| Sadhaka |
A
seeker, an aspirant. |
| Sadhana |
Practice,
quest. |
| Sadhana
Pada |
The
second part of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, dealing with the means. |
| Sahajavastha |
The
natural state of the soul in Samadhi. |
| Salabha |
A
locust. |
| Salamba |
With
support. |
| Sama |
Same,
equal, even, upright. |
| Sama
Sthiti |
Standing
still and straight. |
| Samadhi |
A
state in which the aspirant is one with the object of his
meditation, the Supreme Spirit pervading the universe, where there
is a feeling of unutterable joy and peace. |
| Samadhi
Pada |
The
first part of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, dealing with the state of
Samadhi. |
| Samana |
One
of the vital airs, whose function is to aid digestion. |
| Samsaya |
Doubt. |
| Samskara |
Mental
impression of the past. |
| Sankaracharya |
A
celebrated teacher of the doctrine of Advaita. |
| Sanmukhi
Mudra |
A
sealing posture where the apertures in the head are dosed and the
mind is directed inwards to train it for meditation. |
| Santosa |
Contentment. |
| Saraswati |
A
tributary of the Ganges. Also the name of the Goddess of speech and
learning, the consort of Brahma. |
| Sarva |
All,
whole. |
| Sarvanga |
The
whole body. |
| Sati |
The
daughter of Daksa Prajapati. She immolated herself for the insult
offered to her husband Siva by her father, and was then reborn as
the daughter of Himlaya and again won Siva as her husband. She was
the mother of Kirtikeya (The God of war) and of Ganapati (The God of
learning, wisdom and good luck). |
| Sattva |
The
illuminating, pure and good quality of everything in nature. |
| Sattva
Guna |
The
quality of goodness and purity. |
| Saucha |
Purity,
cleanliness. |
| Sava |
A
corpse, a dead body. |
| Setu |
A
bridge. |
| Setu
Bandha |
The
construction of a bridge. Name of an asana in which the body is
arched. |
| Siddha |
A
sage, seer or prophet; also a semi-divine being of great purity and
holiness. |
| Sira |
A tubular organ in the body. See Nadi. |
| Sirsa |
The
head. |
| Sisya |
A pupil, a disciple. |
| Siva |
Name
of the third God of the Hindu Trinity, who is entrusted with the
task of destruction. |
| Siva
Samhita |
A classical textbook on Hatha Yoga. |
| Smrti |
Memory,
a code of law. |
| Sodhana |
Purification,
cleaning. |
| Soham |
‘He
am I', the unconscious repetitive prayer that goes on with every
inhalation within every living creature throughout life. |
| Soka |
Anguish, distress, grief, sorrow. |
| Sraddha |
Faith,
trust. |
| Steya |
Theft,
robbery. |
| Sthita
Prajna |
One
whose wisdom is firmly established and does not waver; one who is
unmoved by the dualities of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, joy
and sorrow, victory and defeat. |
| Sthiti |
Stability. |
| Styana |
Languor, sloth. |
| Sukha |
Happiness,
delight, joy, pleasure, comfort. |
| Sumanasya |
Benevolence. |
| Sunyasunya |
The
mind is in a state of void (Sunya) and yet a state that is not void
(Asunya). |
| Supta |
Sleeping. |
| Surya |
The sun. |
| Surya
Bhedana |
Piercing
or passing through (Bhedana) the sun. Here the inhalation is done
through the right nostril, from where the Pingala Nadi or Surya Nadi
starts. Exhalation is done through the left nostril, from where the
Ida Nadi or Chandra Nadi starts. |
| Surya
Nadi |
The Nadi of the sun. Another name for Pingala
Nadi. |
| Susumna |
The
main channel situated inside the spinal column. |
| Susupti
Avastha |
The
state of the mind in dreamless sleep. |
| Sva |
One’s own, innate, vital force, soul, self. |
| Svadhyaya |
Education
of the self by study of divine literature. |
| Svana |
A dog. |
| Svapnavastha |
The
state of the mind in a dream. |
| Svasa |
Inspiration. |
| Svasa
Prasvasa |
Heaving and sighing. |
| Svatmarama |
The
author of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a classical textbook on Hatha
Yoga. |
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