Hatha yoga is a beginner process of yoga. In Sanskrit the word ‘ha’ means sun, the word ‘ta’ means moon.”Hatha” means the practice of yoga postures to bring a balance between the sun and moon within you, or the pingala and ida within you. Hatha yoga is basically preparing the body for a higher possibility.
In Hatha yoga we move energy and move our bodies in certain ways to lead to the experience of yoga – union and infinity. Physical postures are a great example of this. Understanding the mechanism of the body, creating a certain favorable environment and then using physical postures to move your energy in a certain direction is Hatha yoga or yogasana. Hatha yoga is not exercise. Asana means taking a posture. If we sit one way, it is one posture. If we sit another way, it is a different posture.
There are many aspects to it, but in simple terms, by looking at the way someone sits, we can almost know what is going on with them. If we have observed ourselves, if we are angry, we will sit in one way; if we are happy, we will sit in another way; if we are sad, we will sit in another way. For every different level of consciousness or mental and emotional state, our body naturally adopts certain postures. The science of asanas is the opposite. If we consciously bring our body into different postures, we can also increase our consciousness.
There are a lot of postures possible. Out of these countless postures, eighty-four basic postures that provide physical benefits are defined as Hatha Yogasanas.
Hatha Yoga – A Blend of Tradition and History
Hatha yoga is the ‘discipline of physical force’. Hatha yoga uses physical force to channel the life force or energy of our body. The Sanskrit word hatha means obstinacy, and physical postures are used to conserve and move this energy. Hence these postures are known as Hatha yoga.
Hatha in Sanskrit also means stubborn, and hence Hatha yoga is the stubborn practice of yoga without the hindrance of the five senses and the mind. Another definition of Hatha yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘ha’ itself, which means sun and ‘tha’ means moon. Thus it is the yoga of the blend of two energies.
In India, Hatha yoga is popularly associated with the tradition of the Nath sect. Almost all Hatha yoga texts are attributed to the Nath siddhas. The main proponent of Hatha yoga is considered to be Baba Gorakhnath, the founder of the Nath monastic gurukul in India. Guru Gorakhnath was a disciple of Guru Matsyendranath, the founder of the Nath sect.
Origin of Hatha Yoga
Lord Shiva is the original deity of Yoga. He is also considered as Adi Yogi or the first Yogi and Adi Guru or the first Guru. Lord Shiva imparted the knowledge of Yoga first to Goddess Parvati and then to the Saptarishis. These sages spread across the world to spread the yogic knowledge imparted by Lord Shiva. Hence Lord Shiva is considered as the first teacher of Yoga.
Later Lord Shiva transformed a fish into a human being named Matsyendranath, who became the first teacher to teach Yoga to humans.
After this Lord Shiva formed a sect known as Nath Sampradaya from which emerged the great sages of his time. The famous Indologist, James Mallinson says that initially Hatha Yoga was practised only by sages in the first century AD. Reference to it is found in almost all Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. The earliest mention of Hatha Yoga is found in 17 Buddhist Vajrayana texts which mainly indicate Tantric practices.
The first Vedas of Yoga were written on palm leaves in ancient times, and perhaps that is why, there is no record of them. Hatha Yoga developed in the period after classical Yoga and is a physical form of Yoga. Swami Swatmarama compiled Hatha Yoga Pradipika in the 15th century, in which he wrote in detail about the 6 limbs of Yoga to achieve Samadhi and hence Hatha Yoga is also known as six limb Yoga or Shatang Yoga.
Shatang Yoga or Hatha Yoga has six parts:
- Asana or steady relaxed posture of the mind.
- Pranayama to increase the ability to ground the body.
- Pratyahara or withdrawal from resting state.
- Dharana or art of focusing the mind on one point.
- Dhyana or translation of the self to look inward.
- Samadhi or release from illusion.
Some of the primary physical benefits of Hatha yoga are:
1. Improves body mobility and flexibility.
2. Improves metabolism and repairs and regenerates cells.
3. Cleanses the body by stimulating the lymphatic system.
4. Improves energy.
5. Increases lung and heart function.
6. Improves body range of motion.
Nearly all Hatha yoga texts are written by Nath siddhas, and important early texts (11th–13th centuries) are those of Matsyendranath and his disciple Gorakhnatha or Gorakshanatha (11th century). Early Nath texts teach yoga based on raising the kundalini through energy channels and chakras, called Layayoga (“yoga of dissolution”). However, other early Nath texts such as the Vivekamartand can be seen as adopting Hatha yoga postures. Later Nath and Shakta texts adopt Hatha yoga posture practices into the Shaiva system, combining them with Layayoga methods, without mentioning bindu. These texts promote universal yoga, which is available to all without the need for “priestly intermediaries, ritual paraphernalia, or sectarian initiations.”
Classical Hatha yoga was developed in the 15th century and included yoga postures, pranayama or breathing exercises, mudras or hand gestures, and guidance for the proper setting of meditation for personal spiritual growth.
Hatha yoga was brought to America by Swami Vivekananda in 1893 as a spiritual practice. In the 1920s, yogis combined the asanas with other popular practices of the day to create a flowing style of yoga that was more physical than spiritual.
By the 1950s, Hatha yoga was introduced to millions of homes across America with Richard Nixon’s popular TV program “Yoga for Health.”
A few years later, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, spiritual advisor to the Beatles, brought a new dimension of yoga to the mainstream with a combination of transcendental meditation and yoga, and its popularity soared. Today, Hatha yoga is renowned as a physical and spiritual practice for mind-body health.
Hatha yoga, which focused on asanas (body postures), became popular worldwide in the 20th century, and evolved into a form of physical exercise. This transformed form of yoga is known today simply as “yoga”.
Hatha Yoga Asanas
Hatha yoga is one of the oldest styles of yoga. It involves physical postures and breathing techniques called pranayama. Hatha yoga has been practiced for centuries as a way to prepare the body for meditation and to control breathing.
Today, people practice Hatha yoga for a variety of problems. Breathing exercises and meditative poses help reduce stress.
There are a total of 84 postures in classical Hatha yoga. The main ones include the fifteen “primary postures”:
1. Paschimottanasana (Back Stretching Pose)
2. Mayurasana (Peacock Pose)
3. Svastikasana (Auspicious Pose)
4. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)
5. Veerasana (Hero Pose)
6. Kurmasana (Tortoise Pose)
7. Shavasana (Corpse Pose)
8. Siddhasana (Special Pose)
9. Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
10. Singhasana (Lion Pose)
11. Bhadrasana (Gentle Pose)
12. Kukkutasana (Cockerel Pose)
13. Uttankurmasana (Stretching Tortoise Pose)
14. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
15. Matsyendrasana (Spinal Twist Pose)
Health Benefits of Hatha Yoga
Yogists have touted the calming and health benefits of practicing yoga since ancient times, and today, research supports many of these claims.
The National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health analyzed numerous peer-reviewed studies, and while most of the research was done on a small number of subjects, they confirmed that yoga may be beneficial for the following problems.
Anxiety and depression: Yoga may help relieve everyday anxiety and depressive symptoms, but it may not be effective for clinically diagnosed mental health conditions. The NCCIH reviewed 68 published studies on yoga and could not find conclusive evidence to support its effectiveness for managing anxiety disorders, depression, or PTSD.
Arthritis and fibromyalgia: According to the NCCIH, yoga may be beneficial for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia, but there is little evidence to support this.
Back pain: The American College of Physicians recommends yoga for treating back pain. A review of eight studies by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that yoga improves low back pain and functionality, and has short- and medium-term benefits, and the effects are similar to those of other forms of exercise.
Balance: According to 11 of 15 studies reviewed by the NIH, yoga helps improve balance in healthy people.
Emotional health: Yoga has a positive effect on mental health, and 10 of 14 studies reviewed by the NCCIH showed benefits in improving resilience or general mental health.
Menopause: According to an NCCIH review of more than 1,300 study participants, yoga may relieve physical and psychological symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes.
Mindfulness: In a survey of 1,820 young adults published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, participants attributed regular yoga practice to greater mindfulness, motivation to participate in other types of activities and eat healthier, and the influence of a health-conscious yoga community.
Disadvantages
Doing Hatha yoga excessively and without guidance has some disadvantages as well as benefits:
1. Muscular and skeletal injuries in the body
2. Glaucoma complications
3. High blood pressure
4. Muscle strain
5. Eye pressure
6. Ignoring the body’s warning signals
7. Practicing too aggressively
8. Lack of attention
People with the following problems should temporarily stop doing Hatha yoga and consult a doctor -:
Asthma, eye surgery, back injury, carpal tunnel syndrome, headache, diarrhea, heart problems, knee injury, menstruation and insomnia
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All the best for your yoga journey
Ram Ram Ji