What is Hatha Yoga?

Hatha Yoga is the branch of yoga that most commonly practiced in the Western world. It consists of yoga postures (asanas) and breathing practices (pranayama). Together, these practices bring your body and mind into balance.

In Sanskrit, “ha” in Hatha derives from the word sun. “Tha” means moon, and thus Hatha together has the meaning of Sun and Moon. Through the practice of yoga, opposite energies of the body become integrated and combine. This is consistent with the derivation of the word “yoga” itself. The word yoga derives from the Sanskrit “yuj” or yoke and refers to “yoking” together all aspects of self. In Hatha Yoga, the receptive or lunar (moon) energies combine with the active (sun) energies within you.

Hatha Yoga practice is a process that brings you to higher levels of self knowledge. It engenders a calm and centered state of mind and body; a consequence of yoga’s work in integrating your mind, body, and emotions.

As with any other discipline, the key to realizing the rewards available from Hatha Yoga develop from a consistent daily practice and a diligent study of the art.

Asanas, the Physical Postures

Yoga postures are not to be confused with gymnastic postures. They were designed over hundreds of years as a road to self awareness and a means to tone and exercise every muscle, nerve, organ, tissue and gland of the body. More subtle energetic systems of the body are balanced by a practice of yoga asanas. Asanas affect the body, the mind and the emotions. Think of asanas as a tool of yoga, not a goal of yoga. Through the practice of asanas, the mind is prepared for spiritual surrender. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, as translated by yoga scholar Georg Feuerstein, tell us that “Perfection in an asana is achieved when the effort to perform it becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached.”

In this process, you come to know yourself more deeply and that leads to knowing the divine within. A steadiness of the self and a lightness of being are conveyed in an asana practice. Asana practice also gives you health and more energy, or prana.

Pranayama, the Science of Breath

Pranayama is the breathing practices of Hatha Yoga. Mastery of the breath is a subtle process that can be difficult to learn. After learning asanas, you can spend years of consistent effort learning to sit steadily and to breathe mindfully in special patterns of inhalation, exhalation and retention as taught by your yoga teacher. “Prana” means energy, vitality or life force and is said to circulate through the body via breathing. “Ayama” means expansion or extension in Sanskrit. Therefore, Pranayama, the science of breath, can be described as control of the breath through lengthening or extending of it. By affecting the subtle energies of the body, pranayama practice develops a calm spirit.

Both asana practice and pranayama create an integrated healthy body and mind. They are a preparation for meditation and a means to Samadhi, or “the bliss of being”; the key aspiration of yoga practitioners.

Combining the Physical and Spritual

Hatha Yoga only represents a smaller slice of the whole of yoga tradition. This path, which focuses of physical postures, leads you to spiritual growth. In the US, where Hatha Yoga is most popular, there is a greater focus on the body, to the point of a cultural obsession with how the body looks and with physical health. India, from where all yoga traditions derive, has a greater focus on spirituality that is integrated in the culture in an all-pervasive fashion.

In the Western world, people mainly go to yoga class for reasons of fitness, health, and as a means for looking and feeling good. While Westerners may see yoga as a commodity, or something to be gained, they are not disappointed by the benefits they find. Wanting to be more toned, to look good, to lose weight, or to feel better may be what gets them in the door to a yoga class. You may be coming to yoga to be fit, experience a calmer mind, and for stress relief. You may discover yoga as physical therapy to an injury or healing for some other problem in the body.

Eventually, you discover much more, experiencing equanimity that extends to the rest of your life. People often stay with the practice for other reasons then those that originally drew them to yoga. They experience a more harmonious, integrated sense of well being for body, mind and spirit. Their original physical ailment may be healed. They may discover that yoga has improved their quality of life, finding that time devoted to the self is nourishing. They may feel younger and healthier, discovering the anti-aging effects of yoga through their own personal experience. Though they may not have been interested previously, they may find an interest in meditation. Those who stick with yoga discover that their original hopes are met and exceeded. They see their lives transform in positive ways.

The yoga path using physical postures, Hatha Yoga, leads to much more. It becomes a path of self-integration and spirituality. Uniting what is valued in two cultures East and West, can mean liberation for many. In Hatha Yoga, the body-focused culture of the US melds with the culture of India’s spiritual seeking. Both contribute value and together they can become invaluable. One comes to Hatha Yoga for many reasons and discovers a rich and deep tradition that is more than it appears on the surface. One may discover untapped depth in themselves if they commit to the consistent practice of this ancient discipline.