Need a Sanskrit Bootcamp?
- Michelle Rae Sobi
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Here are the basics to get your Sanskrit journey started.
Sanskrit & Yoga Vocabulary — A Friendly Guide for Yogis
(Lesson — Edge Yoga School Educational Library)
🌿 Why Sanskrit Matters in Yoga
Sanskrit is often called the language of yoga and mantra. You’ll see it in pose names, spiritual texts, chants, and philosophy.
You do not need to be a Sanskrit scholar to be a wonderful yoga teacher. But knowing a handful of key terms can:
Help you understand classic texts more deeply
Bring more meaning into your teaching and personal practice
Give you language for subtle concepts that English doesn’t quite capture
This guide offers a practical, phonetic, yoga-teacher-friendly look at Sanskrit — including a gentle overview of the alphabet — plus a curated vocabulary list drawn from yoga philosophy, anatomy of energy, and common spiritual concepts.
You can revisit this as often as you’d like. Think of it as your living yoga dictionary.
🔤 The Sanskrit Alphabet (Devanāgarī) — A Gentle Introduction
Sanskrit is traditionally written in a script called Devanāgarī, but in yoga settings we often see it written in Roman letters (the same alphabet we use for English) with little accent marks. Those marks help preserve pronunciation.
🎙️ Sanskrit Is Phonetic
The most important thing to know:
Sanskrit is phonetic.Each letter has a consistent sound. Once you learn the sounds, you can pronounce almost any Sanskrit word correctly.
In English, the same letter can sound very different depending on the word (“a” in cat vs. cake). In Sanskrit, each symbol represents one stable sound.
🌼 Vowels (Short & Long)
Commonly seen in transliteration (the way we spell Sanskrit in English letters):
a – like “uh” in sofa
ā – like “ahh” in father
i – like “i” in sit
ī – like “ee” in see
u – like “u” in put
ū – like “oo” in moon
e – a long “ay” sound (like say)
ai – like eye
o – like “o” in go (a pure long “o”)
au – like house
You might also see symbols like:
ṃ (anusvāra) – gives a soft “m/n” sound, as in “om̐”
ḥ (visarga) – a gentle breathy “h” after a vowel
🧩 Consonant Families (Very High-Level)
Sanskrit consonants are grouped by where they’re pronounced in the mouth. You don’t need to memorize these; it’s just helpful context.
ka, kha, ga, gha, ṅa – back of the mouth (like “k/g” sounds)
ca, cha, ja, jha, ña – palate area (like “ch/j”)
ṭa, ṭha, ḍa, ḍha, ṇa – retroflex (tongue curls back slightly)
ta, tha, da, dha, na – dental (tongue near teeth)
pa, pha, ba, bha, ma – lips (like English p/b/m)
ya, ra, la, va – semivowels (y/r/l/v)
śa, ṣa, sa, ha – sibilants and “h”
In yoga studios you’ll mostly meet these as bits and pieces in posture names or philosophical words. If students ask how to say something, you can gently guide them using these sound cues.
📚 Core Practice Terms
These words show up again and again in yoga philosophy and training.
🌀 Abhyāsa — Steady Practice
Abhyāsa means consistent practice over time. It’s the willingness to keep returning to the mat, the breath, or meditation — especially on the days when it feels inconvenient or unglamorous. In many teachings, abhyāsa is paired with vairāgya(non-attachment) as two wings of progress.
🍂 Vairāgya — Non-Attachment
Vairāgya is the art of letting go — of clinging, grasping, and over-identifying with outcomes. It doesn’t mean not caring. It means caring deeply while allowing things to change, end, or unfold without grasping.
🧭 Ācārya / Acharya — Instructor or Spiritual Guide
An ācārya is a teacher or guide, often one who leads by embodied example. In modern yoga settings, this might correspond to a seasoned mentor who teaches not just technique but also how to live yoga.
🧍♀️ Āsana — Pose, Seat
Literally “seat.”
Traditionally, āsana referred primarily to a steady, comfortable meditation posture. Over time, it expanded to include the many physical yoga poses we know today. In the eight-limb model, āsana is one of the key limbs and serves to:
Build steadiness and ease in the body
Prepare us for deeper practices like breathwork and meditation
🌬️ Prāṇāyāma — Breath Regulation
From prāṇa (life force) and āyāma (expansion or regulation).
Prāṇāyāma is the intentional shaping of the breath to influence energy, mood, and focus. It includes practices such as:
Complete belly breathing
Alternate-nostril breath
Ujjayi (oceans breath)
Kumbhaka (gentle retention practices)
🌙 Pratyāhāra — Turning the Senses Inward
Pratyāhāra is often described as sensory withdrawal. The senses still function, but you no longer chase every sound, sight, or sensation. Instead, you choose where to place your attention. It’s the bridge between outer practices (like āsana) and inner practices (like meditation).
🎯 Dhāraṇā — Concentration
Dhāraṇā is holding the mind steady on a single object — a candle flame, a mantra, the breath, or a feeling. It is training the mind to stay instead of wander.
🧘♀️ Dhyāna — Meditation
Dhyāna is sustained, flowing awareness. Where dhāraṇā is effortful concentration, dhyāna is when that effort becomes continuous, uninterrupted presence.
✨ Samādhi — Absorption, Unity
Samādhi refers to states of deep absorption or unity where the sense of “me observing” softens, and there is simply clear awareness. There are many nuanced forms described in different traditions, but the essence is a felt experience of oneness, spaciousness, and clarity.
🧠 Mind, Self & Reality
These concepts frame how yoga sees inner identity and consciousness.
🪞 Ahaṃkāra — “I-Maker,” Ego Sense
Ahaṃkāra is the sense of “I, me, mine.” It’s the part of the mind that builds a story of identity around roles, possessions, and experiences. Yoga doesn’t demonize ahaṃkāra, but encourages us to see it as a tool — not the deepest truth of who we are.
🌟 Ātman — Deep Self
Ātman refers to the deepest Self — the inner, witnessing awareness that doesn’t come and go. It is beyond personality traits, mood, or roles. Many teachings describe realizing ātmān as recognizing “I am more than my thoughts and experiences.”
🌌 Brahman — All-Permeating Reality
Brahman is often described as the vast, unbounded reality in which everything appears. Where ātmān is often spoken of as the inner Self, brahman is the larger field in which all selves, forms, and experiences arise. Some teachings say that discovering their oneness is the heart of non-dual yoga.
🧠 Buddhi — Higher Knowing Mind
Buddhi is the aspect of mind associated with discernment, insight, and wisdom. It’s the inner “clarity” faculty that can say: “This supports my growth; this pulls me away.”
🌫️ Avidyā — Misunderstanding, Not-Seeing Clearly
Avidyā is often translated as “ignorance,” but practically it means mistaking the temporary for the permanent, and the limited for the whole. From this misunderstanding, we cling, fear, and suffer. Yoga practice slowly clears avidyā so we can see with more truth and kindness.
🔱 Energy, Channels & Chakras
These terms come up when we talk about subtle body, chakras, and energy practices.
🌬️ Prāṇa — Life Force
Prāṇa is more than oxygen; it is the vital life energy that animates the body and mind. The physical breath is one way prāṇa moves, but prāṇa also flows through subtle channels and energy centers.
🌈 Cakra / Chakra — Energy Center
Chakras are described as subtle energy hubs associated with the spine, nervous system, and psycho-emotional themes. Many yoga systems work primarily with seven main chakras, from the base of the spine up to the crown of the head.
🕉️ Nāḍī — Energy Channel
Nāḍīs are subtle “pathways” through which prāṇa is said to flow. Texts mention thousands, but three are most often referenced:
Iḍā – cooling, calming current (often linked to lunar qualities)
Piṅgalā – warming, energizing current (often linked to solar qualities)
Suṣumṇā – central channel along which energy is guided in many meditation and kundalinī practices
🐍 Kuṇḍalinī-Śakti — Coiled Energy
Kuṇḍalinī is described symbolically as coiled energy at the base of the spine. Practices that awaken and guide this energy upward are meant to support expanded awareness and deep transformation. In teaching, we approach this topic with respect and grounding.
💞 Devotion, Mantra & Heart Practices
💖 Bhakti — Devotion, Heart-Based Yoga
Bhakti is often translated as devotion or love directed toward the Divine, a chosen form (like Krishna or Shiva), or even the Teacher-as-embodied-wisdom. Bhakti yoga uses emotion and relationship as a path to unity.
🙏 Bhakta — Devotional Practitioner
A bhakta is someone who walks the path of devotion — using prayer, chant, ritual, or loving remembrance as their main yoga.
🔊 Mantra — Sacred Syllable or Phrase
A mantra is a sound-form that supports focus and transformation. Classic examples include “Om” or longer phrases. Repeating a mantra (japa) gives the mind something steady and uplifting to rest on.
🔁 Japa — Repetition of Mantra
Japa is the gentle, rhythmic repetition of a mantra, either aloud or silently. It can be done with beads (mālā), fingers, or simply with breath. Over time, the mantra can feel like background support for the nervous system.
🕉️ Om (Aum) — Primordial Sound
Om is often treated as a seed sound symbolizing wholeness. You’ll hear it used to open or close classes, or inside mantras. In many teachings, it points toward the vibration of consciousness itself.
📖 Texts, Paths & Classic Names
🎓 Patañjali & Aṣṭāṅga Yoga (Eight-Limbed Path)
Patañjali is the name associated with the Yoga Sūtra, a compact text that outlines an eight-limb model of practice:
Yamas, Niyamas, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi
This is the framework many modern yoga teacher trainings draw from.
🎵 Bhagavad Gītā — “Song of the Lord”
The Bhagavad Gītā is a spiritual dialogue set on a battlefield between the warrior Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna. It explores:
The yoga of action
The yoga of devotion
The yoga of knowledge
For many practitioners, it is a core text for understanding how to live yoga in the messiness of real life.
🔍 Jñāna Yoga — Yoga of Wisdom
Jñāna (pronounced roughly “gyah-na”) yoga emphasizes inquiry and discernment: asking “Who am I really?” and carefully examining what is permanent vs. what changes.
🕊️ Karma Yoga — Yoga of Action
Karma yoga is the path of selfless action — doing what needs to be done with care and skill, while releasing attachment to outcome. This can turn everyday life into practice.
👑 Rāja Yoga — “Royal Yoga”
Rāja yoga is often used as a name for the inner, meditative path — frequently associated with Patañjali’s eight-limb framework. It emphasizes mind training, meditation, and direct experience.
🧘♀️ Teacher, Lineage & Life Stages
👩🏫 Guru — Spiritual Teacher
“Guru” literally suggests weight or gravity — someone “heavy” with wisdom. In many traditions, the guru is a guide who points the student back to their own inner teacher.
🕉️ Āśrama — Hermitage or Life Stage
An āśrama can mean a place of practice (a retreat, spiritual center, or monastery), or a life stage in classical models (student, householder, forest-dweller, renunciate). In modern contexts, we often use it to mean a retreat or spiritual community space.
🌱 Brahmacarya — Wise Use of Energy
Often translated as “chastity,” but in a broader teaching context it points to wise, respectful use of energy — including sexual, creative, and mental energy. It asks: “Where is my energy leaking? Where do I want it to flow?”
🕯️ Liberation & Inner Freedom
🕊️ Mokṣa / Mukti — Liberation
Mokṣa refers to release from the cycle of confusion and clinging. It is described as freedom from deep-seated ignorance (avidyā) and a stable recognition of our deeper nature.
🌊 Saṃsāra — The Spinning World
Saṃsāra is the term for the ever-changing flow of worldly experience — pleasure, pain, gain, loss, roles, stories. The goal of yoga is not to hate the world, but to relate to it wisely, anchored in something deeper.
🧘♂️ Jīvanmukta — Liberated While Living
A jīvanmukta is a person who is described as awake to their deeper nature while still in a human life. They still experience the ordinary ups and downs of existence, but they are no longer bound by them in the same way.
📘 Educational Note
This information is for education purposes only and always seek your medical team for physical and emotional support. Edge Yoga School does not dive deep into Sanskrit, but offers this lesson as a starting point.
Students enrolled in our program may send a Slack DM to Michelle or those interested in enrolling are invited to send a CHAT to begin a conversation.