These are the Yoga Terms, Definitions, Slang and other words currently stored in our Yoga Dictionary. If you know any yoga terms that are not mentioned in this list then go ahead and suggest a word for our dictionary.

There are 79 Yoga Terms in our Yoga Dictionary:
AGAMI KARMA
“Karma yet to come.” It is the result of acts performed during this present life which will mature in the normal course of events.

AGNI
This refers to the Vedic God of fire.

AHANKARA
This refers to egoism or self-conceit; the false “I”; “I” am-ness. It is the self-arrogating principle “I” that is projected by the mind rather than the real self. “Ego” (ahankara) is manifested whenever “I” is said or claimed by anything other than the spirit-self.

AHIMSA
This is non-injury in thought, word, and deed.

ANGA
Or “limb”, is a fundamental category of the yogic path.

ANJANEYASANA
The halfmoon. It’s a really good warm-up for other asanas bending your back and gives a great stretch to the spine.

ANUSARA YOGA
A new style developed by John Friend, Anusara Yoga is described as heart-oriented and spiritually inspiring, yet grounded in a deep knowledge of outer and inner body alignment. Know what this is all about as well as the other Styles of Hatha Yoga in our Yoga Styles - The Different Styles of Hatha Yoga section.

APARIGRAHA (submitted by: suresh)
This means not receiving anything freely, not receiving and keeping unwanted things.

ASANAS
Also called Yoga Postures, Asanas are gentle stretching movements designed to help balance the mind and body. Learn the different Yoga Postures in our Yoga Exercise - Yoga Postures and Poses section.

ASHRAM (submitted by: joyasto)
A retreat or secluded place, usually where the principles of yoga and meditation are practiced.

ASHTANGA YOGA
A Style of Yoga developed by K. Pattabhi Jois, it literally means Eight Limb Yoga and revolves in Pattanjali’s idea that the path of purification is composed of eight spiritual practices. Visit our Ashtanga Yoga - Patanjali’s Eight Limbed Yoga section for more details.

ASTHEYA (submitted by: suresh)
This means non-covetousness, not eagerly desirous of things belonging to others.

BHAKTA (submitted by: mec-mec)
A disciple practicing Bhakti Yoga.

BHAKTI YOGA
This is the path of heart and devotion or the Yoga of devotion. Know more about this branch of Yoga in our What is Yoga: Definition of Yoga and the Six Branches of Yoga section.

BHUJA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
the arm or shoulder

BHUJANGASANA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
the cobra posture

BIKRAM YOGA
Heat is used in Bikram Yoga in order to allow you to go deeper and safer into a Yoga Pose. It is a series of 26 poses performed in a room heated from around 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit. Visit our Bikram Yoga - The 26 Pose Yoga in Heat section for details.

BRAHMACHARYA (submitted by: suresh)
This means self- restraint, abstinence, and moderation, a constant journey to the ultimate, to God.

CHAKRA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
A center of radiating life force or energy that is located between the base of the spinal column and the crown of the head. Sanskrit for “wheels.” There are seven chakras.

CHAKRA (INTUITION) YOGA (submitted by: yogidoll)
A style of Yoga practiced in Hatha, Classical Yoga. Chakra Yoga is a holistic practice of ancient techniques, designed to stimulate the flow of energy vortexes known as chakras. It utilizes all forms and types, from the postures of hatha, to breathing practices of pranayama to mantra and meditation in a systematic self study. Chakra Yoga is also an elaborate form of tantra or kundalini yoga.

CORPSE YOGA POSE
Also called Savasana, this is the classic relaxation Yoga Pose, practiced before or in between Asanas and as Final Relaxation. Read our Yoga Exercise - Corpse Pose (Savasana) section and learn how to do this exercise.

DHARANA (submitted by: joyasto)
From the word dhri meaning “to hold firm,” this is concentration or holding the mind to one thought.

DHYANA (submitted by: suresh)
This means meditation.

DRISHTI (submitted by: anagonzales)
Drishti is the focus of the eyes in meditation. This is the focal point where one’s gaze lies to attain concentration alignment, and inner and outer balance. One actually does this to prevent distractions, but should be looking inwardly and not concentrate on the physical object. This could be the tip of your nose or in between your eyebrows, depending on your yoga pose.

HAMSA KUMBHAKA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
The Swan Breath, a gently powerful pranayama used with meditation to guide the Shakti to the swan.

HATHA YOGA
This is the most popular branch of Yoga and from which a lot of the Styles of Yoga originated including Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and Kundalini Yoga. Visit our Hatha Yoga - The Yoga of Postures section for additional information.

HIRANYAGARBHA (submitted by: mec-mec)
The mythical founder of yoga; the first cosmological principle to emerge out of the infinite Reality; also called Brahma.

INTEGRAL YOGA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
This yoga style places almost as much emphasis on pranayama (control of breath) and meditation as it does on postures. Founded by Sri Ghose Aurobindo (1872-1950) and promoted by Rev. Sri Swami Satchidananda (Sri Gurudev).

ISLAMYOGA (submitted by: wafayoga)
Islam yoga ( Islamga ) is an old kind of yoga rediscover by Guru Wafaa in 1985 .Islam yoga is the art and science of physical, mental, spiritual health which lead to the harmony and balance to reach the inner peace through the principles of the Islamic culture and civilization for everyone.see:www.islamyoga.com

IYENGAR YOGA (submitted by: joyasto)
B.K.S. Iyengar developed this yoga style, which stresses understanding the body and how it works. Students focus on symmetry and alignment, using props — such as straps, blankets, wooden blocks, and chairs — to achieve postures. Each pose is held for a longer amount of time than in most other yoga styles.

JALANDHAR BANDH (submitted by: ajay)
A very popular air lock in the cerebral area, it is performed by a deep inhalation and taking the air behind your eyes between the ears, above your pallate, below your brain, and locking the chin by slightly pressing it downwards. This is a powerful energiser of the cerebral area. It increases the oxygen level and blood circulation, clears the sinus blocks, massages the ear drums,and cleans the nasopharangial passage. The bandh has a profound effect on the thyroid and para thyroid glands too which in turn is responsible for the overall growth of the body. The JALANDHAR BANDH is named after its founder JALANDHAR KRISHI.

JAPA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
the process in which a devotee repeats the name of the God. The repetition can be aloud or just the movement of lips or in mind. This spiritual practice is present in the major religions of world. This is considered as one of the most effective spiritual practice.

JNANA YOGA (submitted by: mec-mec)
This is one of the four basic paths in Yoga (Jnana, Bhakti, Raja, and Karma). Jnana Yoga is the path of wisdom. Jnana in Sanskrit means “knowledge” and is interpreted to mean “knowledge of the true self”.

KAPALABHATI
This refers to a Breathing Technique used specifically for cleansing. Know how it is done in our Breathing Exercise (Pranayama) - Kapalabhati (Cleaning Breath) section.

KARMA YOGA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
Yoga in which action is done as a duty, without any concern for success or failure.

KRIPALU YOGA
Also called the Yoga of consciousness, Kripalu puts great emphasis on Proper Breath, alignment, coordination of breath and movement, and “honoring the wisdom of the body” — you work according to the limits of your individual flexibility and strength. For more information, visit our Yoga Styles - The Different Styles of Hatha Yoga section.

KRIYA (submitted by: anagonzales)
Kriya is a traditional yoga purification movement, physical actions, or exercises that aims to awaken the kundalini energy. This provides a cleansing process of one’s inner body that results to higher knowledge and state of consciousness.

KRIYA YOGA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
Kriya yoga is a set of advanced techniques, or kriyas, practiced as a type of yoga popularized in the West by Paramahansa Yogananda, which, according to those who practice it, accelerates the spiritual evolution of the practitioner. Gurus and their disciples of Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship have and continue to initiate into kriya yoga people professing an interest in becoming more spiritual.

KUNDALINI YOGA
Considered as the mother of all the Styles of Yoga, this is the most powerful Yoga ever known. It centers on awakening the Kundalini, the energy (serpent power or Bhujangini) which is found at the base of our spine or the Muladhara Chakra. For more information, read our Kundalini Yoga - Awakening the Kundalini Energy section.

KUNDALINI YOGA (submitted by: Nympheia)
Kundalini yoga is a physical and meditative discipline, comprising a set of techniques that use the mind, senses, and body to create a communication between “mind” and “body”. Kundalini yoga focuses on psycho-spiritual growth and the body’s potential for maturation, giving special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system in the understanding of yogic awakening (Sovatsky, 1998).

LAYA YOGA (submitted by: mec-mec)
The “Yoga of dissolution”: an advanced form or process of Tantric yoga by which the energies associated with the various psycho-energetic centers (cakra) of the subtle body are gradually dissolved through the ascent of the serpent power (kundalini-shakti).

LOTUS YOGA POSE
This pose is such a perfect Meditation posture (if you can do it comfortably). It is a Yoga position in which you can sit perfectly straight and be absolutely still, relaxed, comfortable, and alert. Read our Yoga Exercise - Lotus Yoga Pose (Padmasana) section and learn how to do this Yoga Pose.

MANTRA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
A sacred mystic syllable, word or verse used in meditation and japa to quiet the mind, balance the inner body and attain other desired aims.

MARJARI ASANA (submitted by: Aparna)
cat posture

MEDITATION
This is one of the Five Principles of Yoga. It is the practice by which there is constant observation of the mind. It requires you to focus your mind at one point and stilling the mind in order to perceive the self. For more information, visit our Meditation - Meditation Exercises and Techniques section.

MUDRA (submitted by: anagonzales)
a symbolic gesture transmitting or redirecting energy in yoga or meditation. This can be a whole-body gesture or a hand gesture, like pressing your palms together. It is also defined as a hand gesture used in a traditional Indian dance.

NAMASTE (submitted by: anagonzales)
or “I bow to the divine in you”. Namaste is a traditional Indian greeting of respect and thank you, with spiritual and symbol meaning. This is done with your palms pressed together in the middle of your forehead (third eye) or at your heart, and lightly bow your head and shoulders.

NETI-NETI (submitted by: marlonborreo)
Means “Not this. Not this.” In meditation, you gently dismiss thoughts, images, concepts, sounds, and distractions by applying the principle of neti-neti or telling yourself, “Not this. Not this.”

NIYAMA (submitted by: suresh)
It is the personal discipline such as cleanliness, contentment, austerity, self-study, devotion to God, etc.

NOULI (submitted by: mygoldlily)
yoga posture

OM (submitted by: anagonzales)
or “aum”, a single-sound mantra that signifies the unification of the body, mind and spirit. This is an ancient Indian chant where the whole world was created and radiates. Om is also the vibration symbolizing Brahman. It was said that enlightenment and unification with the Supreme Being can be attained through this natural sound.

PADMA (submitted by: vanu)
Padma means flower. Padma originated from Sanskrit language in India.

PADMASANA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
also known as the Lotus Pose. The position puts the soles of the feet up, reminiscent of a lotus flower. The most renowned of all Hatha Yoga postures.

PANCHA INDRIYAS (submitted by: yogitonmoy)
Pancha means five and Indriyas means the five senses organs. So these are five senses organs. Followings are the five senses organs and their foods: 1) The eyes – like to see 2) The nose likes to smell 3) The tongue likes to test 4) The ears like to hear melodious sounds and 5) The skin likes the tender touch After having control over the vital forces of the body, a Yogi retracts the ‘Pancha Indriyas’, the five ‘sense organs’ towards the inner self, the CHITTA.

PANCHA KOSHAS (submitted by: yogitonmoy)
Pancha means five and Kosha means Sheath. According to “Taittiriyopanishad”, Pancha Koshas are the five sheaths, which cover the overall human system. These are the Annamaya kosha (Food Sheath), Pranamaya kosha (Pranic Sheath), Manomaya kosha (Mental Sheath), Vijnanamay kosha (Intellectual Sheath) and Anandamaya kosha (Blissful Sheath).

PANCHAMAHABHUTA (submitted by: yogitonmoy)
Pancha means five, Maha means great, and Bhuta here is elements. According to Indian ancient philosophy, the physical body is made up of five elements or ‘Panchamahabhoota’ in Sanskrit, namely - Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Sky. Some of the Asian countries such as China, Japan, etc. believe this ancient theory as well. Deficiency or Imbalance of these elements disrupts the immunity system and causes disease. Yogic ways are there for the elements to bring into balance known as Hasta Mudra or Hand Gesture.

POWER YOGA
This is the Western version of the Indian Ashtanga Yoga. Read our Power Yoga - Power Up with Power Yoga section for more information.

PRANA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
Life energy, life force, or life current. These finer-than-atomic energies have inherent intelligence, according to Yogananda, as opposed to atoms and electrons, which are considered to be blind forces. The Chinese call this life force chi.

PRANAYAMA
Also called Yoga Breathing or Breathing Exercise, Pranayama is one of the Five Principles of Yoga which promotes proper breathing. Learn the different Breathing Exercises and Techniques in Yoga in our Yoga Breathing (Pranayama) - The Art of Yoga Breathing section.

PRATYAHARA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
Withdrawing the senses in order to still the mind as in meditation. The fifth stage of yoga.

SADHAKA (submitted by: suresh)
This is a student who strives for a goal.

SAMANU
This is an advanced practice for purifying the nadis that combines pranayama with chakra visualization and japa on the bija mantras of air, fire, moon and earth. Learn how to do it in our Breathing Exercise (Pranayama) - Samanu (Purifying the Nadis) section.

SANYASIN (submitted by: vanu)
Sanyasin is a woman who left all kinds of emotions like happiness and sadness (without having any feelings or emotions) in the world. She is not the mother of world [somebody wrote she is the mother of world]. Sanyasin is a Sanskrit word.

SANYASIN (submitted by: carol)
Mother of all religion, all people

SATHYA- (submitted by: suresh)
This refers to truth meant to do good to others.

SATSANG (submitted by: lguthrie)
(Sanskrit) Usually translated as “truth-company” or being in the company of the wise. And satsang, according to several texts of yoga, is one of the great doorways to inner freedom. As is the case with meditation and asana, the more you practice satsang, the more likely you are to experience its power—and you don’t have to join an existing community in order to do this. Some of the most powerful satsangs are the ones we create informally. An informal satsang group should be small—five to seven is a good number, and you can easily form one with three, two, or even just one other person. All it takes is (1) a decision to have a spiritual dialogue; (2) some sublime and true words to spark your insight; and (3) a shared agreement on the ground rules.

SATTVIC DIET
Considered as the purest Diet, it is the most suitable one for any serious student of Yoga. Sattvic is one of the qualities, or Gunas, of energy in the unmanifested universe. Know more about this diet and other Gunas in our Yoga Diet - The Three Gunas section.

SHADA-RIPU (submitted by: yogitonmoy)
This means Six-Enemies. Though these are the blessings for living a life, they bring with them some vices which are called “SHADA RIPU” or Six Enemies. In the fourth chapter of Gheranda Samhita, the Six Enemies are said to be SEX, ANGER, GREED, ILLUSION, PRIDE and JEALOUSY. Since the organs are the centers of perception and sensation, having control over the organs keeps the mind free from all these unnecessary disturbances. In Loknath Yogic System, we give more importance to follow this practice to control over Six-Enemies along with the Five-Sense organs or Pancha-Indriya at Pratyahara.

SHANTI (submitted by: anagonzales)
is peace or tranquility in Sanskrit. This inner peace is chanted to prevent curses and bad karma. Often, this is repeated three times after a prayer in order to achieve spiritual serenity.

SIVANANDA YOGA (submitted by: joyasto)
Sivananda yoga offers a gentle approach, which takes the student through the twelve sun salutation postures and incorporates chanting, meditation, and deep relaxation in each session. Teachers encourage students to embrace a healthy lifestyle that includes a vegetarian diet and positive thinking with meditation.

SROTAS (submitted by: marlonborreo)
Channels or spaces through which flow occurs.

SUN SALUTATION
Also called Surya Namaskar, Sun Salutation limbers up the whole body in preparation for the yoga asanas. Read our Yoga Exercise - Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) section and learn how to do this exercise.

SVAROOPA YOGA
This teaches significantly different ways of doing familiar Poses, emphasizing the opening of the Spine, beginning at the tailbone and progressing through each spinal area in turn. Visit our Yoga Styles - The Different Styles of Hatha Yoga section to know more about Svaroopa Yoga.

TANTRA YOGA (submitted by: marlonborreo)
This yoga uses visualization, chanting, asana, and strong breathing practices to tap highly charged kundalini energy in the body.

UJJAYI
Also called Loud Breathing, this involves drawing air in through both nostrils with the glottis held partially closed. Ujjayi is translated as “what clears the throat and masters the chest area.” Know more about the practice of Ujjayi in our Breathing Exercise (Pranayama) - Ujjayi (Loud Breathing) section.

VINIYOGA (submitted by: joyasto)
This is a yoga style involves the application or use of different tools in yoga practice such as asana, chanting, pranayama (control of breath), and meditation. It is ideal for novices and more and more people are practicing it because they believed that Viniyoga has therapeutic value.

VINYASA
This is one of the Principles of Ashtanga Yoga that makes it distinct from the other Styles of Yoga. Vinyasa, which means breathing and movement, is for internal cleansing. Read our Ashtanga Yoga - Patanjali’s Eight Limbed Yoga section for additional information.

YAMA (submitted by: suresh)
This is a group of disciplines to be maintained by a yoga practitioner. It is the social discipline, including non-violence, truthfulness, non-covetousness, moderation in sex, no acquisitiveness, etc.

YOGA-SHASTRA (submitted by: yogitonmoy)
Shastra is scripture or treatise or an art of science. Yoga-Shastra means Yoga Scripture or Yogic Science.

       

Bikram Choudhury, founder of the fastest-growing style of yoga in America, has copyrighted his poses and is threatening to sue anyone who teaches his “hot” style without permission. Is this enlightenment?
Apr 4, 2003 | Kim and Mark Morrison thought they had achieved small-business nirvana. Eight years after Kim borrowed $25,000 to open a tiny yoga studio in Costa Mesa, Calif., it has grown into a bustling enterprise that employs 12 instructors and offers 40 classes a week in several styles of yoga. After years of working long hours, and investing more than $100,000 in expensive renovations, the Morrisons’ venture, Yoga Studio Costa Mesa, has become more than just a place to bend and stretch. The studio — with its meditation room, yoga programs for kids and pregnant women, spaces for baby showers and weddings — has become the nexus of a small but devoted community.

But that might be about to change.

A year ago, the Morrisons received a letter that threatened the future of their beloved business. The correspondence came from lawyers for Bikram Choudhury, founder of the fastest-growing style of yoga in America, Bikram Yoga. “It was a dagger of a letter — long, nasty and filled with allegations,” says Mark, who is also a lawyer. The missive alleged that the Morrisons were violating a recently acquired copyright and insisted that they comply with a long list of demands and pay fines starting at $150,000 — or risk a lawsuit. The warning, the Morrisons say, makes a mockery of yoga’s ultimate promise of both peace of mind and freedom. “We’re not just scared about what this could do to our finances,” Mark says. “Yoga is something really personal, something that we love. And that’s being attacked.”

If Choudhury has his way, every Bikram Yoga studio in the world will soon be franchised and under his control. To start this process, he recently obtained a copyright for his particular sequence of yoga poses — a 90-minute series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises done in a room heated to 105 degrees. Choudhury says that yoga studios that want to continue teaching Bikram Yoga must pay franchise and royalty fees, change their name to Bikram’s Yoga College of India, stop teaching other styles of yoga, use only Bikram-approved dialogue when instructing students, refrain from playing music during classes, and a host of other stipulations.

“From the business side, I kind of understand it,” says Judith Hanson Lasater, a prominent Bay Area yoga instructor who has been teaching since 1971. “But from the yoga side I think it’s really sad.” Mom-and-pop studios across the country, owned by people like the Morrisons who feel they are doing a service by helping to disseminate the teachings of yoga, are outraged by Choudhury’s hubris. “Yoga is an old philosophy and an old tradition,” says Tony Sanchez, who opened a Bikram Yoga studio in San Francisco in 1985. “It’s ridiculous to have someone claiming that these are their postures.”

Choudhury, 56, is a yoga guru so brash that he has been known to compare himself to Superman and Buddha, teach from a throne wearing nothing but a tiny Speedo and a headset mike, and proclaim his style as “the only yoga.” When asked how he could make such drastic statements, he told Business 2.0 magazine: “Because I have balls like atom bombs, two of them, 100 megatons each. Nobody fucks with me.” Perhaps because of his erratic, grandiose behavior, the hundreds of cease-and-desist letters he sent to studios across the country were remarkably effective. Most studios either met his demands, stopped teaching Bikram classes and using the Bikram name, or shuffled around the standard 26-pose sequence.

But not the Yoga Studio Costa Mesa. After researching current law and talking to several intellectual property attorneys, the Morrisons decided not to comply — and sure enough, Choudhury slapped them with a lawsuit. The case is now in the discovery stage, with both parties exchanging documents in preparation for court. “To stop them from stealing I must go to the lawyers,” says Choudhury. “When in Rome, I must do as the Romans do. When in America, make Bikram copyright and trademark.”

The Indian-born Choudhury has embraced the American way since 1971, when he arrived in the United States and sold Americans a sweaty workout and a spiritual practice all wrapped into one neat package. Since then he’s developed a cult following and settled in Beverly Hills, where he collects Bentleys and Rolls Royces. Choudhury claims that his yoga, practiced in a mirrored room in extreme heat, cures everything from heart disease to hepatitis C. He has trained more than 2,000 teachers in his method ($5,000 per training) and says he is opening two new studios each day. Worldwide, he has 720 schools in 50 states and 220 countries. With the help of his audio, video and clothing lines, his fortune is estimated at $7 million.

To protect his assets, Choudhury says he must franchise. “I’m not happy about it,” he insists. By copyrighting the poses, he says, he will protect his intellectual property and discourage copycats from teaching what he considers his invention. “When I first came here, I never charged a dime,” he says. “But my students said, This is not Calcutta; this is America. You have to charge money or else nobody will believe you know something.” But many feel Choudhury’s actions breach the most basic of yogic teachings — generosity, contentment, gentleness and, ultimately, self-liberation — and that his pathological need for control and power renders him spiritually bankrupt and focused solely on the bottom line.

“It’s ludicrous,” says Jimmy Barkan, a former Bikram instructor who has been teaching yoga in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for 20 years. “[Yoga] can’t be regulated.” Yet that’s exactly what Choudhury wants to do, to standardize his classes so that whether you’re in Washington, D.C., or Walla Walla, Wash., your experience will be the same. Until recently, Barkan considered Choudhury “like family.” But when Choudhury told him to stop teaching certain classes and Barkan refused — he had already invested $200,000 in his studio and signed a four-year lease — he was officially blackballed on Choudhury’s Web site. Now Barkan has hired a lawyer and is working on reorganizing his poses so he can’t be sued.

Or can he? Choudhury and his team of five lawyers say yes. They insist they can easily prove willful violation, in which case they’ll collect $150,000 per infringement. For example, if a studio doesn’t go by the name “Bikram’s Yoga College of India” and teaches with music, they would be charged $300,000 for two infringements. “If you look closely at the copyright laws, [the protection of Bikram's poses] is precisely what they are meant to cover,” says Jacob Reinbolt, Choudhury’s attorney who heads up the intellectual property group at Procopio, a San Diego law firm. He adds: “I do the yoga, I try to be as spiritual as possible, but at the same time, it’s just as important to protect creativity.”

Other lawyers say Choudhury doesn’t have a flexible leg to stand on. Choudhury’s sequence could be considered in the public domain rather than an original work because his Indian teacher, Bishnu Gosh, taught the poses to him. Copyright lawyer Ken Swezey, from the New York firm Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams, and Sheppard, says that simply obtaining a copyright doesn’t mean that Choudhury’s assertions will hold up in court. “Copyright law protects ‘expression,’ not ideas or processes,” says Swezey. “A court would have to be convinced that a sequence of the exercises is original, protectable ‘expression’ rather than merely collection of factual material.”

Choudhury’s detractors can take some comfort from a legal precedent involving Pilates, an exercise program that focuses on creating core strength. In the 1980s, a New York-based Pilates studio purchased the name as a trademark and required those who wanted to use it to pay a licensing fee and those who wanted to teach it to receive certification through their studio. In 1996, a Sacramento-based manufacturer of Pilates equipment, Balanced Body, took exception to the trademark and filed a lawsuit, with the strong support of many in the Pilates community. The litigation lasted four years, until a Manhattan federal court ruled that “Pilates,” like “yoga” and “karate,” is a generic term that cannot be monopolized. The court also rejected the argument that only teachers certified by the Pilates studio were qualified to teach the method.

Even though the law seems to be in their favor, many teachers are worried that Choudhury, with his vast financial resources and outsized personality, will somehow manage to steer the law in his favor. “If he succeeds, he paves the way for another person to step forth and claim ownership of iyengar, ashtanga, power yoga, meditation and other forms of yoga-related healing arts,” says studio owner Mark Morrison. The larger question is where to draw the line, both legally and ethically, in preserving an ancient tradition that is meant to be shared. “Spiritual practice should be free to all,” says Jacob Needleman, a San Francisco State philosophy professor and the author of “The American Soul.” “At the same time, you can’t deny, even if you are a spiritual being, that you are living in a world organized by money.”

Which is precisely why resourceful yogis have started to mobilize: Careful not to use the B-word, the Hot Yoga Alliance, which calls itself “a community of support,” has a message board and a link that offers legal advice. And a nonprofit organization tentatively called Once Source Yoga Unity is scrambling to raise a legal defense fund for the Morrisons and other studio owners who are threatened. Mark Morrison says dozens of yogis have already pledged their support — and just in time. Reportedly, Choudhury has been imploring graduates of his teacher training to open a studio in Costa Mesa to put the Morrisons out of business.

“I don’t care,” Choudhury says of those who oppose him. “They are pissing in the wind. There is always some idiot. So what can you do? You treat an idiot like an idiot.” As divisiveness grows over who, if anybody, owns yoga in America, one thing seems clear: The essence of yoga, or “union” in Sanskrit, seems to have gotten lost in the translation.

Read the rest of this entry »

       

THURSDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) — Yoga can improve the emotional health of breast cancer patients, contends a new U.S. study.

“Given the high levels of stress and distress that many women with breast cancer experience, the opportunity to experience feeling more peaceful and calm in the midst of breast cancer is a significant benefit,” lead researcher Suzanne Danhauer, of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

The study involved 44 women with breast cancer. About a third of them were undergoing cancer treatment during the study, and the others had completed their treatment. Half were enrolled in a yoga program, and half were put on a waiting list for the program.

Women in the yoga group participated in 75-minute classes in restorative yoga — a more passive and gentle form of yoga that uses props such as cushions and blankets for support. At the beginning and end of the study, both groups of women completed questionnaires evaluating their quality of life.

After 10 weeks of classes, the yoga participants showed greater improvements in areas of mental health such as depression, positive emotions and spirituality — feeling calm and peaceful — than did the women still waiting to begin the yoga program. The yoga group reported, on average, a 50 percent reduction in feelings of depression and a 12 percent increase in feelings of peace and meaning. Yoga participants also reported less fatigue than the others, the study found.

The results, which Danhauer said “are very promising and will allow us to embark on a much larger scale study,” were published Feb. 24 in a special physical activity issue of the journal Psycho-Oncology.

“Evidence from systematic reviews of randomized trials is quite strong that mind-body therapies improve mood, quality of life and treatment-related symptoms in people with cancer,” Danhauer said. “Yoga is one mind-body therapy that is widely available and involves relatively reasonable costs.”

More information

The American Cancer Society offers tips on coping with breast cancer.

from:http://www.nebraska.tv/Global/story.asp?S=9911662