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.
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 book.