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A Note on Yoga Terminology
In referring to yoga, it is common to use the original Sanskrit terms for various concepts and practices, as frequently, equivalent words do not exist in English. Yoga for Men adopts the convention of presenting these words in transliterated English, with a literal translation of their meaning generally provided parenthetically. Understanding the etymology of the original Sanskrit word can often be a helpful key to unlocking its meaning in English. Sanskrit terms are generally italicized upon their first occurrence in Yoga for Men, with an English translation provided in parentheses. Subsequent uses of the Sanskrit term in the text are not italicized. Because of the complexity of transliterating Sanskrit words into English, Sanskrit words often have variant spellings in English. Yoga for Men attempts to use the most frequently encountered spellings.
Several nouns and adjectives are used to describe yoga practitioners and practices that may be new to some readers. A male practitioner of yoga is frequently referred to as a yogin, while a female practitioner is referred to as a yogini. Alternatively, the word yogi refers to any practitioner, regardless of sex. The plural of yogi is yogis. The adjective yogic does not yet appear in all dictionaries, but is used with increasing frequency as a qualifier to denote that the noun to which it refers has a special yoga connotation. You will find these words used at various times throughout this web site .
