Wellness language, explained in plain English.
You should not need a second browser tab just to understand the words in a wellness article.
The Wellness Glossary explains the terms that appear throughout this site, from asana and ahimsa to interoception, proprioception, mantra, fascia, pranayama, Reiki, and parasympathetic.
142 terms, A to Z. Click any term for its own page.
- Yoga 5
- Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit 20
- Meditation 14
- Mindfulness 11
- Anatomy & Movement 13
- Nervous System 12
- Holistic Wellness 5
- Everyday Wellness 14
- Rest & Recovery 6
- Reiki 14
- Energy Practices 2
- Spiritual Wellness 9
- Herbalism 17
No terms match.
A
Acceptance Mindfulness
In mindfulness contexts, acceptance refers to recognizing present experience as it is before deciding what to do next.
Active Recovery Rest & Recovery
Low-intensity activity used during a recovery period instead of complete inactivity.
Ahimsa Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term commonly translated as nonviolence or non-harming. It is the first of the five yamas.
Anchor Habit Everyday Wellness
A small repeatable behavior attached to a reliable event or transition in daily life.
Aparigraha Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term commonly translated as non-grasping, non-possessiveness, or non-hoarding. It is one of the five yamas.
Asana Yoga
A Sanskrit term commonly translated as posture or seat. In modern yoga, asana usually refers to the physical postures practiced in yoga classes.
Asteya Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term meaning non-stealing. It is one of the five yamas.
Attention Mindfulness
The selective direction of mental focus toward particular information, sensations, tasks, or experiences.
Aura Spiritual Wellness
A spiritual or esoteric concept describing a field or layer of subtle energy believed by some traditions or practitioners to surround a person or living being.
Autonomic Nervous System Nervous System
A division of the peripheral nervous system that helps regulate involuntary body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion, and sexual arousal.
B
Balance Anatomy & Movement
The ability to maintain or recover control of the body’s position over its base of support.
Beginner's Mind Mindfulness
A term commonly associated with Zen practice that refers to approaching experience with openness rather than assuming you already know exactly what it is.
Biofield Energy Practices
A term used in some complementary-health literature for a proposed field of energy and information associated with living systems.
Body Scan Meditation
A practice that moves attention through different areas of the body, noticing sensation without needing to change it.
Botanical Herbalism
A plant or plant-derived material used in a food, supplement, traditional remedy, or wellness product.
Boundary Everyday Wellness
A limit or guideline a person sets around time, energy, access, behavior, or responsibility.
Brahmacharya Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term traditionally associated with celibacy, sexual restraint, or disciplined conduct. It is one of the five yamas.
Breath Awareness Meditation
The practice of noticing the breath as it naturally occurs without necessarily trying to control it.
C
Capacity Everyday Wellness
The amount of physical, mental, emotional, or practical demand a person can reasonably handle at a given time.
Central Nervous System Nervous System
The part of the nervous system made up of the brain and spinal cord.
Chakra Spiritual Wellness
A Sanskrit term often translated as wheel and used in several South Asian traditions for centers within subtle-body systems.
Chakra Balancing Spiritual Wellness
A contemporary wellness phrase for practices intended to create a sense of harmony within a chakra-based spiritual framework.
Chakra Meditation Spiritual Wellness
A meditation practice that uses one or more chakras as points of attention, imagery, symbolism, mantra, or reflection.
Chakra System Spiritual Wellness
A framework that organizes multiple chakras into a connected subtle-body model.
Community Care Holistic Wellness
Care and support that happen through relationships, groups, and shared responsibility rather than only through individual self-care.
Consistency Everyday Wellness
Returning to a practice repeatedly over time rather than performing it perfectly.
Contraindication Herbalism
A circumstance in which a particular herb, supplement, practice, or treatment should be avoided or used only with appropriate professional guidance.
D
Decoction Herbalism
A water-based preparation made by simmering or gently boiling plant material for a period of time.
Dharana Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
The sixth limb of Patanjali's Eight Limbs, referring to concentration or sustained attention on a chosen object or point.
Dhyana Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
The seventh limb of Patanjali's Eight Limbs, commonly translated as meditation.
Distance Reiki Reiki
A form of Reiki practiced without the practitioner and recipient being physically together.
E
Energy Management Everyday Wellness
The practice of planning activities around available physical, mental, and emotional energy.
Energy Work Energy Practices
An umbrella term used for practices that work with spiritual, subtle-energy, or biofield concepts.
Enteric Nervous System Nervous System
A large network of neurons located within the gastrointestinal tract that helps regulate digestive function.
F
Fascia Anatomy & Movement
Connective tissue that surrounds, supports, separates, and connects muscles, organs, nerves, blood vessels, and other structures throughout the body.
Fatigue Everyday Wellness
A feeling of physical or mental tiredness, low energy, or reduced capacity.
Fight-or-Flight Response Nervous System
A common term for rapid physiological changes that prepare the body for action in response to threat or demand.
Flexibility Anatomy & Movement
The ability of muscles and other soft tissues to lengthen through an available range of motion.
Focused Attention Meditation
A meditation style that intentionally directs attention toward one chosen object.
G
Glycerite Herbalism
A liquid herbal preparation that uses glycerin as a major extraction medium, often with water.
Grounding Mindfulness
A broad, non-diagnostic term used in wellness and mental-health settings for practices that help orient attention to the body, senses, environment, or immediate situation.
Guided Meditation Meditation
A meditation in which a teacher or recording provides verbal instructions throughout part or all of the practice.
H
Habit Everyday Wellness
A behavior that becomes more automatic through repetition and context.
Hands-Off Reiki Reiki
A Reiki approach in which the practitioner keeps their hands above or near the body without physical contact.
Hands-On Reiki Reiki
A Reiki approach in which the practitioner's hands make light, respectful contact with the recipient where consent has been given.
Hatha Yoga Yoga
A broad yoga tradition historically associated with bodily, breath, and energetic practices. In many modern class schedules, 'Hatha' is also used to describe a slower posture-based class.
Herb Herbalism
A plant or plant part used for culinary, aromatic, traditional, or health-related purposes.
Herb-Drug Interaction Herbalism
An interaction in which an herb or botanical product changes, adds to, or interferes with the effects of a medication.
Herbal Infusion Herbalism
A preparation made by steeping plant material in water for a period of time.
Herbal Medicine Herbalism
The use of plant-derived preparations for health-related purposes within traditional or contemporary systems of care.
Herbal Monograph Herbalism
A structured reference entry focused on one herb, usually covering identity, uses, preparation, evidence, safety, and interactions.
Herbal Safety Herbalism
The evaluation of whether an herb or herbal product is appropriate in a particular context, including dose, preparation, health conditions, medications, pregnancy, allergies, and product quality.
Herbal Tea Herbalism
A beverage made by steeping herbs, flowers, spices, roots, or other plant materials in water.
Herbalism Herbalism
The study and use of plants and plant preparations within traditional, cultural, culinary, or wellness practices.
Holistic Wellness Holistic Wellness
A whole-person approach to wellbeing that considers physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, and meaning-related parts of life together.
Homeostasis Nervous System
The body’s ongoing process of maintaining internal conditions within ranges that support function.
I
Intention Spiritual Wellness
A consciously chosen aim, direction, or quality a person brings to a practice or action.
Interoception Nervous System
Awareness of signals coming from inside the body, such as hunger, heartbeat, nausea, temperature, thirst, or bladder fullness.
Ishvara Pranidhana Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit phrase often translated as dedication, surrender, or devotion to Ishvara. It is one of the five niyamas.
J
Joint Anatomy & Movement
A place where two or more bones meet.
K
Kinesthesia Anatomy & Movement
Awareness of body movement, especially the sensation of movement through space.
L
Loving-Kindness Meditation Meditation
A contemplative practice that intentionally cultivates goodwill or benevolent wishes toward oneself and others.
M
Mantra Meditation
A word, phrase, sound, or sacred utterance repeated as part of a contemplative or meditative practice.
Materia Medica Herbalism
A reference collection describing medicinal or traditional uses, preparations, properties, and safety information for herbs or other therapeutic substances.
Meditation Meditation
A broad family of practices that intentionally train attention, awareness, concentration, or a particular mental quality.
Meditation Anchor Meditation
The object or experience a person intentionally returns attention to during meditation.
Metta Meditation
A Pali term commonly translated as loving-kindness, goodwill, or benevolence.
Mikao Usui Reiki
The Japanese teacher most commonly associated with the development of the Reiki healing system in the early twentieth century.
Mind Wandering Meditation
The shift of attention away from the intended task or object toward unrelated thoughts, memories, plans, or images.
Mindful Eating Mindfulness
Bringing deliberate awareness to the experience of eating, including hunger, taste, texture, pace, fullness, satisfaction, and distraction.
Mindful Movement Mindfulness
Physical movement practiced with deliberate attention to sensation, breath, effort, balance, coordination, and experience.
Mindful Walking Mindfulness
Walking while intentionally noticing movement, contact with the ground, pace, sensation, or surroundings.
Mindfulness Mindfulness
Awareness of present experience, including thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and surroundings, with less automatic judgment or reaction.
Mindfulness Meditation Meditation
A meditation practice centered on noticing present-moment experience and returning attention when it wanders.
Mobility Anatomy & Movement
The ability to move a joint or body region through an available range with control.
Motor Control Anatomy & Movement
The nervous system’s organization and coordination of movement to accomplish a task.
Muscle Tension Anatomy & Movement
A general term for increased muscular contraction, stiffness, or the sensation of tightness.
Muscle Tone Anatomy & Movement
The ongoing low-level activity or tension present in muscles even when they are not producing a large movement.
N
Niyama Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
The second limb of Patanjali's Eight Limbs, referring to personal observances or disciplines.
Nociception Anatomy & Movement
The nervous system process of detecting potentially harmful mechanical, thermal, or chemical stimuli.
Nonjudgmental Awareness Mindfulness
Noticing an experience without immediately sorting it into good, bad, success, failure, should, or should not.
O
Open Awareness Meditation
A meditation approach in which attention is not restricted to one object but remains receptive to changing thoughts, sensations, sounds, and other experiences.
P
Pacing Everyday Wellness
Adjusting the amount, intensity, or timing of activity to match available energy and capacity.
Parasympathetic Nervous System Nervous System
A division of the autonomic nervous system involved in many functions associated with rest, digestion, conservation of energy, and routine organ regulation.
Passive Rest Rest & Recovery
Rest that reduces activity and effort, such as lying down, sitting quietly, or sleeping.
Patanjali Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
The name traditionally associated with the compilation or authorship of the Yoga Sutras, an influential text in classical yoga philosophy.
Peripheral Nervous System Nervous System
The network of nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord.
Posture Anatomy & Movement
The position and alignment of the body at a particular moment.
Poultice Herbalism
A topical preparation in which moist plant material or another prepared substance is applied to the skin.
Pranayama Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term for intentional practices involving the breath. It is commonly translated as breath regulation or breath control.
Pratyahara Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
The fifth limb of Patanjali's Eight Limbs, commonly translated as withdrawal of the senses or turning sensory attention inward.
Present-Moment Awareness Mindfulness
Attention to what is happening now rather than being completely absorbed in past events, future scenarios, or automatic thought.
Proprioception Anatomy & Movement
The body’s ability to sense its position, movement, and orientation in space without relying only on vision.
R
Range of Motion Anatomy & Movement
The amount of movement available at a joint or across a movement pattern.
Recovery Rest & Recovery
The broader process of restoring capacity after physical, mental, emotional, or environmental demand.
Regulation Nervous System
A broad term for the body’s and mind’s ability to adjust responses as internal and external conditions change.
Reiki Reiki
A Japanese energy-based complementary practice in which a practitioner places hands lightly on or just above the body, often with the intention of supporting relaxation or wellbeing.
Reiki Attunement Reiki
A ceremonial initiation used in many Reiki teaching systems when a student enters or advances within a level of practice.
Reiki Lineage Reiki
The teacher-to-student chain through which a Reiki practitioner traces their training tradition.
Reiki Master Reiki
A title used in many Reiki systems for an advanced level of training.
Reiki Master Teacher Reiki
A Reiki title commonly used for a practitioner who has completed advanced training that includes teaching or initiating others in their lineage.
Reiki Practitioner Reiki
A person trained to offer Reiki sessions according to a particular Reiki school or lineage.
Reiki Session Reiki
A scheduled Reiki practice in which a practitioner uses hands-on or hands-off techniques according to their training and the client's comfort.
Reiki Symbols Reiki
Symbols taught in some Reiki systems and used within practice according to lineage and training level.
Rest Rest & Recovery
A reduction in effort, activity, stimulation, or demand.
Ritual Everyday Wellness
A repeated action or sequence given personal, cultural, spiritual, or symbolic meaning.
S
Salve Herbalism
A semi-solid topical preparation, often made by combining an infused oil or other plant-based ingredient with wax.
Samadhi Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
The eighth limb of Patanjali's Eight Limbs, referring to meditative absorption.
Santosha Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term commonly translated as contentment. It is one of the five niyamas.
Satya Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term commonly translated as truthfulness or honesty. It is one of the five yamas.
Saucha Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term commonly translated as cleanliness or purity. It is one of the five niyamas.
Savasana Yoga
A yoga posture commonly practiced lying on the back in stillness, often near the end of a physical yoga session. The name is commonly translated as corpse pose.
Self-Care Everyday Wellness
Actions and choices that support a person's physical, mental, emotional, or practical wellbeing.
Self-Reiki Reiki
A Reiki self-practice in which a trained practitioner applies their Reiki method to themselves.
Sensory Awareness Mindfulness
Deliberate attention to sensory information such as sound, sight, touch, smell, taste, temperature, pressure, or movement.
Singing Bowl Spiritual Wellness
A resonant bowl-shaped instrument used in some meditation, ritual, and modern sound-wellness practices.
Sleep Rest & Recovery
A recurring biological state that supports physical and mental functioning and recovery.
Sleep Hygiene Rest & Recovery
Habits and environmental practices intended to support more consistent, restful sleep.
Sound Bath Spiritual Wellness
A guided relaxation or listening experience using sustained sounds from instruments such as singing bowls, gongs, chimes, or other resonant instruments.
Stress Load Everyday Wellness
The cumulative amount of physical, mental, emotional, environmental, or social demand a person is carrying.
Stress Response Nervous System
The coordinated physiological and behavioral changes that help the body respond to a perceived demand or threat.
Subtle Body Spiritual Wellness
A concept found in several religious and contemplative traditions describing non-physical aspects of human experience or spiritual anatomy.
Support System Holistic Wellness
The people, services, and resources a person can rely on for emotional, practical, informational, or professional support.
Sutra Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term referring to a concise aphorism or thread-like statement used to communicate a teaching in compact form.
Svadhyaya Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term commonly translated as self-study. Traditionally, it also includes study or recitation of sacred texts. It is one of the five niyamas.
Sympathetic Nervous System Nervous System
A division of the autonomic nervous system that generally supports increased activity, alertness, and mobilization during demand.
T
Tapas Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
A Sanskrit term associated with heat, disciplined effort, austerity, or the energy required to sustain practice. It is one of the five niyamas.
Tincture Herbalism
A concentrated liquid herbal extract commonly made using alcohol, or sometimes another solvent system.
Tisane Herbalism
A beverage made by infusing plants other than true tea leaves from Camellia sinensis.
U
Usui Reiki Reiki
A common name for Reiki systems that trace their teaching lineage to Mikao Usui.
V
Vagus Nerve Nervous System
The tenth cranial nerve and a major pathway of parasympathetic communication between the brainstem and organs in the chest and abdomen.
Vinyasa Yoga
A Sanskrit-derived term commonly used in modern yoga to describe sequencing movement with breath, especially in flowing posture classes.
Visualization Meditation
A practice that intentionally uses mental imagery.
W
Walking Meditation Meditation
A meditation practice that uses walking as the setting for deliberate attention.
Wellness Practice Everyday Wellness
A collection of habits, supports, relationships, and routines a person returns to over time to support wellbeing.
Wellness Routine Everyday Wellness
A repeatable pattern of wellness-related actions built into daily or weekly life.
Wellness Toolbox Everyday Wellness
A personal collection of different practices and resources used for different needs.
Whole-Person Wellness Holistic Wellness
An approach that considers the person as a whole instead of focusing on only one symptom, habit, or area of life.
Y
Yama Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
The first limb of Patanjali's Eight Limbs, referring to ethical restraints or principles concerning how a person relates to others and the world.
Yoga Yoga
A broad family of Indian philosophical, contemplative, and embodied traditions concerned with practices of body, breath, attention, mind, ethics, meditation, and liberation.
Yoga Sutras Yoga Philosophy & Sanskrit
An influential classical Sanskrit text associated with Patanjali that organizes yoga philosophy into concise aphorisms or sutras.
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Social Connection Holistic Wellness
The experience of having meaningful, supportive relationships and a sense of belonging.