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Abhinivesha
Fear of death; lit. ‘clinging on to life’. One of the five Kleshas, which are at the root of all suffering.
Abhyasa
Repeated or even uninterrupted continuous practice.
Agamas
Testimony; revelation. Ancient theoretical and practical treatises on Yoga and Tantra in particular.
Ahamkara
Ego or the ‘I-maker’. The believe of self-consciousness or ‘I-ness’ and the tendency to identify oneself with external phenomena. The sense of duality and separateness from others. The mental faculty of individuation. One of the four parts that make up the human ‘mind’ (Manas, Chitta, Ahamkara and Buddhi).
Ahimsa
Non-violence. One of the five Yamas or social conducts.
Ajna Chakra
Center between eyebrows or more correctly so in the center of our head. Element of consciousness. 6th main Chakra.
Akasha
Ether, space. The principle of vacuity. One of the five basic elements known as the ‘Mahabhutas’.
Amrita
The sweet, spiritual nectar that flows from the Bindu and, permeating the whole body, transforms it.
Anahata Chakra
The heart centre. Element of air. 4th main Chakra.
Anahata Nada
Unstruck sound heard in the right ear during meditation.
Ananda
Spiritual bliss.
Ananta
Endless; serpent symbolising eternity.
Antaraya
Obstacles or hindrances.
Apana Vayu
One of the five internal ‘winds’ (Vayus), currents or organic Prana (subtle energy or life force) inside our body, that regulate the body’s energies and bodily functions. It controls the air in the abdominal sphere and is responsible for elimination.
Aparigraha
‘Non-hoarding’, non-posessiveness or ‘non-acquisitiveness’ of things. One of the five Yamas or social vows or conducts.
Arjuna
A mythical prince, the protagonist of the Bhagavad Gita.
Asana
Yoga posture. The third limb of Ashtanga Yoga. A physical position in which stability and comfort are being maintained.
Ashtanga
Eight limbs, which constitute the practice of classical Yoga as propounded by Maharishi Patanjali.
Asmita
Ego; feeling of ‘I-ness’ or the ‘I-maker’. One of the five Kleshas, which are at the root of all suffering or ‘Dukkha’.
Asteya
‘Non-stealing’ or ‘avoidance of stealing’ or not taking what is not ours. One of the five Yamas or social vows or conducts.
Ashwini Mudra
‘Gesture of a horse’. The contraction of the anal sphincter muscles.
Atharva Veda
One of the four main ancient Hindu scriptures. (The last one of the four).
Atman
The inner, highest transcendental Self.
Aum
The vocal or mental expression of the subtle, immanent vibration of the universe.
Avidya
Ignorance or not knowing; lack of wisdom; nescience. The major one of the five Kleshas, therefore also known as ‘Mother-Klesha’.
Ayurveda
Ancient Indian medical system based on the Vedas.