What is Hatha yoga? Discover the benefits

Hatha yoga is one of the ancient forms of yoga practices. Whenever you think of some yoga poses, most of the time they belong to Hatha yoga. 

Over the course of our cultural evolution, some words possessed different meanings based on the cultural experiences they had gone through. 

Likewise, the term “Hatha” in Sanskrit means force. Here, it represents Hatha yoga as a technique to attain a state of calmness forcibly through physical and mental practices. 

If you look at western culture, the word is split into “Ha” meaning Sun and “tha” meaning moon. In this connotation, Hatha yoga refers to a technique that helps to find a balance between these two energies. 

However different can be interpretations, Hatha yoga benefits are the same throughout all the cultures. 

A brief history of Hatha yoga

Hatha yoga emerged roughly around 2000 years ago from the Indian subcontinent, particularly along the Indo-Nepal border. Hatha yoga poses have evolved even during the times of Buddha. 

But no clear mention of its techniques has been mentioned anywhere. 

Some records show that the early practitioners have introduced Hatha yoga techniques in Greek and other cultures. 

However, it has become famous only in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the era of British colonialism in India, and due to the efforts of Swami Vivekananda, it started to spread to many places. 

How can you practice Hatha yoga?

Whenever you come across a yoga class, the techniques they teach mostly comprise Hatha yoga. Because Hatha yoga is a common yoga type from which many branches have evolved. 

You can learn Hatha yoga either from classes or through some online courses. 

However, when you have the chance, opt for physical classes as the technique involves a series of breathing and physical exercises that have to be followed diligently. 

Normally, the yoga classes long for 60 – 90 minutes and are filled up with a bunch of postures along with a specific set of breathing patterns you need to follow. 

Some common tools of this technique are:

• Breathing exercises
• Poses
• Meditation

Usually, Hatha yoga starts with a warm-up. After that, you practice a set of physical poses along with specified breathing patterns and it ends with meditation. 

What are the health benefits of Hatha yoga?

From ancient times, yogis have performed this yoga to attain salvation. However, one can reap numerous physical and mental benefits from it.

Some of the Hatha yoga benefits are as follows:

• Improved mobility in joints
• Improves body metabolism
• Improved blood circulation to brain and spine
• Enhance flexibility in connective tissues
• Provides cure to Arthritis and fibromyalgia
• Fights back pain
• Stimulates the regeneration of cells and cell repair
• Enhances energy levels
• Provides cure to back pain and neck pain

Apart from the above physical benefits, Hatha yoga benefits also include the following:

• Reduces depression and anxiety
• Helps improve one’s mood
• Helps calm down the senses
• Sharpens one’s focus
• Helps maintain balanced emotional levels
• Even amplifies creativity

Although it requires a deep philosophical understanding to master this technique, Hatha yoga benefits the one by improving physical and emotional well-being thus helping enhance the quality of life. 

What is the difference between Hatha yoga and other yoga types?

People all over the world including yogis practice various types of yoga apart from Hatha yoga. Some popular ones are:

• Vinyasa yoga
• Kundalini yoga
• Ashtanga yoga
• Iyengar yoga
• Bikram yoga 

Although there are several variations among all these yoga types, Hatha yoga has some fundamental differences from the rest.

• In Hatha yoga, the serenity of the body and the mind is given more importance than movement.
• Hatha yoga poses are long. You hold a certain asana in Hatha yoga for around 1 – 5 minutes unlike in some other yoga types, where the asanas are held only for a brief period.
• Your body experiences less wear and tear compared to other yoga types.
• In Hatha, your level of oxygen requirement is less.
• Naturally, Hatha yoga poses call for decreased metabolism compared to other yoga types. 

Is it the best yoga for beginners?

Mostly, professional yoga practitioners would suggest Hatha yoga for beginners. Because of its spread, it has widely been practiced all over the world. Especially in western countries, its popularity is still growing. 

It doesn’t even require any fancy props. You can get the common props to practice it efficiently. They include:

• Meditation cushions
• Bolster pillows
• Yoga mat
• Blanket

Hatha yoga, for beginners, is one of the comfortable yoga types to start with. Since it emphasises the pose greatly, it is performed comparatively slowly. 

This gives the beginners the chance to develop a stronghold in poses and breathing. 

In addition, since poses in Hatha yoga need to be held for a longer duration, your complete focus is required. This reduces your mind-wandering and deepens your focus. 

Hence Hatha yoga benefits can be reaped fully, especially when you start at a young age. 

Bottom-line

Hatha yoga is practiced all over the world. If you learn from a certified practitioner, there is no doubt that this enhances various aspects of your life. 

As a famous proverb says “The moon moves slowly, but it crosses the town”, Hatha yoga may sometimes seem slow but over time, you will start reaping its benefits exponentially.