Kundalini Yoga Glossary

Quick Answer: Kundalini yoga uses a specific Sanskrit and Gurmukhi vocabulary drawn from both yogic and Sikh traditions. Key terms include Sat Nam (truth as identity), kriya (a prescribed set of exercises), sadhana (daily spiritual practice), naad (sacred sound), and seva (selfless service). This glossary covers the most common terms encountered in classes and in the writings of the tradition.

Mantras and Sacred Phrases

Sat Nam is the most frequently used mantra in Kundalini yoga. Sat means truth and Nam means identity or name. Sat Nam affirms that the essential nature of every being is truth itself. It is used as a greeting, a closing mantra, and as a seed mantra coordinated with the breath during practice.

Waheguru is an expression of awe and wonder at the greatness of the divine, used widely in Sikh tradition and incorporated into many Kundalini yoga meditations. It is not an analytical statement but an exclamation, similar in function to "how wondrous." Chanting Waheguru is understood to dissolve the separation between the individual and the infinite.

Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo is the Adi Mantra, chanted three times at the start of every Kundalini yoga class. Ong is the creative sound of the universe. Namo means I bow. Guru means teacher or that which takes from darkness to light. Dev means subtle or divine. The full phrase is often translated as "I bow to the infinite creative consciousness; I bow to the divine wisdom within." It connects the practitioner to the lineage of teachers.

Practice Terms: Kriya, Sadhana and Amrit Vela

A kriya is a prescribed sequence of exercises, breathwork, postures, mudras, mantras, and sometimes relaxation, designed to produce a specific physical, energetic, or psychological effect. Kriyas in Kundalini yoga are not improvised: they are given in a specific order and held for specific durations. Changing the sequence or timing is understood to change the effect.

Sadhana means daily spiritual practice. In the Kundalini yoga tradition, sadhana is performed during Amrit Vela, the ambrosial hours before sunrise, typically between 3.30am and 6am. This timing is considered optimal because the mind is quieter, the atmosphere less disturbed, and the angle of the sun supports deeper meditation. Group sadhana, where practitioners gather to practise together, is particularly valued.

Amrit Vela means ambrosial hours and specifically refers to the two and a half hours before sunrise. The word Amrit means nectar, implying that this time has a particular quality that supports spiritual practice. Regular practice during Amrit Vela is one of the distinguishing commitments of dedicated Kundalini yoga practitioners.

The Energy Body: Arc Line, Aura and Subtle Bodies

Kundalini yoga teaches that the human being is composed of ten bodies: one physical body, three mental bodies (negative mind, positive mind, neutral mind), the soul body, the arc line, the aura, the pranic body, the subtle body, and the radiant body. Each body has specific qualities, vulnerabilities, and practices that support its development.

The arc line is the arc of light that extends from ear to ear across the forehead and for women also from nipple to nipple across the chest. It is understood as the record of karmic impressions and the seat of intuition. A strong arc line supports clarity, focus, and the ability to manifest intention. Chanting, particularly extended repetition of mantras, is said to strengthen the arc line.

The aura is the electromagnetic field surrounding the body, extending outward in all directions. In Kundalini yoga, the aura is understood as both a protective field and a projective field: it screens incoming energy and broadcasts the quality of the individual's state outward. Physical practices, pranayama, and ethical living all affect the strength and clarity of the aura.

Community Terms: Naad, Bana, Bani, Seva and Simran

Naad means sacred sound and refers specifically to the internal experience of sound as vibration rather than just auditory perception. Naad yoga is the yoga of sound: the use of mantra, music, and conscious listening as a path of practice. The term Naad Brahma, meaning the universe as vibration or sound as God, captures the principle that everything in existence is ultimately a form of vibration.

Bana refers to the dress or appearance associated with the Kundalini yoga tradition: white clothing and a white head covering. White is understood to expand the aura and support clarity of mind. Wearing bana is a personal practice, not a requirement, but it is common among committed practitioners and teachers in the 3HO lineage.

Bani means the divine word and refers specifically to the sacred scripture of the Sikh tradition, particularly the Nitnem banis, prayers recited at specific times of day. Many Kundalini yoga practitioners recite these prayers as part of their sadhana, though the practice varies between lineages and individuals.

Seva means selfless service, action taken without expectation of personal reward, as an offering to the divine in all beings. Simran means remembrance of the divine through repetition of the name, a practice of continuous inner mantra often described as the deepest level of meditation. Both seva and simran are considered essential supports of practice alongside asana and pranayama.

The Aquarian Age and the Purpose of Practice

The concept of the Aquarian Age appears frequently in Kundalini yoga teachings as transmitted by Yogi Bhajan. He taught that humanity was transitioning from the Piscean Age, characterised by hierarchy, secrecy, and the need for an external authority, to the Aquarian Age, characterised by access to information, individual empowerment, and the need for inner guidance.

In this framing, Kundalini yoga was made available to everyone precisely because the Aquarian Age requires people to have direct access to tools for nervous system regulation, consciousness, and clarity. The function of the teacher in the Aquarian Age is not to be the authority but to share the technology and support the student in finding their own inner authority.

Whether one accepts this cosmological framework or not, the practical implications are useful: the emphasis is on personal experience rather than belief, on consistency of practice rather than devotion to a teacher, and on developing the discernment to navigate complexity from inner clarity rather than outer instruction.