yoga

Word Meanings and Movement Descriptions in Yoga

Yoga is a physical, spiritual, and mental body fitness first practiced by the Indus-Sarasvati from Northern India during civilization in India. Yoga spread to the West through the Yoga gurus who migrated to the West for better work opportunities. It did not take long before the popularity of Yoga spread through the Western nations becoming the most practiced physical practice. Known for its health benefits, Yoga does more than toning muscles and burning calories but a total mind and body therapy. It combines stretching and strengthening poses that encourage interval deep breathing while exercising that has relaxation effects. Some techniques applied in Yoga practice are discussed below:

Sutra Study

Sutra studies are a collection of religious, classical writings about the school of Yoga that adheres to Indian philosophies. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali can be traced back to the early 1st millennium century when first such schools of thoughts were adopted. Initially, Sutras were oral traditions designed to prompt the memory as a majority of the population in those ancient days were illiterate. Sutras record significant religious as they contain critical religious figures from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. The Sutra literature has been translated into many languages over time playing essential roles in meditation during Yoga. The moves here involve lying down on a mat and bending your knees while spreading your legs to the edges of the carpet. Now you have to let your knees come gently together, placing both hands on the belly while closing your eyes.

Ahimsa

Ahimsa is a crucial spiritual doctrine in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism that emphasizes on respect for all living things, and to avoid violence and conflict towards others. For one to achieve pinnacles of ahimsa, they have to practice being non-violent either towards one’s self or towards others. One has to refrain entirely from using violent words or actions. Thus, there must be a total absence of any form of violence from one's spirit, body, and mind. The movements for ahimsa during yoga include the Lotus Mudra where one brings their hands together at their heart with all fingers apart while drawing inspirations while maintaining this pose.

Satya

This is the Sanskrit word for truth and refers to virtues in the Indian religion where an assertion of one being truthful in their actions, speech, and thoughts. Satya plays a critical role in Yoga as it makes one of the five yamas that represent moral restraint from one living a falsehood life full of distortions in one's expressions and actions. The many ways of making body movements include the kali mudra posture. With this, one is required to bring their hands together with all fingers interlaced except the index fingers. The index fingers represent a sword that one uses to slay illusions.

Asteya

This Sanskrit word from the Indian culture means "non-stealing" and is one of the ten yamas and nimayas of Yoga. Asteya is a Yama that emphasizes more than just the physical taking of something from someone else as it has several layers of meaning and depth. Ironically, Asteya does not concentrate much on the physical stealing of valuables but emphasizes on stealing the most precious non-renewable resource of all, which is time. One has to manage his or her time well to succeed, and anyone taking away that from another person is committing a serious crime. The hand mudra is an example of a movement in asteya, which gestures the art of receiving or offering. The move entails reaching your arms out while radiating your upturned palms and signifies releasing the fear of not having enough.

Brahmacharya

In Indian religion, Brahmacharya means going after the teacher (Brahman) and encouraged people who engaged in the practice of Yoga to conserve sexual energy. This meant that one could progress further in their path of yoga if they followed the teachings of brahmacharya and used their power the right way. Being one of the tenets of Yama, brahmacharya evokes a sense of directing one's energy away from physical desires and is a big promoter of celibacy. The movement for brahmacharya in yoga entails coming onto your knees with your toes touching and relaxing one's belly on your thighs to take the pose of a child.

Aparigraha

In Indian philosophical literature and yoga, aparigraha is the virtue of one not being possessive or driven by greed. It is the total opposite of parigraph, which refers to the desire to be materialistic in life. An individual has to practice the art of living life with only what one needs to stay alive and let go when the time comes. The Ganesha mudra is an example of body movement here and involves swiveling the hands so that the fingertips are pointing towards opposite elbows with your right palm facing your heart.

Saucha

Saucha is a yoga practice, which directly translates to "cleanliness," "purity" and "clearness" and is one of the first niyamas that form the second limb of yoga. This Sanskrit word covers the cleanliness of the body and the purity of mind as an embodiment of a complete person. Saucha reminds the people who practice yoga the importance of staying healthy and taking good care of one's body and mind pure. The practice of Saucha emphasizes cleaning of the environment because a clean environment would translate to a clean human being. Body movement in Saucha yoga like the leg-up-the-wall pose entails lowering down and extending your legs directly above the hips.

Santosha

The feeling of contentment is a virtue that comes from the Sanskrit word Santosha in the Hindu, Buddha, and Jainism. Even though many have not understood the meaning of practicing santosha, people who practice yoga believe that one can derive the feeling of complete acceptance or contentment however hard it might seem. Practicing Santosha makes one have positivity in life and not concentrate on their undoing. The Jnana Mudra is one of the simplest movements involving just the hands. Tuck the tips of each index finger underneath the thumbs in a gesture of wisdom.

Tapas

Tapas in Hinduism refer to the "inner heat" that always leads to one achieving spiritual power or purification. The practice of Tapas is associated with yogic discipline that acts as a way of purifying the body in preparation for difficult spiritual exercises that lead to self-liberation (moksha). Jainism distinguishes between external tapas like fasting and internal tapas as contemplation and confession that leaves one feeling purified and renewed. The tapas movement includes the forearm plank that requires one to move into the Sphinx Pose while propped up on your forearms with toes curled. The next move is to exhale and pull your body off the ground, maintaining that posture while pulling your shoulders away from each other to avoid collapsing the chest.

Svadhyaya

This Sanskrit word translates to self-study and self-realization and is part of the threefold practice of kriya yoga. Usually, Svadhyaya always reveals itself in the traditional yoga teaching of the ocean and its waves with each wave traveling on the surface of the earth likened to an individual being. In yoga, svadhyaya moves entail doing seated forward bends and downward dogs. An example is the lotus pose where one seat comfortable down on a mat with the top of the feet resting on opposite thighs. One can also sit on a block or bolster for additional support.

Ishvara Pranidhana

Being the very last Niyama, Ishvara Pranidhana teaches us to surrender to the almighty one, God in this case, as yoga teachings acknowledge the existence of something bigger and more profound that exists other than ourselves. Thus, one needs to let go and surrender oneself to the most powerful and higher being and devote our actions to the higher power to live happily. Yoga moves for Ishvara Pranidhana entail "bowing" as a sign of recognizing the source. One can also take the prayer pose by lying on one's belly, then resting your forehead on the ground and extending your arms in front of you.

References

Birch, J. (2015). The Yogatārāvalī and the Hidden History of Yoga. Nāmarūpa: Categories of Indian Thought, 20, 4-13.

Bryant, E. F. (2015). The yoga sutras of Patanjali: A new edition, translation, and commentary. North Point Press.

Coates, R. A. (2015). Deep Breathing and Downward Dog: Supporting Students with an EBD through Yoga.