Glossary

Chakras – vortices of energy or prana in the human body-mind-spirit complex that spin around an inertia called a vritti or samskara ; existing on all levels, but primarily referred to as their presence in the pranamaya kosha and manomaya kosha ; when chakras are cleansed and activated, allows for the unobstructed flow of pranic energy through the nadis and can lead to Kundalini experiences and awakening.

Hatha Yoga – one of the four main classifications of yoga that treats yoga primarily from the perspective of the body. Has three main focusses: asana, pranayama, and shatkarmas.

Nadis – energy channels in the subtle layers of the human substratum; see chakras for more information.

Shatkarmas – Cleansing techniques of Hatha Yoga; six in number: tratak (cleansing of the visual cortex through gazing at a point); neti (cleansing of the nasal passages); dhauti (cleansing of the stomach); nauli (abdominal massage); bhasti (colon cleansing); kapalabhati (purification of the nadis through pranayama).