Hatha Yoga
"The science of physical and mental harmony is known as Hatha Yoga." ~ Swami Muktibodhananda
Hatha Yoga is the most familiar kind of yoga that is practiced in Western countries today and is widely taught and practiced throughout Australia. Chances are, what you might have come to know from a yoga class as 'yoga' is in fact more accurate to be called Hatha Yoga.
A term of the ancient language of Sanskrit, Hatha is understood by breaking down its two syllable components - ha meaning sun, with heating energy and tha meaning moon, with cooling energy. Hatha Yoga therefore works to create an absolute balance and harmonising of these two energies within our bodies, to bring about both physical and mental strength, vitality and peace of mind. This harmonising of opposites to reach a balanced, unified state can be found all around us in the laws of nature - sun/moon, female/male, yin/yang, light/dark, day/night, body/mind etcetera.
The philosophy and practices of Hatha Yoga are described in the texts of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gheranda Samhita. Hatha Yoga came into existence approximately five hundred years after the Buddha in India. In Buddhism, the pratice of meditation was (and still is) taught as the primary practice towards self-realisation, on the understanding that anyone can start meditation immediately. Two great yogis at the time, Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath, differed from the Buddhist view and based on their experience and that of the 'average person' believed that the body needed to be purified, prepared and disciplined first before being able to sit still and experience meditation. The system of Hatha Yoga was therefore developed that incorporates several different physical practices, with the underlying notion that if the physical practices are performed well, then there will be no need to be taught meditation per say - during the practices of asana or pranayama, the mind will naturally be lifted into a new realm of consciousness, and experience the state of meditation.
Hatha Yoga practices consist of: kriyas (purificatory practices); asana (physical postures); pranayama (breath control/exercises); pratyahara (sense withdrawal or nervous control); dharana (mind control/concentration) and dhyana (meditation). In a Hatha Yoga class, a variety of asanas, pranayama and some meditation is typically taught, with the complexity and intensity varying depending on skills and experience of both teacher and students.
Asanas, or yoga postures, are stretches and movements that are designed to open and release tension in the body, gradually. They encourage flexibility, strength and proper functioning of all systems of the body - skeletal, muscular, glandular, digestive and reproductive systems. The spine is the focal point of most asanas, therefore teaching the finer points of correct posture and spinal positioning is an inherent part of a yoga class. All postures require conscious awareness, steadiness and the ability to surrender to gravity and the tendencies of the mind - which does take practice!
The sequencing, variations and teaching approaches to asanas is what creates the different styles within Hatha Yoga, for example Iyengar, Ashtanga and Satyananda Yoga. Each of the many asanas can be performed in quick succession, creating heat in the body through movement or more slowly with repetitions to emphasise body alignment and improve stamina. Asanas are held for a period of time while steady breathing is cultivated - this combination generates an acute self-awareness, creates stillness and has a calming effect on the mind.
Each individual asana has a different therapeutic and scientific effect on certain parts of the boby, depending on whether it is performed in a standing, sitting, twisted, lying or up-side-down position. Some common Hatha Yoga asanas include: trikonasana (triangle pose); navasana (boat pose); virabhadrasana (warrior pose); padmasana (lotus pose); ardho mukha svanasana (downward-facing dog pose) and savasana (corpse pose).
