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Yoga Dictionary of Quotes ©
Compiled by R. John Allcorn


L - N

Lakshmi:
“To the common people, she is the goddess of wealth and good fortune.... But to yogis, Lakshmi...stands for bhavat, the infinite universe in continual flux, while Lakshmi’s divine husband, Vishnu, represents bhava, pure consciousness.” (12, p62)

Lakshmi Tantra:
“A voluminous text full of spiritual techniques, written somewhere between 800 and 1100 A.D. It begins with description of Anasuya, one of the most famous female masters in yoga history.” (12, p62)

Law (of nature):
Law: “The expectation that a particular phenomenon will be followed by another, and that the series will repeat itself.” (24, p98)

Leg spread variation:
Variation of seated forward bend - see Paschimottanasana

Madhyama (cf Vaikhari, Madhyama, Pashyanti, Para):
“Madhyama is mental speech, verbalized but unspoken, the internal monologue and dialogue.” (13, 70)

Mahayana - Buddhism:
The Great Vehicle - "That form of Buddhism which reigns from Tibet to the Far East." (34, ix)

Male accomplished Pose:
See "Siddhasana"

Manipura Chakra:
See “Chakras”

Many paths:
There is one truth but many paths.(Satchedenanda) “But it does not matter what deity a devotee chooses to worship. If he has faith, I make his faith unwavering. Endowed with the faith I give him, he worships that deity, and gets from it everything he prays for. In reality, I alone am the giver.” (2, p73)
Sri Krishna: “Some bow to the countless gods that are only; My million faces.” (2, p81)
“If you cannot become absorbed in me, then try to reach me by repeated concentration. If you lack the strength to concentrate, then devote yourself to works which will please me.” (2, p98)
“Hinduism accepts the belief in many divine incarnations, including Krishna, Buddha and Jesus, and foresees that there will be many more.” (2, p 133)
“When we believe that ours is the only faith that contains the truth, violence and suffering will surely be the result.” (10, p 2)

Matsyasana (Fish Pose):
“useful for abdominal illness. Constipation sufferers seeking relief should do this asana after drinking three glasses of water. It is also useful for those who suffer from lung ailments such as asthma or bronchitis, as it encourages deep respiration.” (6, pp64-65)

Meditation (See also Vipassana below):
“As he [the yogi] sits there, he is to hold his senses and imagination in check, and keep the mind concentrated upon its object. If he practices meditation in this manner, his heart will become pure.” (2, p65)
“Make a habit of practicing meditation, and do not let your mind be distracted.” (2, p75)
“If you cannot become absorbed in me, then try to reach me by repeated concentration. If you lack the strength to concentrate, then devote yourself to works which will please me.” (2, p98)
“Meditation is not a drug to make us oblivious to our real problems. It should produce awareness in us and also in our society.” (10, p 76)
“In the Buddhist tradition, there is the practice of walking meditation...we walk in a way that brings us calm., stability, and joy with each step.” (10, p 175-6)
“The purpose of meditation practice is not enlightenment; it is to pay attention even at unextraordinary times, to be of the present, nothing-but-the-present, to bear this mindfulness of now into each event of ordinary life.” (From The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen)

Meditation Poses:
See Padmasana (Lotus Pose & ½ Lotus Pose), Siddhasana (Male accomplished Pose), Siddhasana (Adept’s Pose), Siddha yoni asana (Female accomplished pose), Baddha yoni asana (Sense-withdrawal meditative pose)

Mindfulness:
“Mindfulness–the energy that helps us know what is happening in the present moment.” (10 p 175) “In Buddhism, religious practice begins with mindfulness.” (10, p 180)

Mountain Pose:
See "Tadasana"

Mudras:
cf jnana mudra, chin mudra, shambhavi mudra, akashi mudra, bhujangani mudra ahvini mudra, khaki mudra, khechari mudra, prana mudra, navamukhi mudra, and agnisar kriya “Gestures which generate great psychic power and deeply ‘spiritual’ emotions...mudras effectively promote physical health.” (6, p33) Mudras are “the core of the techniques for awakening the chakras.” (6, p 33)

Mula bandha [perineum contraction lock (6, p90)]:
“perform jalandhara bandha. Then contract muscles of the perineum...and draw them upward.” (6, p91)

Muladhara Chakra:
See “Chakras”

Murcha Pranayama (Fainting breath/pranayama):
Sit in lotus, lock elbows with hands against knees, inhale tilting head back, fix eyes on ceiling, retain breath comfortably. Exhale, bending elbows. “Tranquility is induced.... useful for people suffering from abnormal blood pressure, neurosis, or mental problems.” (6, p86-87)

Nadi Shodhan Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing):
There are three “stages” of practice:
     Stage 1: “The Basic Technique” closing one nostril and simply breathing through the other (6, pp80-81)
     Stage 2: “Alternate Nostril Breathing” Inhale from one side and exhale from the other, using equal length of exhale/Inhale. “After 15 days [of daily practice] or more, leave this stage and practice stage 3.” (6, pp80-81)
     Stage 3: Antaranga kumbhaka - Same as Alternate Nostril Breathing but retain breath, first “to the ratio 1:2:2....After some weeks or months of practice, increase the ratio to 1:4:2. When this is mastered, change the ratio to 1:6:4 and upon mastery of this, to 1:8:6. This is the final ratio.” When the final ratio can be done for 25 cycles with complete relaxation and without the need for a rest, the proceed to the final stage, Stage 4. (6, pp80-82)
     Stage 4: Antaranga and bahiranga kumbhaka (Internal and External retention) - “The ratio should start at 1:4:2:2" [inhale/retain, exhale/retain] “Repeat for 15 cycles.” (6, p82)
Benefits:
     1. A “prelude to advanced meditative practices
     2. “All the nadis are cleared of blockages.”
     3. “The flow of prana in the ida and pingala nadis is equalized.”
     4. “The blood system is cleansed of toxins.”
     5. Stale air in the lungs is removed.”
     6. “The brain cells are purifies, encouraging the centers of the brain to work nearer their optimum capacities.” (6, p82)
Nadis (cf Sushumna, Ida and Pingala):
See chart of the flow of Nadis as explained in several references in a chart (6, p136-7)
“A system of energy channels.” (6, p22)
“The nadis of the physical body and the acupuncture meridians may therefore be considered essentially the same.” (6, p27)
“There is no general consensus concerning the number of nadis which exist in the body: figures from 1,000 to 350,000 are mentioned. The number which appears most often, however, is 72,000.’ (6, p135)
“The Upanishads agree that the nadis originate in the navel.” (6, p139)

Navamukhi Mudra (AKA Yoni Mudra):
Using fingers and thumbs, close off eyes, nose, mouth and ears (6, p105)

Nirvana:
“Only that yogi; Whose joy is inward,; Inward his peace,; And his vision inward; Shall come to Brahman; And know Nirvana.” (2, p61)
Sri Krishna: “If your heart is united with me, you will be set free from karma even in this life, and come to me at the last.” (2, p84)
“Final liberation (6, p32) [liberated from rebirth]
“Direct experience of the universal mind.” (6, p13)
To reach transcendence requires "the constant desire of an individual seeker to experience the eternal compassion of the divine [within]." (33, 206)
Buddhism - "Freedom from all evil, freedom from craving, hatred, and ignorance, freedom from all terms of duality, relativity, time and space." (34, 38)
“Enlightenment for a wave is the moment the wave realizes that it is water.” (10, p 138)

Nivritti:
When Nivritti begins to appear, “then begin morality and religion.” (24, p85)
Nivritti “is good work.” (24, p85)
“This Nivritti is the fundamental basis of all morality and all religion,, and the very perfection o it is entire self-abnegation, readiness to sacrifice mind and body and everything for another being..” (24, p85)

Niyamas:
The niyamas or observances...compliment the conditions described in the yamas.” (7, p80)

Noble Eightfold Path - Buddhism:
See "8 Fold Path above"

Nose Gazing:
“A powerful method which can potentially double the effects of concentration.” (6, p109)


CONTACT: R. John Allcorn, M.A., E-RYT
727-463-5975
allcorn@tampabay.rr.com

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