Hatha Yoga

If you live in the western world and have ever taken a yoga class, you’re probably familiar with hatha, a broad category of yoga whose tenets are asanas (postures), mudra (poses), pranayama (breathwork), purification (shatkriya), and meditation. In Sanskrit, ha means “sun” and tha means “moon;” together they mean “forceful,” appropriate as hatha is a very physical yoga type. In a hatha yoga class, students attempt to balance their “sun” and “moon,” body and mind, positive and negative energy, using the detoxing power of the physical postures to ready their minds for meditation and self-acceptence.

Typical hatha yoga classes incorporate stretching, breathing exercises, and posture sequences containing classic standing, sitting, forward bending, back bending, supine, inversion, and twisting poses. Practicing any of the hatha yoga systems will strengthen and elongate muscles and correct posture imbalances. Some of the most common hatha systems are:

• Bikram/Hot yoga
• Iyengar
• Ashtanga
• Kripalu
• Anusara
• Sivananda
• Kundalini

Generally, hatha yoga classes last for ninety minutes, and incorporate sivansana (relaxation) and breathing exercises, sun salutations, and posture sequences. Students are encouraged modify poses as needed—hatha asanas are not rigid, but instead guidelines that help make the body receptive to mediation.

Although hatha yoga has been around for a while—it was introduced in 15th century India by Yogi Swatmarama—its customized, holistic characteristics make it ideal for the modern yoga practitioner.