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With ha meaning "sun" and tha meaning
"moon," hatha yoga is commonly translated as the
yoga that brings union "of the pairs of opposites."
Sometimes Hatha Yoga is also translated as the "forcefull
yoga", because it seems to require the most physical
excercises of all yoga types. Hatha Yoga is certainly the
yoga that is the best known in the West, which is probably
why so many definitions of Hatha Yoga exist.
 In
the indian tradition, hatha yoga is one of the four main traditions of Tantra
Yoga. Hatha Yoga is first of all concentrating on the practice of postures
(asanas) and breath control (pranayama) to energize the subtle channels (nadis).
Thus Hatha Yoga concentrates on the third and fourth steps of the eight-fold path
of Ashtanga Yoga. The objective of
Hatha Yoga is obviously to remove the obstacles to address the further steps of
Pratyahara (sense-withdrawal), Dharana (Concentration), Dhyana (Meditation) and
Samadhi (Balance). In many hatha yoga schools, these further steps are seen as
part of Hatha Yoga. What's in a name ?
Excercising postures or Asanas
in Hatha Yoga has two essential objectives. The first is that
to practice any real meditation, one needs at the least one
posture in which one can be perfectly comfortable for a longer
period of time. The more such postures one can master, the
better the basis for developing the inner meditation techniques.
The second objective of excercising asanas in Hatha Yoga is
to bring health and energy to body and mind by opening the
nadis. When such excercises are regularly perfomed, the path
of hatha yoga is opened automatically, though one still has
to follow it further. The mere mastering of postures is no
objective in itself, though mastering various postures certainly
strengthens the power of will and concentration and the habit
of not paying too much attention to the information input
by the senses. Thus practicing asanas in Hatha Yoga directly
opens the path to Prathyahara and Dharana. SEE
PICTURES OF ASANAS
See
also the "Role of Asana" teaching poster texts.
The excercise of Pranayama in Hatha Yoga
is essential to master ones' breathing patterns. If one can
master breath, then the mastery of mind is within reach. Through
breathing excercises the flow of prana or vital life force
through the body is regulated. That energy is certainly needed
on the further steps of Hatha Yoga that ultimately may lead
to samadhi. Special breathing techniques, in which the flow
of breath though both nostrils is alternated, brings balance
to the two hemispheres of the brain, which is probably the
central objective of Pranayama. Pranayama in hatha yoga also
activates the Kundalini Energy.
So Hatha Yoga is a very good place to start
on the path of yoga. And even then it is important to realize
that if the first 2 steps of Ashtanga Yoga are neglected,
Yama and Niyama,
Hatha Yoga might not bring the desired results. Even simple
Hatha Yoga excercises should be avoided for example if you
have not been properly gone to the toilet.
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