Exploring Hatha Yoga: A Path to Wellness Through Yoga Practices
By Dennis Bluthardt, Namaste Studios
Yoga is a practice that involves the whole person—the physical body, the breath, the intellect, and one’s ethics or sense of right. The word “yoga” means “union” and describes the integration of the many aspects of a human being; so, Yoga describes a state of being as well as the practices that one does to achieve that state, and even the practices to maintain that state.
Most people practice Hatha Yoga, the physical branch of the yoga tree. This branch focuses on exercises (asanas) and breath control (pranayama) to enjoy better health and control the mind, which is extensively educated by the senses (the body) and often finds peace within the body.
What is Hatha Yoga?
Ha (sun) and tha (moon) in Sanskrit means the Yoga of balance—balancing the opposing forces within our body and mind. Hatha Yoga originated in India in the 15th century to prepare the body for meditation. A yoga practice that emphasizes physical postures (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayama), Hatha Yoga assists its practitioners in occupying a comfortable seat that they can use for meditation. Still, the relationship between pranayama and asana, between the body and spirit, was supposed to be as harmonious as possible, providing a foundational approach to Yoga that has since produced most other art styles.
In Hatha Yoga, we seek balance through breath and mindfulness (or meditation).
Almost anyone can practice Hatha Yoga and experience its life-affirming benefits without significant stress or difficulty.
The Importance of Asanas in Hatha Yoga
Asanas, or yoga postures, are specific positions you take during your Hatha Yoga —
“physical” Yoga. While Hatha Yoga is a whole system to align your skin, muscles, and bones with the already-flowing energy within you, the asana practice below sets you up for meditation. With asanas, your physical body structure becomes an evolving template for your life. Asanas are different from many exercise systems. Even though you want to get into a Handstand Scorpion, you still practice mindfulness and compassion. And you are working with the intention of the asana: to be quiet, calm, sharp, and introverted (even if the pose is Activate!) and sit in one spot comfortably for an extended period.
Integrating Hatha Yoga into Your Daily Routine
Making Hatha Yoga a part of your everyday life can be transformational, mainly if you are a beginner. Start by reserving 10-15 minutes daily to guide your body into primary poses like Mountain, Downward Dog, and Child’s Pose. These fundamental asanas are where you promote your body’s strength, create muscular flexibility, and “be at one” with your breath. Everyone has to start at the beginning, even in Yoga! Over time and with consistent practice, you can speak the lingo of Hatha Yoga fluently. You need to be patient with yourself and do the best you can each time. Each day may differ, so beginners advise going with the ‘flow’ to enjoy each moment!
Make Yoga less daunting, at least to discover what Hatha Yoga is all about. Find the time to quiet your interior world. Create a simple morning sequence to ‘wake up’ the body and spam your brain with the most critical signal that communicates, “Quiet—the day has not started!” Developing a habit of silence helps your mind stay focused (which is also the most significant challenge) and prepares your body for more complex asanas.
Learning even rudimentary movements is a part of Hatha Yoga that many people look forward to each morning. Try it to experience how it might change you inwardly, physically, and mentally each day. Prepare your mind to rest with a calming session that cues your body to relax.
The Wellness Benefits of Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga is a powerful approach to increasing physical health and wellness. The series of postures and stretches aim to increase the capacity of both. Good posture is taught by setting the foundation for the spine and engaging core body muscles. The pose helps right any physical wrongs. Reducing tension in the body comes down to relieving physical pain, and Hatha Yoga is a low-risk way to reduce muscular tension in all body parts. The practice offers a new way for chronic neck, shoulder, and back tension sufferers to find relief.
The building blocks of Hatha Yoga will help you attempt to balance your life. Fear is striking. Relieving suffering from pain is the simple application of mindful postures and the yogic practice of deep breathing for Relaxation. Relieving the spontaneous, “hearth-throat” headache is the difference between a deep inhalation-forcing a clearing of the throat (i.e., preparing for speech) and a longer, drawing the type of breath used in Relaxation, which lets the chest rise upwards wholly. The aspirant can choose to recognize these in practice, and challenging this mental symptom safeguards the aspirant, as the next section explains.
Hatha Yoga is often the foundation for Yoga of any style. It’s the beautiful collaboration of balancing our body with our mind. We work with physical postures (asanas), normalizing and enhancing our breathing (pranayama), and basic meditation techniques. Hatha Yoga is a perfect model for general wellness, as it incorporates strength and flexibility—which tend to be very physical pursuits—with mental toughness or having the right amount of mental power, mental endurance, and focus that we need.
Hatha flow may reduce stress, improve posture and the ability to sit or stand and leave you feeling energized. It’s a very gentle discipline and less physical than most other forms of Yoga, genuinely making it appropriate for all ages and levels of fitness. There will be an element of learning to relax by breathing, making the mind more able to connect the breath with specific movements and transitions.
To get into Hatha Yoga, I suggest finding a local class or program or doing a few practices online that you can follow. Progress won’t be linear, so take it easy. Yoga gives us accessible tools, but only we can make the journey ourselves.
