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What is Hatha Yoga?
By Jayla Griggs
So you want to know about Hatha Yoga, and want to see if it’s the right practice for you? Let’s dive into the basics of this ancient yoga practice.
The spiritual path of Hatha Yoga deals mainly with asana, kriyas, and pranayama. Asana are the physical postures we use during yoga practice on the mat. There are six kriyas and their purpose is to remove impurities, flush out toxins and prepare the body for the flow of vital energy or ‘Prana’. Pranayama is the control of the breath by using different techniques before or after asana. Hatha Yoga is believed to have a healing impact on the body making it stronger physically and internally and to prepare it for Raja Yoga or a highly spiritual path of Yoga that leads one to the highest form of consciousness.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is the most influential of the 3 classical Hatha Yoga texts. It includes 4 chapters with information about asana, pranayama, the chakras, kundalini, bandhas, kriyas, nadis, and mudras among other topics. Only 16 asanas are described in this text.
In Sanskrit, ‘hatha’ means forceful or willful. Its main benefits are increased strength, balance, flexibility, concentration, and increased bone density. It seeks to cleanse and connect the mind and body. It is rooted in deeper practices including a yogic lifestyle, meditation and yogic philosophy. It combines the use of deep breathing and different physical postures to achieve a meditative state. In Hatha Yoga, asana poses are typically held for a few seconds or a few breaths, and the flow between postures is slow and mindful.
For myself personally, Hatha Yoga resonates the most as a regular practice. I feel that it is the right form of yoga for me to perform on the mat, as I feel physically best when I am taking slow, sustained movements and focusing on deep breathing. I also like to incorporate a bit of Vinyasa into my Hatha practice when it comes to sun salutations and standing asana flows. Adding these vinyasa flows into my Hatha practice allows me to reap the benefits of vinyasa yoga, which allows me to breathe in sync with my body movements and experience mind-body connection through the breath. In terms of teaching, I prefer to teach Hatha yoga as well because it is very well suited for beginners. I want to be able to teach my students proper alignment and technique in my classes, and the slower pace of the class allows me to do so.
If you are interested in learning about Hatha yoga in practice, try signing up for a beginners’ Hatha yoga class at your local yoga studio or search for a class online through Youtube if you prefer to practice at home! Trying out the different styles of yoga may help you find the right practice and/or path for you personally. Be open minded and have fun exploring!
~ With all kindness, thank you for reading. Namaste ~
Jayla Griggs
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