Hatha yoga is the most commonly known and practised yoga. It is my all-time favourite!
Hatha yoga is the foundation and is an umbrella term for all physical postures and all styles of yoga such as ashtanga, Iyengar, vinyasa etc. However, in Classical hatha yoga texts such as Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gheranda Samhita, in addition to asanas, a range of tantric methods of purification, mantra and meditation are included. Classical hatha yoga leads to Raja Yoga or higher yoga, where meditation becomes the primary concern.
What it means
In Sanskrit, ha represents” prana”, the vital force, and tha represents “mind”, the mental energy. So hatha yoga means the union of the pranic and mental forces.
When union between the pranic and mental forces takes place, then a great event occurs in man. This is the awakening of higher consciousness - Swamiji (cited in Muktibodhananda, 1998, p. 7)
It can also be interpreted as Ha (“Sun”) and tha (“moon”), meaning a yoga practice of balance and union of opposites.
What to expect
Though hatha yoga encompasses all types of yoga, in the West, it has evolved as a particular type of slow-paced style focused on alignment with guidance on how to do each pose correctly. Generally, hatha yoga will start with “centering exercises” such as breath awareness or meditation and go through a series of poses and counter-balance poses together with breathing timed to movements.
Who is it suitable for?
Hatha yoga is great for beginners as it is slow and focused on alignment and breathing. It is well suited for experienced yogis as well, as it grounds and brings the wandering mind back to action and breath focus over and over again. In that sense, Ayurvedically, it is most suitable for the Vatta and Pitta constitutions. Vatta, which is prone to excessive movement and is somewhat brittle by nature, will benefit most through the slow, calm pace of hatha yoga that does not exhaust them. Breath awareness and slow poses that cool the body between the asanas cool both body and mind of high achieving mentality of fiery Pitta types.
Health benefits
Less anxiety
Better balance
Positive effects on cardio endurance
Positive effects on muscle strength and endurance
Positive effects on flexibility
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