The Hatha Yoga Pradipika,
the most authoritative scripture of hatha yoga, opens by telling us that for
those who cannot practice yoga (means raja yoga and implies those who cannot
meditate successfully and therefore cannot control their mind) should practice
hatha yoga. The "raison d'etre" for this practice is to enable the practitioner
to control his mind through techniques aimed at controlling the physical body
and the prana or vital force.
It is noteworthy that the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and other hatha yoga scriptures
go to great lengths to enumerate the health benefits of the different practices.
This indicates the therapeutic nature of this system as well.
Hatha yoga can therefore been practiced as a wholistic spiritual lifestyle as
well as a specific healing method. Of the two we believe that the former is more
important but the best is to combine both approaches
It is very confusing to the beginner to discover that there are so many yogas (see the four paths to understand how they fit together) but that one given yoga such as hatha yoga can have many different flavors or styles. All techniques can be divided into two categories: the traditional (very old) and modern.
You may have heard of Sivananda yoga, Integral yoga, Kundalini yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Iyengar yoga, Power yoga and many more.
In the Advaita Yoga Ashrama we practice yoga according to the tradition of Sri Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh and Sri Swami Vishnu-devananda who was one of the great hatha yoga masters of the 20th century.
Hatha yoga is a tantric
discipline that aims at awakening and raising the kundalini sakti. Kundalini
sakti is that infinite divine power that dwells at the bottom of the spine. This
awakening is done by uniting (yoga) ha (the sun, active, heating energy, prana)
with tha (the moon, passive, cooling energy, apana).
The main mistake is to try to awaken the kundalini sakti prematuraly which could
be dangerous. There are two phases in the process: purification and awakening.
Of the two, purification should be the main object of focus for the majority of
aspirants.
Practicing the yoga postures (asanas) is not enough. To be a true hatha yogi one needs to practice the different techniques of the system that will help one reach the highest goal.
Yamas: they are similar to the yamas of ashtanga yoga but with a few additions. These, in combination with the niyamas, are the ethical precepts which constitute the foundation of the spiritual edifice. One cannot be a yogi or yogini and ignore the practice of these virtues.
Niyamas: these are also similar to the niyamas of ashtanga yoga with a few extras.
Kriyas: the cleansing practices. Many of the subtle benefits of the following practices will truly take place only when physical purification has occurred to an advanced degree. There are six traditional kriyas to be practiced regularly by the hatha yogi.
Asanas: The most popular aspect of the yoga body of teachings, especially in the Western world. The asanas are deceptively powerful and far ranging in their healing benefits.
Pranayamas: breathing techniques. Pranayama aims at capturing the prana from its main vehicle, the air. Then the prana is controlled and directed in certain areas of the psychic system where it is stocked for future use.
Bandhas: locks. The bandhas complement the practice of pranayama by locking the prana in certain areas of the psychic system.
Mudras: seals. The mudras are sealing the prana.
Dhyana: meditation. The specific hatha yoga method of meditation is chakra meditation. In the advaita yoga ashrama we practice japa (mantra repetition) meditation.
The Asanas are yoga
postures. Traditionally asanas are positions which are held still for a certain
amount of time - from a few seconds to a few hours! Usually the asanas will be
held for an average of two to three minutes.
Besides being held steadily they should also be held comfortably. No pain should
be experienced while holding the posture or in the hours or days that follow.
The scriptures recognize two
types of asanas: the meditative postures and the cultural postures.
The meditative postures are ordinarily used for the practice of meditation and
pranayama. Relaxation is paramount. The yogi aims at holding the meditative
asana for long periods of time to allow prolonged (up to several hours) sessions
of pranayama and meditation in perfect stillness and comfort. Eventually the
yogi transcends the asana not feeling his body and focusing on the inner, subtle
aspects of the practices.
The cultural postures are practiced with more intensity. While doing asanas the
hatha yogi is aware that there are three groups of muscles in his body. For each
asana, some muscles are relaxing, some are stretching and some are contracting.
The art consists in relaxing deeply the first two groups while contracting
forcefully the last group.
During the practice, the stretched muscles should be lengthened to the limit.
The limit is the pain and one should stop the stretching just before feeling any
pain. One should feel a good, intense stretch.
During the practice the breath should always be kept under control.
The shastras tell us of 84
lakhs asanas. A lakh being equal to 100,000, this brings the number of yoga
postures to 8,400,000. The tradition says that there are 84 lakhs species in the
world and there is one asana for each, capturing the life experience and
qualities of each species in a relaxing position.
Obviously nobody could learn, not mentioning practicing regularly, all of them.
Therefore the hatha yoga texts present us with 84 more important asanas.
Here, following the Rishikesh tradition of Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnu-devananda,
we base our daily practice around twelve basic postures which constitute the
essence of all asanas. Of course we also practice many more in addition to these
twelve.
Anyone can benefit from studying hatha yoga. Busy people use it to manage stress in their hectic lives. Pregnant women use it to prepare for the birth of their children. Elite athletes use it to focus themselves toward a high level of performance and to recover from injuries. You can use it, too.
When you study hatha yoga you will find that it works on several levels. As a beginner, you will experience the practice of hatha yoga as a form of physical exercise that challenges and refines your flexibility, strength and balance. When you go through this stage, you and your teacher will develop a personalized approach to each hatha yoga posture.
Often in conventional forms of exercise people hold their breath while exerting themselves. In hatha yoga, you will learn to control your breathing in a relaxed and modulated way in order to provide focus in the different postures. Learning to do this properly is the gateway to many of the mental and spiritual benefits of hatha yoga.
As you progress with hatha yoga, you will gain greater flexibility in your body and mind. Like any form of exercise, hatha yoga helps develop physical strength. Hatha yoga adds another dimension to this with a matching development in emotional strength that will help you handle the challenges of life with a balanced disposition.
From there you can continue to grow with your hatha yoga practice. And you will find that there are plenty of resources to help you along the way. In contrast to conventional sports and physical training programs, hatha yoga has been developed over thousands of years as a way of teaching people how to improve their lives
General Benefits
Cardiovascular Benefits
Musculoskeletal Benefits
Respiratory Benefits
Hormonal Benefits
Digestive Benefits