Helpful Yoga Terms

A Sankalpa is a resolve or positive statement of intent. A seed of transformation that is planted and nurtured within your being. It supports personal development or spiritual growth.  The statement can begin with I am working towards, I am becoming or I will rather than the negative, I will not ….

It is important not to share your Sankalpa with others, so as not to reduce its power or your own resolve, it is easy to be swayed by others opinions on what they think your Sankalpa should be.

Yoga Nidra is a yogic practice which means yogic sleep. It is a state of conscious relaxation between fully awake and asleep. It is a fully guided practice, all the student has to do is listen and stay awake. It can be a powerful practice which is deeply restful.

The word prana means life force or energy and yama means control. Therefore the practice of pranayama is breath control, in the form of breathing techniques.

We begin and end every class in Savasana, pronounced sh-vas-ana, or corpse pose. Laying on our mats, on our backs. Legs long along the mat, arms loose by your sides.

Asana means posture or pose, the physical practice that we in the West call yoga. The practice of yoga, however, is so much more than just the physical asana practice, as you will come to learn in my classes.