The infinite journey
begins within.

Union, discipline or a practical path. In the Yoga Sutra it is the settling of mental activity, not simply physical exercise.

A seat or posture. Its meaning broadened across history; modern classes use the word for physical yoga poses.

Vital breath or life force, cultivated and directed through breathing, attention and subtle-body practices.

The disciplined expansion or regulation of breath and vital energy; traditionally a preparation for inward attention.

Meditative absorption: an unbroken flow of attention toward its object.

Concentration—placing and repeatedly returning attention to one point.

Deep integration or absorption in which the separation between observer and object becomes profoundly quiet.

Ethical restraints: non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, wise use of energy and non-grasping.

Personal observances: purity, contentment, disciplined effort, self-study and dedication to the sacred.

Non-harming in action, speech and thought. On the mat it begins with refusing to force the body.

Truthfulness—honest perception and speech held together with compassion.

Transformative heat, discipline or committed effort. It means steady practice, not self-punishment.

Self-study and study of sacred teachings; observing the patterns through which we meet life.

Dedication or surrender to Īśvara, the divine or a reality greater than the isolated ego.

A sacred sound, word or phrase used to steady attention, invoke a quality, or support ritual and meditation.

A seal or gesture—often made with the hands—used in ritual, meditation, dance and subtle-body practice.

An energetic ‘lock’ used in some haṭha practices to guide breath and attention. Best learned from a qualified teacher.

A ‘wheel’ or subtle centre. Chakra systems vary by text and lineage; the familiar seven-centre map is only one model.

The coiled spiritual power described in tantric and haṭha traditions, associated with awakening through the central channel.

A subtle channel through which prāṇa is said to move; iḍā, piṅgalā and suṣumṇā are especially prominent.

A sacred syllable associated with the totality of sound, consciousness and ultimate reality in several Indian traditions.

A respectful greeting: ‘I bow to you.’ Spiritual interpretations are beautiful, but the everyday greeting is equally authentic.

Peace, tranquillity or cessation of disturbance; often repeated three times in a closing invocation.

A teacher or spiritual guide—literally ‘weighty’ or venerable—within a relationship carrying serious ethical responsibility.

That which sustains: duty, teaching, moral order or a path appropriate to one’s life and tradition.

Action and its consequences, not fate or punishment. Traditions differ in how karmic causation is understood.

The repeated cycle of conditioned existence, change and rebirth from which Indian liberation traditions seek freedom.

Liberation from saṁsāra, ignorance and bondage; its precise meaning differs across philosophical schools.

Self or inner principle. Some traditions identify it with ultimate reality; others maintain important distinctions.

Ultimate reality in the Upaniṣadic and Vedānta traditions—not to be confused with Brahmā, the creator deity.

Devotion and loving participation in relationship with the divine.

Ritual worship through offerings, light, sound, gesture and reverent attention.

A sustained spiritual practice or path of cultivation undertaken toward transformation or liberation.

‘Corpse pose’: deliberate rest that invites release, integration and the temporary surrender of striving.