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From A to Z

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The wiki grows step by step – yoga, the bandhas, prana, pranayama, mantra, the sun salutation, the Upanishads and the Sanskrit terms make the start.

All Sanskrit terms at a glanceSectionTable: term, Devanagari, transliteration, gender and German form Four kinds of mantrasSectionOm, bija mantra, Gayatri mantra and nama mantra How a laughter yoga session runsSectionClapping, breathing, playfulness, laughter practices, laughter meditation and rest The eight limbs of yogaअष्टाङ्गSectionYama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi The four breathing exercisesSectionAnuloma Viloma, box breathing, Kapalabhati and 4-7-11 – guided in the app

Meaning of the bandhasSectionBinding, holding, sealing – what the word means The Bandhas – energy locks in yogaबन्धWikiSubtle inner locks for breath and prana: pelvic floor, abdomen, throat

Der or das Yoga?SectionWhy German says “der Yoga” and why “das Yoga” is correct too Three ways to practise a mantraSectionJapa with the mala, kirtan in call and response, mantra in motion

Women in the history of yogaSectionGargi, Maitreyi, Lalla, Mirabai, Indra Devi, Geeta Iyengar – and what the sources leave out

The four central ideasSectionAtman, brahman, tat tvam asi and Om – core ideas of the Upanishads

Hatha Yoga Pradipikaहठयोगप्रदीपिकाSectionA source text of Hatha Yoga (Svatmarama, around the 15th century)

Jalandhara Bandhaजालन्धरबन्धSectionThe throat lock – calms you and turns you inward

The classical paths of yogaSectionRaja, jnana, bhakti, karma and hatha yoga – five paths, one goal

Laughter yogaहास्ययोगWikiLaughing without reason as a practice – origins, effects on health and the two-finger smile

Maha Bandhaमहाबन्धSectionThe great lock – all three bandhas together Mantraमन्त्रWikiSyllable, word or verse, spoken or sung in repetition: a sound that carries the mind Mula Bandhaमूलबन्धSectionThe root lock – grounds you and lifts you upright

Pranaप्राणWikiThe life energy in yoga – carried by the breath, gathered and guided Pranayamaप्राणायामWikiGuiding the breath in yoga – observing, leading and widening it

Sanskrit termsसंस्कृतम्WikiDer Prana, das Asana, die Mudra: every term with its gender, and why we follow the Sanskrit Spelling and grammar on our pagesSectionFive rules for articles, plurals, diacritics and special cases Surya Namaskar – dark metal versionSectionThe twelve mantras of the sun salutation as a song, for listening, created with AI Surya Namaskar – the sun salutationसूर्यनमस्कारWikiThe twelve steps of the sun salutation with breath and the twelve mantras, origins, the number 108 and our song

Uddiyana Bandhaउड्डीयानबन्धSectionThe abdominal lock – lightness and alertness in your centre Upanishadsउपनिषद्WikiThe wisdom texts at the close of the Vedas – a wellspring of yoga

The five vayusवायुSectionFive currents of prana: intake, release, centre, ascent, connection

Why 108?SectionThe meaning of the number 108 in yoga: unity, emptiness, infinity Why laughter is healthySectionBreath, muscles, stress hormones, circulation, immune system and mood: what laughter does

YogaयोगWikiMeaning, origin, “der” or “das” Yoga, the eight limbs, the paths of yoga and the role of women Yoga in numbersSectionShare of practitioners in Germany in 2014, 2018 and 2023, women and men compared Yoga in the West todaySectionFrom Vivekananda in 1893 to the International Day of Yoga

The twelve steps of the sun salutationSectionTwelve postures with breathing, mantra and meaning, step by step The two-finger smileSectionA minute of smiling with two fingers: the smallest laughter practice, step by step Timeline of yogaSectionFrom the Vedas via Patanjali and hatha yoga to the present day

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