About the book
Why read this book? Do you want to:
- Know more about the roots of yoga? Including the key texts?
- Understand the meaning of key common yoga terms?
- Have a handy reference of common yoga terms in use today?
- Feel more familiar with the Sanskrit language and how to start approaching it?
If you answered yes to any of this above – this is the book for you.
This book is written for all yoga practitioner and teachers, and students of Sanskrit, who want to learn about Yoga. The goals are to Sanskrit more accessible, allow connection with the rich roots of Yoga, and to inspire further explorations into Yoga concepts and practices.
Contents of book
- Section 1 – Introduces Sanskrit and the common systems for writing it, including Devanagari, and transliterations. It also highlights common patterns in Sanskrit terms, such as prefixes, suffixes, and comm
- Section 2 – gives detailed explanations of 108 foundation yoga terms related to postures, breathing, meditation, ethics and philosophy. Descriptions are given on foundational terms such as om, yoga, nirvana, yamas, pranayama, asana, ayurveda, shanti, chakra, karma, mantra, vidya, kosha and many others.
- Section 3- Outlines common Yoga Sutras, what they are, and why they are important. It them shares key Sutras from the well known Patanjali Yoga Sutras, and a glossary of terms from this foundational text to Yoga.
What you’ll gain from this book
- Confidence in Sanskrit: Recognize common patterns in word formation and easily integrate Sanskrit words into your practice or teaching.
- Deeper Context: Understand the rich cultural and philosophical background behind familiar yoga terms.
- Broader Understanding: Explore yoga philosophy beyond asanas—discover the language of pranayama, meditation, and fundamental yogic concepts.
Testimonials
“Here is a book that I wish that I had access to when I was learning yoga! Julian has produced a masterpiece that is likely to become a classic and a ‘must read’ for all practitioners of yoga, new and experienced.
Thoughtfully written and thoroughly researched, this excellent book describes 108 common words used by yogis all over the World. Each term is broken down in different ways, including the simple meaning, an explanation of the common use, and a breakdown of the parts of each word, including the Sanskrit ‘root’, where possible.
In addition, a glossary of 500 yoga terms is given, firstly arranged in western alphabetical order, and then again in the order of the Devanagari alphabet, for those diving a bit deeper into the Sanskrit language.
Pronunciation of each word, or phrase is clear and easy to follow, and there is a section describing techniques including asanas (postures, movements) and pranayama (breathing technique), terms from yoga philosophy and meditation.
I highly recommend that all yoga students keep this book handy. You’ll be using it a lot!”
– Chris Barrington – Co-founder of Dru Yoga, International meditation and yoga teacher for 40 years
“I’ve been a practising yoga teacher since 1984 and a Dru yoga teacher trainer since 2001. I am delighted that Julian Singh has created a wise and comprehensive yoga reference book about the ancient language of Sanskrit and related yogic practices.
As a yoga teacher trainer, I would highly recommend this book to support students to imbibe Sanskrit in greater depth. I believe that it encourages students and teachers to build a relationship with an accurately presented source. Also to have confidence to include using Sanskrit as part of their exploration and teaching. Julian is creatively finding avenues of sharing his knowledge more widely.
The presentation makes it a simple resource to access and study for personal education or for sharing in any forum. I am grateful that Julian has spent a number of years skillfully immersing himself in the study of Sanskrit from informed educators on the subject. Julian has been innovative in this book to make Sanskrit more widely accessible. A magnificent and easy to follow presentation!”
– Patricia Brown – Yoga Teacher Trainer for over 40 years across Australasia