Glossary

Adwaita: non-dual; the concept of oneness. Agni: fire. Ajapa japa: meditational practice in which mantra is repeated in coordination with the ingoing and outgoing breath. Ajna chakra: the psychic command center situated in the midbrain. Akasha: ethereal tspace, e.g. the inner space before the forehead known as chidakasha, the heart space known as hridayakasha, and the ether of outer space known as mahakasha. Amaroli: yogic tantric practice in which the urine is used either internally or externally for mental and physical health. Amrit: psychic nectar which is secreted in bindu and drops from lalana chakra to vishuddhi chakra, causing a feeling of blissful intoxication. Amygdala: small area of grey matter in the temporal lobe, part of the limbic system. Anahata chakra: the psychic center related to the region of the heart. Anandamaya kosha: transcendental dimension; personal and collective unconscious. Annamaya kosha: the physical body or level of existence; the conscious aspect. Aorta: largest artery of the body, which takes oxygenated blood from the heart for distribution throughout the body. Apana: vital energy in the lower part of the body, below the navel. Asana: a steady and comfortable position of the body. Ashram: yogic community where the inmates live and work equally under the guidance of a guru. Astral body: the subtle, psychic body; finer than the physical body. Atman: the pure self, beyond body and mind. Atma shakti: spiritual force. Aushadi: awakening of spiritual power through the use of herbs or plant preparations. Autogenic training: psychotherapy that works with the body and mind simultaneously; learning to manipulate the bodily functions through the mind. Avatara: divine incarnation. Avidya: ignorance. Awareness: the faculty of conscious knowing. Ballistocardiograph: machine which measures small body motions accompanying the movement of blood through the circulatory system. Bandha: psychomuscular energy lock which redirects the flow of psychic energy in the body. Bhajan: devotional song. Bhakta: one who follows the path of bhakti yoga. Bhaktiyoga: the yoga of devotion. Bhrumadhya: the eyebrow center; kshetram or contact point for ajna chakra. Bija mantra: seed sound; a basic mantra or vibration which has its origin in trance consciousness. Bindu: the psychic center situated at the top back of the head; a point or drop which is the substratum of the whole cosmos, the seat of total creation. Brahma: the divine spirit, Hindu god; creator of the universe. Brahmacharya: control and redirection of sexual energy towards spiritual awakening. Brahma granthi: knot of creation. Psycho muscular knot in the perineum which must be released for kundalini to enter and ascend through sushumna nadi. It symbolizes the blockage posed by material and sensual attachment. Brahmamuhurta : the time between 4 and 6 am. This is the sattvic time of day, best suited to yogic sadhana. Brahman: absolute reality. Brahma nadi: the most subtle pranic flow within the sushumna nadi. Brahmin: a member of the highest Hindu caste, namely the priestly caste. Buddhi: the higher intelligence, concerned with real wisdom; the faculty of valuing things for the advancement of life and conscious awareness. Causal body: the body you experience in deep sleep and in certain types of samadhi. Central canal: the hollow passage within the spinal cord. In the subtle body, this is the path of sushumna nadi. Cerebral cortex: grey matter on the surface of the brain responsible for higher mental functions. Cerebrospinal fluid: (GSF) cushion of fluid protecting the brain and spinal cord. Cervical plexus: autonornic nerve plexus in the neck associated with vishuddhi chakra. Cervix: the circular opening leading into the womb; seat of mooladhara chakra in the female body. Chakra : literally ‘wheel or vortex’; major psychic center in the subtle body, responsible for specific physiological and psychic functions. Chela: disciple. Chitta: mind; conscious, subconscious and unconscious levels of the brain. Cingulate gyfus: a convolution of the brain, part of the limbic system. Coccygeal plexus: small nerve plexus at the base of the spine behind the pelvic cavity, related to swadhisthana chakra. Consciousness: the medium of universal and individual awareness. Corpus callosum: fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain. Deity: a form of divinity, a divine being having subordinate functions. Devata: divine power. Devi: a goddess; a manifestation of Shakti. Dharana: concentration; continuity of mental process on one object or idea without leaving it. Dharma: duty; code of harmonious living; spiritual path. Dhumra lingam: smoky (obscured) lingam; the symbol of Shiva as manifest in mooladhara chakra. Dhyana: meditation, in the sense of intense meditation for an extended period of time. Diksha: initiation into spiritual life by a guru. Dopamine: chemical involved in the excitatory systems of the brain. Durga: Hindu goddess; a personification of Shakti, pictured riding upon a tiger, to whom personal ambition is rendered. Dwaita: the philosophy of dualism in which man and God are considered to be separated. EGG: electrocardiogram. Tracing of electric current current produced by nerve cells in the brain. EMG: electromyography. Recording of electrical properties of muscles. Epiglottis: flap of cartilage at the back of the throat which integrates the swallowing and breathing processes. Frontal lobe: anterior portion of the brain containing the motor area. Ganga: the river Ganges, the longest and most sacred river in India. Gauss : measurement of intensity of a magnetic field. Granthis: the three psychic knots on the sushumna nadi which hinder the upward passage of kundalini - brahma granthi, vishnu granthi and rudra granthi. Gunas: the three qualities of matter or prakriti - tamas, rajas and sattva. Guru: literally, ‘he who dispels darkness’; the spiritual master or teacher. Guru chakra: another name for ajna chakra, the eye of intuition; through which the inner guru’s guidance manifests. Gyanayoga: path of yoga concerned directly with knowledge, self-awareness. Gyanendriyas: the organs of knowledge or sensory organs such as eyes, ears, skin, etc. Hatha yoga: a system of yoga which specially deals with practices for bodily purification. Hippocampus: an elevation on the floor of the lateral ventricle, part of the limbic system. Hiranyagarbha: the golden egg; womb of consciousness, the seat of supreme awareness in the crown of the head; known as sahasrara chakra. Hridayakasha: the etheric space visualized within the heart; the heart space. Hypo-metabolic state: state of lowered metabolism, for example, decrease in respiratory, circulatory and secretory rates. Hypothalamus: portion of the brain that integrates temperature, sleep, food intake, development of sexual characteristics and endocrine activity. Ida: major psychic channel which conducts manas shakti, mental energy, located on the left side of the psychic body; the ‘ha’ of hatha yoga. Indriyas: sense organs. Ishta devata: one’s personal symbol, form or vision of God. Itarakhya lingam: symbol of Shiva in ajna chakra. Jalandhara bandha: chin lock. It compresses the prana in the trunk of the body and thereby helps to control psychic energy. Japa: repetition of a mantra until it becomes the spontaneous form of your conscious awareness. Jivanmukta: liberated soul, one who has attained self-realization or moksha. Jivatma: the individual soul. Jyotir lingam: the symbol of Shiva in sahasrara chakra. This lingam is of pure white light, symbolizing illumined astral consciousness. Kabbalah: text dealing with the esoteric mysticism of the Judaic religion. Kali: form of Shakti who arouses terror and fear, destroyer of ignorance in her devotees. Karma: actions, work, the inherent subconscious imprints which make a person act. Karma yoga: action performed unselfishly, for the welfare of others and the fulfillment of dharma. Karmendriyas: organs of action, e.g. feet, hands, vocal chords, anus, sexual organs, etc. Kevala kumbhaka: spontaneous breath retention. Khechari mudra: mudra of hatha yoga and tantra, in which the tongue passes back into the pharynx to stimulate the flow of amrit from lalana chakra, activating vishuddhi chakra. Kirtan: repetition of mantras set to music. Koshas: sheaths or bodies. Kshetram: contact centers for the chakras. They are found in the front of the body. Kumbhaka: breath retention. Kurma nadi: (tortoise nadi) nadi associated with vishuddhi chakra. Its control brings the ability to live without physical sustenance. Lalana chakra: minor chakra in the region of the back wall of the pharynx, where amrit is stored from bindu and released to vishuddhi. Limbic system: group of structures in the brain associated with certain aspects of emotion and behavior. Lingam: symbol representing Lord Shiva; the male aspect of creation; symbol of the astral body. Loka: world, dimension or plane of existence or consciousness. Lord Shiva: archetypal renunciate and yogi who dwells in meditation high in the Himalayas; Hindu god; destroyer of the universe. Madya: wine; also refers to spiritual intoxication resulting from drinking the nectar of immortality, amrit. Mahakala: great or endless time. Mahatma: great soul. Maithuna: literally ‘sacrifice’; sexual union with a spiritual purpose. Mala: a rosary-like string of beads used in meditational practices. Manas: one aspect of mind; the mental faculty of comparing, classifying and reasoning. Manas shakti: mental force. Mandala: tantric diagram used for meditation. Manic depression: psychosis marked by severe mood swings. Manomaya kosha: mental dimension; conscious and subconscious aspects. Mantra: sound or series of sounds having physical, psychic or spiritual potency when recited in a certain prescribed manner. Marga: path. Matra: unit of measure. Maya: principle of illusion. Moksha: liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. Moola bandha: yogic practice of stimulating mooladhara chakra for the awakening of kundalini. It is practised by contracting the perineum in males, or the cervix in females. Mudra: a psychic attitude often expressed by a physical gesture, movement or posture, which affects the flow of psychic energy in the body. Nada: sound, especially inner sound. Nadayoga: the yoga of subtle sound. Nadis: psychic channels for the distribution of prana in the astral body. Neti: hatha yoga cleansing technique in which warm saline water is passed through the nasal passages; one of the shatkarmas. Nirvana: enlightenment, samadhi; harmony between the individual consciousness and the universal consciousness. Nivritti marga: the path leading back in towards the source from which we have first come. Nuclear fission: the process of extracting energy from matter by splitting the atom. Om: the underlying’sound of creation; the mantra from which all others have come. Paranoia: chronic mental disorder characterized by delusions or hallucinations. Parasympathetic nervous system: division of the autoncmic (involuntary) nervous system concerned with restorative processes and relaxation of the body and mind. Pashu: the instinctual or animal aspect of man’s nature. Pineal gland:, small pine-cone shaped endocrine gland in the midbrain directly behind the eyebrow center; the physical correlate of ajna chakra. Pingala: the conductor and channel of prana shakti or vital force, located on the right side of the psychic body; the ’tha’ of hatha yoga. Prakriti: the basic substance or principle of the entire phenomenal or manifest world, composed of the three gunas (triguna) or attributes. Prana: the life force in the body; bioenergy in general; the vital energy which operates in the region of the heart and lungs; the psychic equivalent of the physical breath. Pranamaya kosha: energy dimension; conscious aspect. Prana shakti: pranic or vital force. Pranayama: yogic practice of manipulating and controlling the flow of prana in thesubtle body by controlling the respiratory process. Pranotthana: the impulses which pass up sushumna nadi to the higher centers of the brain when a chakra is transiently aroused. These impulses purify the sushumna passage in preparation for sustained kundalini awakening. Pravritti marga: the path of expansion outwards into greater and greater manifestation, further away from the source of our origin. Psi: psychic phenomena. Psyche: the total mental aspect of man. Psychosis:’ major mental disorder characterized by loss of contact with reality. Purushai consciousness:; the spirit or pure self. Raja yoga: eightfold path of yoga formulated by Patanjali. It begins with mental stability and proceeds to the highest state of samadhi. Rajo guna: the guna of prakriti characterized by restlessness, activity and ambition. Rakshasa: demon; negative or self-defeating force. Reticular activating system: (RAS) that part of the brain-stem especially concerned with arousal from sleep and maintenance of the alert, waking state of consciousness. Rishi: seer or sage; who realizes the truth directly. Rolfing: structural integration. Deep massage to rebalance the body structures. Rudra granthi: (also known as Shiva granthi) the knot of Shiva. This is the psychic knot within ajna chakra, which symbolizes attachment to siddhis or higher mental attributes which must be transcended before full awakening of kundalini can occur. Sacral plexus: nerve plexus in the back wall of the pelvis associated with swadhisthana and rnooladhara chakras, and responsible for the functioning of the urinary and reproductive systems. Sadhaka: a student of spiritual practices. Sadhana: spiritual discipline or practice. Sadhu: a holy man. Sahajoli: the form of vajroji mudra practised by women; contraction of the urito-ovarian system. Sahasrara: the thousand petalled lotus or chakra manifesting at the top of the head; the highest psychic center; the threshold between psychic and spiritual realms which contains all the chakras below it. Samadhi: state of being above mortal existence; all-knowing and all-pervading state of being; the fulfillment of meditation; state of union with the object of meditation and the universal consciousness. Samana: vital energy operating in the region of the navel. Sumkhya: the ancient scientific philosophy of India which classifies all that is known without reference to an external power (God). Samskara: past mental impression; archetype. Sandhya: ritual worship conducted at dawn, noon and evening. Sangha: associations, company, acquaintances. Sankalpa: spiritual resolve. Sankalpa shakti: the power of will. Sannyasa: total renunciation, perfect dedication. Satsang: spiritual instruction, discussion and guidance from an illumined being or guru. Sattva: one of the three gunas of prakriti; the pure or equilibrated state of mind or nature. Saundarya Lahari: tan trie prayer of Adi Shankaracharya. Schizophrenia: severe mental/emotional disturbance characterized by hallucinations and disconnection between thoughts, feelings and actions. Schumann resonance: magnetic resonance of the earth - 7 cycles/second. Shabda: sound or word; the materially creative principle. Shaivism: philosophy of Shiva worship, perhaps the most ancient faith in the world. Shakti: power, energy; the feminine aspect of creation; the force expressed through all manifested phenomena. Shambhavi mudra: mudra named after Shambhu (Shiva); focusing the eyes on bhrumadhya. Shankhaprakshalana: a method of cleansing the entire alimentary canal. Shanti: peace. Shastras: scriptures. Shatkarmas: the sis cleansing or purifying techniques of hatha yoga. Shiva lingam: oval-shaped stone which is the symbol of Shiva, consciousness or the astral body. Shoonya, shoonyata: the state of absolute nothingness or void; mental vacuum. Shuddhi: purification. Siddha: adept, yogi; one who has control over nature, matter and the mind. Siddhi: perfection; one of the eight occult powers; a psychic power associated with awakening of chakra functions. Solar plexus: intersection of a group of nerves in the abdominal region; the physical manifestation of manipura chakra. Soma: amrit; a plant used by the rishis of ancient India for the purpose of spiritual awakening and immortality. Sushumna nadi: the most important psychic passageway. It flows in the central canal within the spinal cord. Swadhisthana chakra: the psychic center corresponding to the coccyx or pubic region. Swami: literally ‘one who is master of his own mind’; sannyasin disciple initiated into sannyasa by a guru; one who has renounced mundane experiences as goals in life. Swarayoga: the science of the breath cycle. Swagambhu: self-created. Sympathetic nervous system: division of the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system responsible for maintaining physical activity of the organ systems and expenditure of energy. Tamas: darkness; inertia; one of the three gunas of prakriti. Tanmatra: the sense activities - sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, and also inner intuitive perception via the subtle organ of mind, which is the sixth sense. Tantra: the ancient science which uses specific techniques to expand and liberate the consciousness from its limitations. Tantra shastra: scriptures of the tantric tradition devoted to spiritual techniques, in the form of a dialogue between Shiva and Shakti. These texts outline a code of living which includes ritual, worship, discipline, meditation and the attainment of powers. Tapasya: the practice of austerity; conditioning of the body for the removal of impurities and for overcoming the deficiencies and weaknesses of the body, mind and senses. Tattwat: elemental nature or quality, e.g., fire, water, air, earth, ether. Thalamus: area in the brain which receives most sensory stimuli and integrates most incoming and outgoing information. Also the center for appreciation of pain, touch and temperature. Trataka: the meditational or hatha yoga technique which involves steadily gazing at an object. Trishula: trident; three pronged implement held by Lord Shiva and carried by many holy men and renunciates. The three prongs symbolize the three main nadis. Udana: the vital energy operating above the throat. Uddiyana bandha: literally ‘flying upward’; a yogic practice of pranic manipulation utilizing the abdominal muscles and organs. Vairagya: non-attachment; state where one is calm and tranquil in the midst of the tumultuous events of the world. Vajra nadi: the nadi which connects the expression of sexual energy with the brain and is concerned with the flow of ojas, the highest form of energy in the human body which is concentrated in the semen. Vajroli mudra: contraction of vajra nadi. Vasana: the desires that are the driving force behind every thought and action in life. Vayu: air. Vedanta: the ultimate philosophy of the Vedas. Vedas: the oldest known religious texts of the Aryans, written more than 5000 years ago. Ventricles: cavities in the brain where the GSF is formed. Vigyanamaya kosha: intuitive or astral dimension; subconscious and unconscious aspects. Vishnu: Hindu god; preserver of the universe. Vishuddhi chakra: the psychic center located in the throat region. Vritti: a modification arising in consciousness, likened to the circular wave pattern emanating when a stone is dropped into a still pool of water. Vyana: vital energy which pervades the whole body. Yantra: a symbolic design used for concentration and meditation; the visual form of a mantra. Yoga: union; the methods and practices leading to union of individual human consciousness with the divine principle or cosmic consciousness. Yoga nidra: psychic sleep; a yogic practice in which one can raise himself from the mundane state of body consciousness. Yoga Sutras: text written by Patanjali, delineating the eightfold path of raja yoga, the systematic path of meditation which culminates in the samadhi experience.