What's that Mean?
(Pt 2 of some)
Do you need to know another Sanskrit yoga term? Definitely not. But some of us like to pronounce La Jolla correctly. We can order Veuve Clicquot ("Verve Klee Koh") like a native and Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana doesn't even faze use. Some of us, not me, can chant the Yoga Sutra without looking.
When I first started yoga, I was amazed that the teacher knew all these strange sounding names of poses. And, when I went to yoga school, it was daunting to learn not only the the poses, but names of the poses in English and Sanskrit. Many of us teachers unknowingly pronounce some words incorrectly. I know I do. The Sanskrit language not only pops up in your yoga class, but it's all over the ancient texts and sutras, the multi-armed deities, and MC Yogi's world beat, hip-hop, Bollywood, reggae, dancehall, house, dub music.
Last week I covered a few that you may hear and wonder, what the hell does that mean. Here's a few more.
Om Namah Shivaya - This common mantra is heard in many kirtan songs and chants. It starts many invocations, like the common one to Patanjali that begins the Ashtanga practice and the opening to Anusara classes. Generally, and I mean very generally, it means "I bow to the self."
Om (Aum) - You'll hear Om at the beginning and end of chants and mantras as well as many yoga classes. It's considered the primordial sound of the Universe. The A represents waking, the U, dreaming and the M, sleeping. It's said to be the "sum and substance of all the words that can emanate from the human throat."(2) When you chant Aum, try bringing the A from the belly, then rolling the U over the tongue and ending with the M on your lips. You'll feel a tingling and vibration if you close your lips at the end.
Yoga Sutra - The YS is a guidebook of classical, or raja (royal), yoga. Written at least 1,700 years ago, it's made up of 195 aphorisms, or words of wisdom. It is said to be written by Patanjali (below). I like how Judith Lasater describes the YS: "Sutra focuses on attaining the personal freedom that comes with self-awareness, we sometimes forget that his [Patanjali's] teachings have deep relevance for those of us struggling with the mystery of human relationships. Learning to live with others begins with learning to live with ourselves, and the Yoga Sutra provides many tools for both of these tasks".(4)
Patanjali - The man behind the Yoga Sutra. No one knows too much about this sage, however, he is considered the author of the Yoga Sutra. It's said he lived around the 2nd century BCE and was considered a bit of a Renaissance man, having written significantly on Ayurveda, Sanskrit and the Sutras. It is said he wrote the sutra to clarify and preserve the ancient oral teachings of yoga.(4) In many yoga classes you'll hear an invocation to Patanjali,
Prana - Considered the life force in your body. Like acupuncture, tai chi or qi gong, prana is the essential life force that sustains everything. One of the reasons you feel better after class is that you have moved life force in a way that is more balanced, complete or suited to your particular mental and physical needs (1) It is said that forward bends, increase the prana that calm, soothe and ground and that backbends unblock the prana forces and are more expansive and revitalizing.
Researching this article was crazy. There are curricula, books, scholarly papers, editorials, and Wikipedia, on all of these terms/concepts/words. As you can see, I just scratched the surface. I encourage all of you to take it a bit further.
(1) http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/2982
(2) http://hinduism.about.com/od/prayersmantras/a/The-Gayatri-Mantra.htm
(3) http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2208
(4) http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/455
Want to read some of my previous articles? You can do it here. Enjoy.
