Hatha Yoga

When people mention the term Yoga, they usually refer to Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is the most popular branch of Yoga and from which a lot of the Styles of Yoga originated including Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and Kundalini Yoga. Hatha Yogis consider the body as the vehicle for the soul. They use Physical Poses or Asanas, Breathing Techniques or Pranayama, and Meditation in order to bring the body in perfect health and for more subtle spiritual elements of the mind to emerge freely.

Hatha Yoga came from the words "ha" which means "sun" and "tha" which means "moon". It is often translated as the branch of Yoga that brings union of the pairs of opposites referring to the positive (sun) and negative (moon) currents in the system. Hatha Yoga concentrates on the third (Asana) and fourth (Pranayama) steps in the Eight Limbs of Yoga. It uses the Physical Postures and Breathing Techniques in order to energize and clear the energy channels called the Nadis, removing the obstacles for the other Limbs - Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.

Asanas are designed to improve Health and bring energy to the body and mind which is necessary in opening the Nadis. It can also serve as a Meditation pose which can make you feel perfectly comfortable for a longer period of time. Mastering the Asanas can help develop your will power, concentration and self-withdrawal or not bothering too much about the input of the senses. These Asana benefits directly open the path to Prathyahara and Dharana.

Pranayamas, on the other hand, is highly vital in the practice of Hatha Yoga. One needs to master his breathing patterns before he can master his mind. Pranayamas regulate the flow of Prana or vital energy in the body which is needed to take further steps toward Samadhi. The practice of Pranayama can also lead to the awakening of the Kundalini Energy.

Practicing Hatha Yoga can help you recognize that a divine light shines within you. It can also help you become stronger, more flexible and relaxed. The Relaxation Exercises involved in practicing Hatha Yoga opens the energy channels allowing your spiritual energy to flow freely. Certain Asanas also massages and tones internal organs which facilitates in the prevention, management and treatment of certain ailments such as Diabetes, Arthritis and Hypertension. Breathing Exercises can also help patients of Asthma and Bronchitis. Hatha Yoga practice is also a great way to cope with stress, relieve tension and deal with Anxiety and Depression.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

The most fundamental text of Hatha Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika , a Sanskrit classic written by Swami Swatamarama, a disciple of Swami Goraknath. It is said to be the oldest surviving text on the Hatha Yoga.

The book was written in 15th century C.E.. The work is derived from older Sanskrit texts and Swami Swatamarama's own yogic experiences. It includes information about asanas, pranayama, chakras, kundalini, bandhas, kriyas, shakti, nadis and mudras among other topics.

Many modern English translations of the book are available.

The book lists in great detail all the main asanas, pranayama, mudras and bandhas that are familiar to today's yoga student. It runs in the line of Hindu yoga (to distinguish from Buddhist and Jain yoga) and is dedicated to Lord Adinath, a name for Lord Shiva (the Hindu god of destruction and renewal), who is alleged to have imparted the secret of Hatha Yoga to his divine consort Parvati.

It is common for yogins and tantriks of several disciplines to dedicate their practices to a deity under the Hindu ishta-devata concept (see Patanjali's Yoga Sutras) while always striving to achieve beyond that: Brahman. Hindu philosophy in the Vedanta and Yoga streams, as the reader will remember, views only one thing as being ultimately real: Satchitananda Atman, the Existence-Consciousness-Blissful Self. Very Upanishadic in its notions, worship of Gods is a secondary means of focus on the higher being, a conduit to realization of the Divine Ground. Hatha Yoga follows in that vein and thus successfully transcends being particularly grounded in any one religion.

By balancing two streams, often known as ida (mental) and pingala (bodily) currents, the shushumna nadi (current of the Self) is said to rise, opening various chakras (cosmic powerpoints within the body, starting from the base of the spine and ending right above the head) until samadhi is attained.

It is through the forging a powerful depth of concentration and mastery of the body and mind, Hatha Yoga practices seek to still the mental waters and allow for apprehension of oneself as that which one always was, Brahman. Hatha Yoga is essentially a manual for scientifically taking one's body through stages of control to a point at which one-pointed focus on the unmanifested brahman is possible: it is said to take its practicer to the peaks of Raja Yoga.

In the West, Hatha Yoga has become wildly popular as a purely physical exercise regimen divorced of its original purpose. Currently, it is estimated that about 30 million Americans practice hatha yoga. But it is still followed in a manner consistent with tradition throughout the Indian subcontinent. The traditional guru-disciple relationship that exists without sanction from organized institutions, and which gave rise to all the great yogins who made way into international consciousness in the 20th century, has been maintained in Indian, Nepalese and some Tibetan circles.

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