Primary Words for Consideration: Suggestions for Sanskrit Words to Include in Teaching

Here you’ll find a list of relatively common Sanskrit words you may wish to be familiar with and consider teaching. You can test your knowledge by reviewing this list — alphabetized by Sanskrit name. Use the list in the next section— alphabetized by English name — to see more information and get links for further study.

  1. Ahimsa
  2. Asana
  3. AUM / Om
  4. Avidya
  5. Bandha
  6. Balasana
  7. Bhakti
  8. Chakra
  9. Citta Vrtti Nirodhah
  10. Drishti
  11. Hatha
  12. Karma
  13. Kosha
  14. Mantra
  15. Mudra
  16. Namaste / Namaskar
  17. Prana
  18. Pranayama
  19. Savasana
  20. Tadasana
  21. Tantra
  22. Vedas
  23. Yamas & Niyamas
  24. Yoga

Ahimsa

  • Pronunciation – uh-HIM-sah
  • Meaning – “non-harming,” “non-injury,” “consideration,” “love,” one of the yamas
  • Teaching Support – Yamas & Niyamas Overview

Asana

  • Pronunciation – AH-suh-nah
  • Note – It is not pronounced Uh-SAUNA-uh
  • Meaning – “seat,” “posture”
  • Teaching Support– Eight Limbs Asana Philosophy

AUM / Om

  • Pronunciation – AH – OH – MM
  • Meaning – the “primordial sound” or the “sound of the Universe,” a representation of Source
  • Teaching Support – Aum / Om

Avidya

  • Pronunciation – uh-VID-yah 
  • Meaning – the error of regarding the non-self as the Self
  • Teaching Support – Avidya 

Balasana

  • Pronunciation – bah-LAHS-anna
  • Meaning – Child’s Pose
  • Teaching Support – Restorative Yoga

Bandha

  • Pronunciation – BUHN-dah
  • Meaning – “to bind or lock”
  • Teaching Support – Bandhas

Bhakti

  • Pronunciation – BUHK-tee
  • Meaning – devotion
  • Teaching Support – Bhakti

Chakra

  • Pronunciation – CHUCK-ruh
  • Note– Although CHOCK-ruh and SHOCK-ruh are common pronunciations, CHUCK-ruh is correct
  • Audio – link
  • Meaning – “wheel,” literally the wheel of a wagon; metaphorically, psycho-energetic center of the subtle body, located along spinal column
  • Teaching Support – Chakras

Citta Vrtti Nirodhah

  • Pronunciation – CHITTA  VRIT–tee  Nee-ROAD-uh-huh
  • Audio – link and link
  • Meaning – mastery over the roaming tendencies of the mind
  • Teaching Support – Yoga Sutra 1.2

Drishti

  • Pronunciation – DRISH-tee
  • Meaning – “view/sight,” sometimes referred to as “yogic gazing”
  • Teaching Support – Drishti

Hatha

  • Pronunciation – HUH-tah
  • Note–Although HAW–thuh is a common pronunciation, HUH–tah is correct
  • Audio – link
  • Meaning – union of the sun and moon; Hatha Yoga is yoga through the body
  • Teaching Support – Branches or Paths of Yoga

Karma

  • Pronunciation – KAHR-muh 
  • Meaning – the law of universal causality; Karma Yoga is the yoga of action
  • Teaching Support – Branches or Paths of Yoga

Kosha

  • Pronunciation – KOH – shuh
  • Meaning – sheath, layer or body
  • Teaching Support – Koshas Intro

Mantra

  • Pronunciation – MUN-truh
  • Note– Although commonly pronounced MAHN-truh, MUN-truh is correct
  • Audio – link
  • Meaning – “to protect the mind,” “to think,” a sacred sound or phrase such as om that has a transformative effect on the mind
  • Teaching Support – Mantras Hub

Mudra

  • Pronunciation– MOO-drah
  • Meaning – “seal,” “symbol,” a hand or whole-body gesture
  • Teaching Support – Mudras

Namaste / Namaskar

  • Pronunciation – nah-MAH-stay
  • Audio– link and link
  • Meaning – “the light within me acknowledges and honors the light within you”
  • TeachingSupport – Namaste / Namaskar

Prana

  • Pronunciation – PRAH-nah
  • Meaning – “life force energy,” “life/breath,” the life force that sustains the body
  • Teaching Support – Energy & Subtle Body Anatomy

Pranayama

Savasana

  • Pronunciation – shuh-VAHS-anna
  • Note– It begins with SHU, not Su
  • Meaning – corpse pose
  • Teaching Support – Restorative Yoga

Tadasana

Tantra

  • Pronunciation – TUN-truh
  • Note – Although often pronounced, TAWN-truh, TUHN is correct
  • Audio– link
  • Meaning – to extend, expansive or whole; Tantra Yoga practices are designed to realize through experience that everything is divine and connected.
  • Teaching Support – Branches or Paths of Yoga

Veda

  • Pronunciation – VAY-duh
  • Audio– link
  • Meaning – “veda” = knowledge; The Vedas of India are revealed scriptures estimated to have been written between 3,000 and 6,000 years ago
  • Teaching Support – Origins & Sources of Yoga

Yamas & Niyamas

  • Pronunciation – YUHM-uh | NEE-yuh-muh 
  • Meaning – “yamas” (restraints) are principles of behavior in relationships; “niyamas” (observances) concern relationship with self
  • Teaching Support – Yamas & Niyamas Introduction & Overview

Yoga

  • Pronunciation – YOH-guh
  • Meaning – derived from “yuj” meaning to yoke or bind; a method of discipline that serves to connect or unify
  • Teaching Support – Defining Yoga