ISSA Yoga 200 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Yoga Sutras 1.2

Sutra defining yoga as citta-vritti-nirodhah, the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind. It is the classical definition underlying Patanjali's system.

Eight limbs order

Yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. The first five are outer limbs; the last three are inner and collectively called samyama.

Ahimsa

The first yama, meaning non-harming in thought, word, and deed. It governs how a teacher cues, adjusts, and speaks to students.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

A fifteenth-century hatha text attributed to Svatmarama. It describes asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, and six cleansing kriyas.

Krishnamacharya lineage

Modern yoga's main teacher lineage. His students include B.K.S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, T.K.V. Desikachar, and Indra Devi, each founding a distinct style.

Sagittal plane

The plane dividing the body into left and right halves. Flexion and extension occur here, as in forward folds and backbends.

Diaphragm innervation

The phrenic nerve, arising from spinal levels C3 to C5. Diaphragm contraction flattens the dome and draws air into the lungs.

Muscle spindle function

A stretch receptor inside muscle that detects length change and rate of change. It triggers the stretch reflex, which resists sudden lengthening.

Golgi tendon organ

A tension sensor at the muscle-tendon junction. It mediates autogenic inhibition, reducing muscle force when tension is high.

Rotator cuff muscles

Supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. They stabilize the humeral head in the glenoid during weight-bearing poses.

Tidal volume

The air moved in one quiet breath, about 500 milliliters at rest. Slow pranayama can raise it and lengthen the exhalation.

Tadasana alignment

Feet parallel, ankles under knees, pelvis neutral, ribs stacked over pelvis, ears over shoulders, chin level. It is the reference for all standing poses.

Chaturanga alignment

Elbows bend to about ninety degrees and track over the wrists. Shoulders stay at or above elbow height, and the body lowers as one line.

Shoulderstand safety

Weight rests on the upper back and shoulders, not the cervical spine. Blankets under the shoulders and a straight neck reduce risk.

Wrist extension modification

Elevate the hands on blocks or wedge the palms to reduce wrist extension. Spreading the fingers and pressing knuckles down also distributes load.

Warrior II alignment

Front knee stacks over the ankle and tracks over the middle toes. Hips open to the side, back foot turns in about ninety degrees, arms extend in one line.

Peak pose sequencing

Warm up the joints and muscles the peak pose loads, practice preparatory poses, teach the peak, then counterpose and close with savasana.

Counterpose principle

Follow a strong flexion with extension and a deep twist with a neutralizing twist. Backbends are balanced by gentle forward folds.

Energy curve

Class intensity rises through the middle third and falls in the final third. Savasana occupies roughly five to ten minutes of a sixty-minute class.

Prana vayu sequencing

Apana grounds early, samana equalizes in the core, prana and udana expand for backbends and inversions, and vyana integrates at the end.

Nadi shodhana

Alternate nostril breathing that balances ida and pingala. The sequence exhales left, inhales left, exhales right, inhales right, and repeats.

Ujjayi breath

Slight glottal constriction producing an audible breath. It lengthens the exhale and is the standard breath for vinyasa practice.

Kapalabhati

A kriya using forced exhalation and passive inhalation, roughly sixty to one hundred twenty strokes per minute. It is contraindicated in pregnancy and hypertension.

Three bandhas

Mula bandha at the pelvic floor, uddiyana bandha in the abdomen on empty lungs, and jalandhara bandha at the throat. Mahabandha combines all three.

Five koshas

Annamaya (body), pranayama (breath), manomaya (mind), vijnanamaya (wisdom), and anandamaya (bliss). They describe layers from gross to subtle.

Dharana to dhyana

Dharana is effortful concentration on one object. Dhyana is sustained attention that continues without effort, marking the shift toward samadhi.

Cue channels

Verbal, visual, and tactile cues. Use at least two channels for any new action so auditory and visual learners both receive the instruction.

Cue order rule

Name the action, then the direction, then the body part, then the breath. For example: exhale, hinge forward from the hips.

Consent for adjustments

Physical adjustments require explicit student consent. Avoid sensitive areas, never adjust the cervical spine, and honor any refusal without comment.

Scope of practice

Yoga teachers do not diagnose, treat, or prescribe. Suspected injury or medical conditions are referred to a physician or physical therapist.

Informed consent elements

Disclose the nature of adjustments, the risk of injury, and the right to decline any cue or touch. Document the student's acknowledgment.

Liability waiver limits

A signed waiver documents assumed risk but does not protect against negligence. Professional liability insurance remains the standard safeguard.