What is Hatha Yoga?
Hatha means “forceful” or “physical” Yoga. There are many of types of “yoga” (for example Raja Yoga is devoted to intense meditation and introspection). Hatha Yoga focuses on the physical body as the body is seen as a microcosm of the universe. The word “Hatha” is formed by the joining of its two syllables “ha” and “tha,” representing the sun and moon, or yin and yang, which are the pairs of opposites through which the material world functions. Yoga is the union of these two principles. “Like an un-baked urn left in water, the bodily vessel is soon decayed; but, baked well and hardened in the fire of Yoga, the vessel becomes purified and enduring.
Hatha Yoga is the style of yoga that is used at Red Sun Yoga. Hatha focuses primarily on the physical, and was designed to keep the body healthy and strong so that one could sit comfortably to meditate. The word hatha is the union between ha (sun) and tha (moon), a metaphor for bringing the body and mind together. Hatha consists of three components: asana, pranayama and meditation.
Contrary to popular belief, Hatha Yoga is not a “style” of yoga. Hatha describes any practice of yoga postures – therefore a Hatha Yoga class is simply a yoga class with physical movement. It encompasses the vast majority of yoga practiced in the United States. For example, Vinyasa, Iyengar, and Bikram Yoga are some of the many styles of Hatha Yoga. We choose to call our classes Hatha because our instructors come from diverse yoga backgrounds and all our classes incorporate a blend of styles, varying from one teacher to the next.
Hatha Yoga is the psycho-physical yoga or external yoga. Five steps, namely restraint of negative behavior and thought, observance of positive mind-body qualities, yoga postures, breathing and sensory mastery comprise the parts of Hatha Yoga. The first two steps are headed by non-violence and purity, respectively. The yoga posture part is popularly misconstrued as the definition of yoga, stretching is a small part of the philosophy. Breathing exercises aim at increasing the body’s life force while concentrating the mind. The sensory exercises help with strengthening the nervous system by conserving energy.
