Introducing Hatha Yoga
What is Hatha Yoga?
Hatha Yoga is based on the principles that a strong and healthy body is needed on the journey towards enlightenment. The experience of practice is concentration, breath, stamina, flexibility, aligning and strengthening the body, quieting the mind and awakening the spirit.
A Sample of different schools of Hatha Yoga
Kundalini (developed out of tantra) is a style of yoga that uses asanas, breathing, mantra, meditations, visualizations to raise the Kundalini power to the spiritual centre. It focuses on healing and purifying specific areas of mind, body and emotions.
Kripalu is a spontaneous, flowing style of hatha yoga directed by the ‘innate intelligence of Prana’– energy/ breath. It is based upon learning to establish conscious communication with this body wisdom and to let it carry out automatically all the purification processes of both body and mind at an accelerated rate. ‘Yoga Desai.’
Iyengar is a style of hatha yoga which emphasizes the development of stamina, strength, flexibility, balance and concentration. A variety of props – blocks, belts, ropes, benches etc. help the student near the precise and meticulous alignment of posture which help students dissolve ‘musculoskeletal blocks’.
Astanga is a style of hatha yoga involving ‘vinyasa’ (flowing movements) connecting each asana, co-ordinated with ‘ujjayi’ breathing (special, throaty breathing technique). Practice is divided into ‘six series’ (a set of postures) and each series is mastered sequentially.
Viniyoga is a gentler style of yoga with extra personal attention to individual personal needs and structured ‘idiosyncrasies’. Viniyoga uses flowing movements (vinyasa), similar to Astanga’s but at a greatly reduced pace and stress level.
Yoga Therapy: using yoga as a therapy gives us the means to complement medical technology with a holistic system of healthcare that addresses the problems of the mind and spirit, as well as those of the body. Illness occurs when the total balance of perfect health is disturbed. Daily practice of a complete personal yoga programme can restore the natural balance and harmony, bringing positive good health to all parts of life - physical, mental, spiritual.
The above are samples of some of the different schools of Hatha Yoga. There are many more and, nowadays, in the west they seem to be growing daily.