HATHA YOGA

Hatha Yoga is being practised all over the world and considered to be synonymous with Yoga. Hatha means vigorous and influential. Yoga means to join. This form of Yoga was brought up by a yogi named Swatmarama. Swatmarama was a follower of Sahajananda and wrote Hathapradipika, which is the fundamental book on Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga was considered to be the introductory and 1st stage towards one’s purification. This was to be practised before a person goes for more privileged meditation. There are some energy channels running inside our bodies. The term Hatha has been derived from two words Ha and Tha. Ha means sun and Tha means moon. This sun and moon are among the important energy channels of our body and have to be stimulated and should be functional if one has to achieve a state of Samadhi. So Hatha Yoga means to jointly stimulate and make functional the two important channels i.e., the sun and the moon channel thereby trying to make a person more powerful and balanced.

Hatha Yoga concentrates on stimulating two opposite energies. As sun represents heat and moon represents calmness and cold. So this form of Yoga tries to balance and maintain one’s body and mind. For achieving Samadhi, a state of self awareness, Hatha Yoga depicts a six step procedure. This is a sequence starting with Asana (postures and physical exercises), then Pranayama (breathing exercises), Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi. This form of Yoga also concentrates upon making the kundalini awaken. Kundalini is considered to be a  source of limitless capabilities and energy existing within all human beings. It is the life force which is concentrated and lying inactive in the chakras present inside the body. A person doing Hatha Yoga regularly usually shows features such as optimistic face, feeling of good health, bright eyes and lean body.