Wellbeing holidays

‘Prana’ by itself means ‘life force’ or ‘breath.’ The word in its entirety refers to the freeing flow of breath in various breathing exercises practised in yoga.

Om – a mystic syllable – is considered the most sacred mantra in both Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. It is used in yoga during meditation and as a mantra during actual practice. It does not need to have spiritual meaning for you personally to use it in your mantras.

You’ll frequently hear “namaste” at the end of a yoga class. Originally an Indian greeting, it is said at the end of a class to express gratitude for what you have accomplished and as a way of saying “I am grateful” to the teacher, the class, and yourself.

A ‘mantra’ is a word or sound that is repeated to aid concentration in meditation or yoga, and was orginally used in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Laya yoga is simply an advanced form of tantric yoga (which can be found in our yoga dictionary) where the energy in your chakras gradually dissolves.

Possibly one of the coolest words of yoga, Krounchasana – or ‘heron pose’ – stimulates your abs and heart. You’ll definitely notice a stretch along your bent leg’s thigh, ankle, and shin.

In a literal sense, this pose is also called the ‘head to knee’ pose. In your practise, it is believed to calm the mind and also stretches the all-important hips, back, and groin.

In the most basic sense, inversions are all of those poses where your body is ‘inverted’… i.e. upside down. The group of postures includes headstands, shoulder-stands, handstands, etc. Prepare for a headrush, y’all.

When you hear this in a yoga class, your innermost self might cry just a bit; the common term for a high chaturanga is a high plank or the ‘plank pose.’ Hence the crying. This pose is ultra beneficial, though, as it strengthens your upper body, arms, wrists, and spine as well as your core and legs. It hurts because it does the most good… you can do it!

Similar to its non-yoga meaning, your yoga ‘foundation’ is building a strong and solid pose so that the rest of your body is properly aligned. Like in creating a strong foundation for a structure, the rest of your practise hinges on a strong foundation.

While a common word in English, in yoga ‘expansion’ has a spiritual meaning. When asked to expand, you are meant to let go of enough unconscious contraction to be completely present and in the moment.

The first step in meditation, Dharana is translated as “holding” or “concentration”. This essential part of meditation involves deeply concentrating on an object while attempting to hold the mind completely steady without wavering. Believe us, it is easier said than done!