
Maha mudra	great attitude
Maha samadhi	final liberation experienced on the departure of the spirit from the body
Mahabandha	great lock
Mahabharata	great epic of ancient India
Mahakasha	one of the five mental spaces of vyoma panchaka bright like the middle of the sun
Mahamrityunjaya mantra	a long universal mantra
Mahaprana	prana in its cosmic, unmanifest aspect
Mahat	greater mind
Majja	nerves found in the body tissues
Mala	garland
Mananat	bondage of mind
Manas	mind
Manasi	mental
Mandala	zone area pictorial representation
Manduki	frog
Manduki mudra	frog attitude
Mandukya Upanishad	one of the major Upanishads, which describes the three states of consciousness, represented by the three syllables of AUM
Manipura chakra	psychic center behind the navel, associated with vitality and energy city of jewels
Manomaya kosha	mental sheath or body Mantra? sound or vibration of power, which liberates the mind from bondage
Mantra yoga	path of yogawhich liberates the mind through sound vibration
Mantraha	force of vibration
Maya	illusion partial understanding wrong or false notions about self-identity
Mayurasana	peacock pose
Medha	fat found in the body tissues
Mehdra	plexus of the pranic body nadi plexus located just a few centimeters below the nave
Mitahara	balanced diet
Moksha	liberation freedom
Moola	root
Moola bandha	perineal lock technique for locating and awakening mooladhara chakra used to release brahma granthi
Mooladhara anusandhana	discovery of mooladhara chakra
Mooladhara chakra	root chakra, situated at the perineum seat of the primal energy
Mooladhara dhyana	practice involving visualization of mooladhara chakra and sensing the vortex of energy at this point
Mouna	silence
Mrityu tattwa	decay able element manifest aspect of tattwa
Mudra	psychic gesture psycho-physiological posture, movement or attitude.
Mukti	liberation
Mumsa	muscle found in the body tissues
Mumukshutva	desire for liberation
Nabho mudra	another name for khechari mudra
Nada	psychic or internal sound
Nada Yoga	yoga of internal sound
Nadi	prana flow or channel
Nadi shodhana	purification of nadis
Nadi shodhana pranayama	practice of alternate nostril breathing by which the pranic channels are purified
Naga	one of the five minor pranas
Nairantarya	continuously without a break
Nara	decaying principle
Nashwara	decaying principle described in Samkhya philosophy manifest existence becoming changeable
Nasi	nose
Nasikagra drishti	nose tip gazing
Nasikagra upa chakra	minor chakra at the nose tip
Natya mudras	dance mudras that express different attitudes or moods, such as love or anger
Nauli	practice of rotation of the abdominal muscles
Neti	cleansing practice for the head nasal cleaning
Nidra	deep sleep
Nigraha	control
Nirbeeja samadhi	final state of samadhi where there is absorption without seed total dissolution
Nirguna dhyana	meditation without gunas or qualities
Nirvichara dhyana	meditation without special attributes
Nirvichara samadhi	transitional stage of samadhi involving purification of memory which gives rise to true knowledge of the object of perception
Niyama	inner discipline
Nyaya	one of the six darshana or systems of Indian philosophy logic recognition of the real spiritual experience by the omniscient mind
Om Namah Shivaya	Shiva mantra 'I salute Shiva (consciousness)'
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudeva	Krishna mantra 'I salute Krishna (consciousness)'
Om Namo Narayana	Narayan or Vishnu mantra I salute Narayan (consciousness)
Padmasana	lotus pose
Pancha klesha	five afflictions (ignorance, ego, attraction, aversion and fear of, death)
Panchaka	five
Pandavas	the five brothers in the Mahabharata epic
Para nada	transcendental sound
Param	supreme
Paramakasha	one of the five mental spaces of vyoma panchaka deep, dark space with a twinkling star-like light state of shoonya, nothingness
Parigraha	collection
Pashubhava	instinctive personality
Pasyanti	mental
Patanjali	ancient rishi who codified the meditative stages and states into the system of raja yoga
Pawanmuktasana	series of wind releasing postures preliminary asana series
Pingala nadi	major pranic channel in the body which conducts the dynamic force manifesting as prana shakti
Pitta	bile,. One of the three humors described in ayurveda
Pooraka	inhalation
Poorna	full
Poorna dhanurasana	full bow pose
Poorva Mimamsa	one of the six darshana or systems of Indian philosophy in the form of answers contains theory of karma kanda or ritual
Prajna	knowledge with awareness the seer who observes the state of nidra the all knowing what is known represents the 'M' of AUM awareness of the 'one without a second'
Prakasha	light
Prakasha mandala	white light at the center of ajna chakra
Prakriti	individual nature
Pramana	direct knowledge knowledge based on direct experience
Prana	vital energy inherent vital force pervading every dimension of matter
Prana mudra	a technique of raising the prana
Prana nigraha	control of prana
Prana shakti	dynamic solar force governing the dimension of matter
Prana tattwa	third element representing the vital or life giving force
Prana vidya	knowledge and control of prana
Pranamaya kasha	energy sheath or body
Pranava	mantra Aum primal sound vibration
Pranava dhyana	meditation on the mantra Aum
Pranayama	expansion of the range of vital energy
Pranidhana	to believe in
Pranothana	awakening of the pranas in the different chakras
Pratishtha	awareness of identity
Pratyahara	withdrawal of the mind from the senses
Pratyaya	seeds or impressions in the field of consciousness, which do not disappear even in samadhi
Pravrittis	four instincts (i) desire for food, (ii) desire for sleep (iii) desire to procreate and (iv) fear of death
Prithvi	earth or matter
Purusha	totality of consciousness
Purusharthas	{'four efforts which man must make in order to fulfill his individual existence': '(i) artha (wealth), (ii) kama (love), (iii) dharma (duty), (iv) moksha (liberation)'}
Raga	attraction
Rahita	without
Raja yoga	yoga of awkening the psychic awareness and faculties through meditation
Rajas	one of the three gunas dynamism state of activity and the creativity combined with full ego involvement
Rakta	blood found in the body tissues
Rasa	serum found in the body tissues
Rechaka	exhalation
Rishi	seer realized sage one who contemplates or meditates on the Self
Rityam	the changing principle
Roodan	the cry
Roopa	form
Rud	to cry
Rudra	howling energy
Rudra granthi	psychic knot or block between ajna and sahasrara chakras
Sabeeja samadhi	absorption with seed where the form of awareness remains
Sadhaka	spiritual aspirant
Sadhana	spiritual practice
Saguna dhyana	meditation to develop awareness of the ttranscendental qualities
Sah	with
Sahaja	spontaneous easy
Sahaja samadhi	spontaneous meditative experience where the mind is totally withdrawn from the external world
Sahajoli mudra	contraction and release of the urinary passage in the female body to stimulate Swadhisthana chakra and promote brahmacharya
Sahasrara chakra	abode of Shiva or superconsciousness the thousand petalled lotus highest chakra or psychic center, which symbolizes the threshold between the psychic and spiritual realms located at the crown of the head
Sahita	combined with something
Sakama karma	ego-inspired actions
Sakshi	witness drashta aspect
Sam	perfect, balanced
Samadhi	culmination of meditation state of unity with the object of meditation and the universal consciousness
Samana	one of the five sub-pranas situated between the navel and diaphragm
Samapatti	complete absorption samadhi
Samkhya	one of the six darshana or systems of Indian philosophy associated with yoga based on the division of existence into purusha, prakr ti and a number of elements
Samprajnata samadhi	first sate of samadhi transcendental state where there is knowledge with awareness
Samskara	unconscious memories impressions that do not fit into the known categories of our present personality
Samya	stillness
Samyam	harmonious control culmination of pratyahara, dharana and samadhi
Sanatan	eternal
Sankalpa	resolve
Sannyasa	renunciation dedication
Sannyasa ashram	fourth stage of life from 75 years onwards total renunciation
Sanskrit	language of the gods; original vedic language
Santosha	contentment
Sapta	seven
Saptavatan	awareness of seven things simultaneously
Saraswati	goddess of learning
Sat	True
Satchitananda	three divine attribrates of truth, consciousness and bliss
Satkaara	with faith
Satsang	gathering in which the ideals and principles of truth are discussed
Sattwa	one of the three gunas pure, unadulterated quality state of luminosity and harmony
Sattwic	pertaining to sattwa
Satya	truth, reality
Satyam	the unchanging principle
Savdhan	attention alert
Savichara samadhi	third state of samadhi where the mind alternates between time, space and object
Savishesha dhyana	{'meditation with special qualities': 'awareness of the concept of Shakti as a powerful force equal to that of Brahman'}
Savitarka samadhi	second state of samadhi where there is alternating association of the consciousness between word, knowledge and sensory perception
Shaiva	one who worships Shiva as the supreme reality
Shaivism	practice of worshipping Shiva
Shakta	one who worships the various manifestations of Shakti in the form of Kali, Saraswati, Durga etc.
Shakti	primal energy manifest consciousness
Shaktism	practice of worshiping Shakti as the supreme reality
Shambhavi	name for Parvati, consort of Shiva
Shambhavi mudra	eyebrow center gazing
Shambhu	name for Shiva
Shankha mudra	conch Mudra
Shankhaprakshalana	cleaning the conch shatkarma that uses saline water to clean the small and large intestines
Shanmukhi mudra	closing the seven gates
Shat	six
Shatkarmas	group of six purificatory techniques of hatha yoga
Shaucha	cleanliness of the body
Sheetali pranayama	cooling breath breathing principle technique where the breath is drawn in through the folded tongue
Sheetkan pranayama	hissing breath practice of object drawing the breath in through clenched teeth
Shiva	pure consciousness
Shodhana	purification
Shoonya	nothingness void
Shuddha	pure in nature
Shuddhata	virtue purity
Shuddhi	to purify
Shukra, arthata	reproductive tissues in the body
Siddha	perfected being
Siddha yoni asana	female version of siddhasana
Siddhasana	accomplished pose
Siddhi	paranormal or supernormal accomplishment
Simhasana	lion pose
Smashan bhoomi	cremation ground
Smritti	memory memory field
Soham	mantra of the breath used in the practice of ajapa japa
Sthiti	condition
Sthoola	gross
Sukha poorvaka	simple preliminary practice
Sukhasana	easy pose
Sukshma	subtle dimension
Sumeru	mountain tassle on mala
Surya	sun
Surya bheda	pranayama that pierces and purifies the pingala nadi
Surya mandala	image of the sun visualized at the eyebrow center
Surya namaskara	salute to the sun series of 12 asanas for revitalizing prana
Surya tantra	path of realization through visualization and evocation of the vital energy within the sun
Surya vijnana	another name for surya tantra
Suryakasha	one of the five mental spaces of vyoma panchaka luminous space of the sun or the soul
Sushumna	central nadi in the spine, which conducts the kundalini or spiritual force from mooladhara to sahasrara
Sutra	threads of thought which outline the ancient spiritual texts
Sutra neti	nasal cleansing using a catheter
Sva, Swa	one's own
Swadharma	acceptance of one's own duty in life
Swadhisthana chakra	one's own abode second chakra associated with the sacral plexus
Swadhyaya	self study
Swami	master of the self
Swapna	dream state
Swara yoga	science of the breathing cycle
Swastikasana	auspicious pose
Tabla	Indian drums
Tadroop pratishta	knowledge of true identity linking of name with form
Tamas	one of the three gunas state of inertia or ignorance
Tamasic	pertaining to tamas
Tanmatra	nature, quality or essence of the five elements the sun visualized at
Tantra	ancient, universal science and culture which deals with the transcendence of human nature from the present level of evolution and understanding to transcendental level of knowledge, experience and awareness
Tapas	austerity heat process of burning impurities
Tarka	process of understanding through discussion and analysis
Tat	that
Tattwa	element
Tattwakasha	one of the five mental spaces of vyoma panchaka elemental space of perfect stillness
Tattwamaasi	Thou Art That vedic mantra
Teerthasthan	holy places of India
Tejas	luminosity golden light or flame the seer who observes the state of swapna
Tham, ksham	syllable or sound representing the sun or solar force
Trataka	to gaze steadily dharana practice of gazing steadily at one point to focus the mind
Trayate	freed, liberated
Trimoorti dhyana	{'meditation on the three aspects of personality': 'sattwa, rajas and tamas'}
Turiya	fourth dimension of consciousness super consciousness simultaneous awareness of all three states of consciousness
Tyaga	renunciation or gradual dissociation of the mind from worldly objects and from the seed of desire
Udana	one of the five sub-pranas energy located in the extremities of the body arms,legs and head
Uddiyana	to raise up', 'to fly up
Uddiyana Bandha	lock applied to the abdomen which causes the diaphragm to rise into the chest, thereby directing prana into sushumna
Ujjayi pranayama	psychic breathing performed by contracting the epiglottis, producing a light sonorous sound
Upa-pranas	five minor pranas responsible for such actions as sneezing, yawning, itching, belching and blinking
Upanishads	vedantic texts conveyed by ancient sages and seers containing their experiences and teachings on the ultimate reality
Upanshu	whispered sound
Upasana kanda	ritual of worship
Usha pan	drinking water through the nose traditional form of cold water neti
Uttara Mimamsa	one of the six darshana or systems of Indian philosophy which deals with the knowledge of ritual in the form of questions
Utthita Lolasana	swinging while standing pose a pre-pranayama exercise
Vacha	speech
Vairagya	non-attachment
Vaisheshika	a treatise on the subtle, causal and atomic principles in relation to the five elements
Vaishnava	one who worships Vishnu in the form of Rama, Krishna, Narayana etc.
Vaishnavism	sect of Vishnu
Vaishwa	manifest universe
Vaishwanara	seer who observes the manifest universe or the, external, waking consciousness
Vajrasana	thunderbolt pose
Vajroli Mudra	contraction and release of the urinary passage in the male body to stimulate swadhisthana chakra and promote brahmacharya
Vama dhauti	method of cleaning the stomach by voluntary vomiting includes kunjal kriya and vyaghra Kriya
Vanaprastha ashrama	third stage of life from 50-75 years retirement from worldly life in order to practise sadhana in relative seclusion
Vashishtasana	balancing asana invented by Sage Vashishta
Vastra dhauti	cleansing of the stomach and esophagus, using a cloth
Vata	wind, one of the three humors described in ayurveda
Vata nadi	nadi running along the back of the neck and head into the brain controls gas formation and elimination
Vatsara dhauti	form of stomach cleansing performed by drinking air through the mouth and belching
Vayu	wind, prana
Vedanta	one of the six darshana or systems of Indian philosophy the end of perceivable knowledge the mind experiencing its own limits and going beyond them gaining realization and understanding of that exploration
Vedas	ancient spiritual texts of the Sanatan Dharma
Veerabhava	warrior personality
Veerasana	warrior pose (also known as the philosopher's pose or the thinker's pose)
Vichara	reflection
Vidya	knowledge
Vidyut mandala	visualization of lightning within the white light of prakash mandala
Vijnana	intuitive ability of mind higher understanding
Vijnanamaya kosha	higher mental sheath or body
Vikalpa	fancy unfounded belief imagination
Vikshepa	dissipation
Vipareeta	inverted
Vipareeta karani mudra	inverted psychic attitude
Viparyaya	wrong knowledge
Vishaya	object
Vishnu granthi	psychic knot or block between manipura, anahata and vishuddhi chakras, symbolizing the bondage of personal and emotional attachment
Vishuddhi chakra	psychic center located at the level of the throat center of purification
Vishwa	eternal
Vitara	reasoning
Viveka	right knowledge or understanding
Vrischikasana	scorpion pose
Vritti	circular movement of consciousness mental and modifications described in raja yoga
Vyaghra kriya	cleansing the stomach by voluntary vomiting using warm saline water (performed on a full stomach)
Vyakta	manifest seen
Vyakta prang	manifest life force
Vyana	one of the sub-pranas reserve of pranic energy pervading the whole body
Vyoma	space
Vyoma Panchaka	the five subtle spaces
Yam	beeja mantra of anahata chakra
Yama	self-restraint, first step of ashtanga or raja yoga
Yantra	visual form of mantra used for concentration and meditation
Yoga angas	parts or aspects of yoga
Yoga mudra	psychic union pose
Yoga mudras	gestures, which help to channel the flow of prana in the body
Yoga nidra	technique of yogic or psychic sleep which induces deep relaxation
Yoga Sutras	ancient authorative text on raja yoga by Patanjali
Yoni	womb, source
Yoni mudra	attitude by which the primal energy inherent in the womb, or source of creation, is invoked