Glossary

Term	Definition
Maha ( maa-haa)	Great
Maha bandha	The great lock - combines the three locks in yoga - the moola bandha, jalandhara bandha and uddiyana bandha together with breath retention
Maha mudra	The great gesture - combines the practice of moola bandha, shambhavi and khechari mudras simultaneously
Maha nadi	Literally means 'great nadi', which is the 'sushumna' in yoga
Mahatma (Ma-haat-maa)	A great soul-saint
Makarasana ( Ma-kha-as-aan-a)	Crocodile pose
Mala (Maa-laa)	Impurity of the mind: lust anger greed etc
Manas chakra	The energy center above the ajna chakra - is depicted with six petals.
Manipura Chakra (Ma-ni-poo-a-chak-ra)	The third chakra located at the navel solar plexus
Mantra	Sacred syllable,word or set of words through repetition and reflection one attains peace & perfection or realisation of self
Mantra Shakti	The power of mantra
Manu	semi-mythical sage; start of the human race.
Matsyasana ( Mats-yaa-sa-na)	Fish pose. A person can also float on water like a fish for a considerable amount of time in this pose
Matsyendrasana ( Mats-yend-raa-sa-na)	Spinal twist. Named after the first human to practice Hatha yoga Matsyendrasana
Mauna	Silence – practiced