Glossary of Mindful Living
Plain-language definitions for the terms you will meet across mindfulness, yoga, meditation, Kundalini practice, Ayurveda, and the nondual traditions — each one links to a full guide if you want to go deeper.
A
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine involving the insertion of thin needles at specific points on the body, traditionally believed to correspond to channels of energy flow called meridians. It is used, with mixed but growing research support, for conditions such as chronic pain and nausea.
Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta is a school of Indian philosophy, systematized by the 8th-century teacher Adi Shankara, holding that the individual self (Atman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman) are one and the same. Apparent separateness is attributed to ignorance (avidya), and self-inquiry is the traditional means of dispelling it.
Agni
Agni, meaning fire, refers in Ayurveda to the body's digestive and metabolic fire, responsible for transforming food and experience into usable energy and, when balanced, into healthy tissue. Ayurvedic diagnosis and treatment place strong emphasis on assessing and supporting agni, since weak digestive fire is considered a root cause of imbalance.
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is non-harming, the first and foundational yama in Patanjali's eightfold yoga path, extending beyond physical violence to include harm caused through speech, thought, and intention, toward oneself as well as others. It is also central to Buddhist and Jain ethics and was applied as a political principle by Mahatma Gandhi.
Asana
Asana refers to the physical postures of yoga, the third of Patanjali's eight limbs. Originally describing a stable, comfortable seated position for meditation, the term has expanded in modern practice to cover the wide range of standing, seated, balancing, and inverted poses taught in yoga classes today.
Ashtanga Yoga (Eight Limbs)
Ashtanga Yoga, in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, refers to the eightfold path of yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, a progressive framework moving from ethical conduct through physical and breath practice to meditative absorption. This classical meaning is distinct from the modern dynamic physical style called Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.
Atman
Atman is the Sanskrit term for the true Self, the innermost witnessing awareness that Advaita Vedanta holds to be identical with Brahman, the universal reality. It is distinguished from the ego or personality, which is considered a changing, constructed sense of I rather than the unchanging awareness in which all experience appears.
Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine originating in India over 3,000 years ago, based on the idea that health depends on a dynamic balance between three constitutional energies, or doshas, and that imbalance leads to illness. It combines diet, herbs, lifestyle practices, and detoxification methods.
B
Bandha
A bandha is a muscular lock or contraction used in yoga and pranayama to direct the flow of prana, stabilize the body during a pose, or intensify a breathing practice. The three most commonly taught are Mula Bandha at the pelvic floor, Uddiyana Bandha at the abdomen, and Jalandhara Bandha at the throat.
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion, one of the four classical yogic paths described in the Bhagavad Gita, cultivating union with the divine through love, surrender, prayer, chanting, and worship rather than through knowledge or physical practice alone.
Bindu
Bindu, literally a point or drop, refers in yogic and tantric tradition to a subtle center located at the crown of the head, considered a seat of concentrated consciousness and, in some traditions, the source of a substance described as amrita, nectar, linked to vitality. It also means a single point of meditative focus.
Body Scan
The body scan is a mindfulness practice of sequentially directing attention through different areas of the body, typically from the feet to the head, noticing physical sensations without trying to change them. It is a core exercise in MBSR and widely used to build interoceptive awareness and reduce tension.
Brahman
Brahman is the Advaita Vedanta term for the single, unchanging, limitless reality underlying and pervading all existence. It is described as without form and without a second, the ground of being from which the entire universe of names and forms appears, and is held to be identical with the individual self, Atman.
D
Dharma
Dharma is a foundational concept in Indian philosophy referring to one's right conduct, duty, or natural role, understood both as a universal cosmic order and as the specific responsibilities appropriate to an individual's stage of life and circumstances. It is one of the four traditional aims of human life alongside artha, kama, and moksha.
Dosha
Doshas are the three fundamental energies of Ayurvedic physiology, Vata (air and space), Pitta (fire and water), and Kapha (earth and water), said to govern all physiological and psychological processes. Every person is understood to have a unique combination of the three, with imbalance believed to underlie illness.
G
Granthi
Granthis are three subtle energetic knots described in yogic and tantric physiology, said to block the free flow of energy through the Sushumna channel and to correspond to psychological patterns of attachment, fear, and identity. They are traditionally named Brahma Granthi, Vishnu Granthi, and Rudra Granthi.
Guru
A guru is a teacher in Indian spiritual tradition who has direct, lived realization of the teaching they transmit and who guides a student's spiritual development through instruction, example, and relationship over time. The term is traditionally reserved for a teacher of significant depth, used more carefully than its casual modern use.
H
Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga is a classical branch of yoga focused on physical practices, including asana, pranayama, and cleansing techniques (shatkarma), used to prepare the body and energy channels for meditation and higher states of awareness. Its core text, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, dates to the 15th century.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a system of alternative medicine developed by Samuel Hahnemann in the late 18th century, based on the principle that highly diluted substances that cause symptoms in a healthy person can treat similar symptoms in an unwell one. Its remedies are diluted to the point that many contain no detectable trace of the original substance.
K
Karma Yoga
Karma Yoga is the path of selfless action described in the Bhagavad Gita, teaching that one can attain spiritual liberation by performing one's duties and work without attachment to personal outcomes or reward, offering the fruits of action rather than grasping at them.
Kriya
Kriya refers to a specific, structured technique or sequence of practices, such as breathing patterns, movements, chanting, or cleansing exercises, designed to produce a defined effect on the body, mind, or subtle energy. It ranges from simple cleansing exercises to complex Kundalini Yoga sequences taught by a teacher.
Kundalini
Kundalini is a subtle energy described in yogic and tantric traditions as lying dormant, often symbolized as a coiled serpent, at the base of the spine. Through practices such as pranayama, asana, and meditation, this energy is said to be gradually awakened and directed upward through the body's subtle channels.
M
MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy)
MBCT is an eight-week clinical program combining mindfulness meditation with elements of cognitive therapy, developed specifically to prevent relapse in people with a history of recurrent depression. It teaches practitioners to relate differently to negative thought patterns rather than trying to eliminate them.
MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction)
MBSR is an eight-week, secular clinical program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts in 1979, combining mindfulness meditation, body scan practice, and gentle yoga. It was originally designed to help patients manage chronic pain and has since been studied for stress, anxiety, and general wellbeing.
Mantra
A mantra is a word, sound, or phrase repeated silently or aloud during meditation or ritual, used to focus the mind, invoke a particular quality, or mark a state of consciousness. Mantras range from a single syllable, such as Om, to longer Sanskrit phrases associated with specific deities or intentions.
Marma Points
Marma points are 107 specific anatomical junctures identified in Ayurveda where muscles, veins, ligaments, bones, and joints intersect, considered vital points where prana, life force, is concentrated. Gentle marma point therapy is used in Ayurvedic massage and bodywork, while classical texts also describe certain points as vulnerable in injury.
Maya
Maya is the Advaita Vedanta concept describing the appearance of a separate, changing world superimposed on the one unchanging reality of Brahman. Often translated as illusion, it more precisely means a veiling and projecting power that makes the one appear as many, not that the world itself is nonexistent.
Meditation
Meditation is a family of practices that train attention and awareness, typically by focusing on a single object such as the breath, a mantra, or bodily sensation, or by cultivating an open, receptive awareness of whatever arises. Traditions vary widely, from concentration practices to open monitoring and loving-kindness meditation.
Metta (Loving-Kindness)
Metta, usually translated as loving-kindness, is a Buddhist meditation practice of deliberately cultivating warmth and goodwill, traditionally extended in a defined sequence toward oneself, a loved one, a neutral person, a difficult person, and eventually all beings. It is practiced through silently repeated phrases rather than visualization alone.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of paying deliberate, non-judgmental attention to present-moment experience, whether the breath, bodily sensations, thoughts, or surroundings. Rooted in Buddhist contemplative practice, it has been adapted into secular clinical programs and is widely used for stress, anxiety, and general wellbeing.
Moksha
Moksha is liberation, the recognition of one's true nature as Atman or Brahman and freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth, samsara, that Indian traditions describe as driven by ignorance of that true nature. In Advaita Vedanta it is a recognition of what is already the case, not a future attainment.
Monkey Mind
Monkey mind is a common phrase, drawn from a Buddhist image, describing the restless, easily distracted quality of untrained attention, jumping quickly from thought to thought like a monkey swinging between branches. It is often the first thing people notice when they begin meditating, and its presence is considered entirely normal.
Mudra
A mudra is a symbolic hand or body gesture used in yoga, meditation, and classical Indian dance to direct energy, seal a physical or energetic state, or express a specific meaning. In yogic practice, mudras are often combined with pranayama and meditation to influence the flow of prana, the body's vital energy.
N
Nadi
Nadis are the subtle energy channels described in yogic physiology through which prana is said to flow. Classical texts describe thousands of nadis, with three considered most important: Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna, which form the basis for many pranayama and kundalini-related practices.
Naturopathy
Naturopathy is a system of complementary medicine that emphasizes the body's inherent capacity to heal itself, using tools such as diet, hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, fasting, and lifestyle change rather than pharmaceutical intervention as first-line treatment. It is practiced both as a stand-alone system and alongside conventional medical care.
Nonduality
Nonduality (or non-duality) is the direct recognition that awareness and its contents, such as thoughts, sensations, and the sense of being a separate self, are not two separate things but a single, seamless reality. It is a description of direct experience, central to Advaita Vedanta and related contemplative traditions.
O
Ojas
Ojas is the Ayurvedic term for the subtlest and most refined product of healthy digestion, described as the reserve of vitality, immunity, and resilience that supports physical and mental strength. It is considered depleted by chronic stress, poor digestion, and irregular sleep, and supported by balanced digestion and nourishing routines.
Om (Aum)
Om, often written Aum, is considered in Indian traditions to be the primordial sound underlying all creation and is chanted at the start and end of yoga and meditation practices. Its three phonetic parts, A, U, and M, are traditionally said to correspond to waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, with the silence after representing Turiya.
P
Panchakarma
Panchakarma is a structured five-part Ayurvedic cleansing and detoxification protocol, traditionally administered under professional supervision, intended to remove accumulated toxins, ama, and restore balance to the doshas. It typically includes preparatory oil therapies followed by one or more of five main procedures, recommended seasonally rather than as an everyday practice.
Pranayama
Pranayama is the yogic practice of consciously regulating the breath, using specific ratios of inhalation, retention, and exhalation to influence the nervous system, mind, and vital energy (prana). It is the fourth limb of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga and a foundation of most yoga and meditation traditions.
Present-Moment Awareness
Present-moment awareness is the practice of directing attention fully to what is happening right now, in the body, breath, or surroundings, rather than being absorbed in memories of the past or plans for the future. It is a foundational aim shared by mindfulness meditation, many yoga practices, and several nondual teachings.
S
Samadhi
Samadhi is the eighth and final limb of Patanjali's yoga, describing a state of deep meditative absorption in which the sense of a separate observer dissolves into unified awareness with the object of meditation. It is traditionally considered the culmination of sustained meditative practice.
Sangha
Sangha is a Buddhist and broader Indian spiritual term for a community of practitioners who support one another's practice through shared commitment, accountability, and companionship. Traditionally referring to the monastic community founded by the Buddha, the term is now also used more broadly for any committed meditation community.
Satsang
Satsang is a gathering held in the company of a spiritual teacher or community for the shared exploration of truth, typically through dialogue, silence, and direct pointing to the nature of awareness. In the nondual traditions, it is less a lecture than a live inquiry into present-moment experience.
Self-Inquiry
Self-inquiry is a contemplative method, most closely associated with the sage Ramana Maharshi, of persistently asking 'Who am I?' to trace attention back to its source. The practice uses the question to dissolve identification with the thinking mind and reveal awareness itself.
Seva
Seva is selfless service performed without expectation of personal reward or recognition, considered in Indian spiritual traditions to be a form of spiritual practice in its own right, purifying the ego and cultivating compassion through action rather than solely through meditation or study. It is closely connected to karma yoga.
Shakti
Shakti is the Sanskrit term for divine feminine energy or creative power, understood in tantric and yogic traditions as the dynamic, active force that animates consciousness. In Kundalini Yoga, the dormant energy at the base of the spine is specifically referred to as Kundalini Shakti.
Subtle Body
The subtle body, or sukshma sharira, is the energetic anatomy described in yogic and tantric traditions, distinct from the physical body, composed of nadis, channels, chakras, energy centers, and prana, vital energy. It provides the framework that practices like pranayama, chakra meditation, and kundalini yoga work with directly.
Surya Namaskar
Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutation, is a flowing sequence of 12 linked yoga postures, traditionally practiced facing the rising sun as a devotional and physical warm-up. It coordinates breath and movement and is one of the most widely taught sequences in modern yoga practice.
Sushumna
Sushumna is the central subtle-energy channel described in yogic and tantric physiology, running along the spine from the base to the crown of the head. Kundalini energy is said to rise through Sushumna during advanced practice, in contrast to Ida and Pingala, the two channels that spiral around it.
T
The Witness (Sakshi)
The Witness, or Sakshi in Sanskrit, refers to the unchanging awareness that observes thoughts, emotions, and sensations without itself being altered by them. Meditation and self-inquiry traditions point to this witnessing presence as closer to one's true identity than the constantly changing content it observes.
Third Eye (Ajna)
The third eye, associated with the Ajna chakra between the eyebrows, is described in yogic tradition as the seat of intuition, inner vision, and subtle perception beyond ordinary sight. It is a central focus in many meditation and concentration practices, including Trataka, steady candle-gazing, and specific visualization techniques.
Turiya
Turiya is the 'fourth state' of consciousness described in the Mandukya Upanishad, distinct from waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep. It refers to pure awareness itself, the constant background presence in which the other three states arise and pass.
Y
Yamas and Niyamas
The yamas and niyamas are the first two limbs of Patanjali's eightfold yoga path, forming its ethical foundation. The five yamas, including ahimsa, non-harming, and satya, truthfulness, govern conduct toward others, while the five niyamas, including santosha, contentment, and svadhyaya, self-study, govern personal discipline and inner conduct.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra, or 'yogic sleep,' is a structured, guided relaxation practice performed lying down, moving attention systematically through the body and breath to reach a state between waking and sleeping. It is used for deep rest, stress reduction, and, in some traditions, subtle-body exploration.
Yoga Sutras
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a foundational text of classical yoga philosophy, composed of 196 concise aphorisms organized around an eight-limbed path (ashtanga) leading from ethical conduct through physical and breath practices to meditative absorption and liberation.