[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1592847782094{margin-top: -40px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1592853891914{margin-top: -70px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”WHAT IS HATHA YOGA?” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:ABeeZee%3Aregular%2Citalic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1591813829828{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1592167100957{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text]It is an ancient form of yoga practiced by Hatha yogis, the founders of Hatha Yoga who discovered this novel way to experience the unity with the universe and your consciousness. They found that certain body postures and movements open up our energy channels, along with our psychic centers.
They did not see Hatha Yoga as a form of exercise. They discovered when you work with the body (asanas), you move to the breath (pranas), then to the mind, then to the inner self, (chakras), then the asanas become the tools to take you to the highest level of awareness. An awareness that is beyond mere exercise, that spreads to each part of your life, making for a complete harmony of body, mind and spirit.
Hatha is taken from two words- Ha from ‘Ham’ which represents the sun and Tha from ‘Tham” which represents the moon.
We have 3 energy channels (nadis) in our body-Ida, Pingala and Sushumna. The aim of Hatha yoga is to balance all three. When the left nostril has a greater flow of air, then the Ida Nadi is predominant and when right nostril has greater flow of air then Pingala is predominant. So when Pingala flows there is more vital energy for physical work, digestion and the mind is extroverted and the body generates more heat. When Ida is flowing, the mental energy flows better, the mind is more dominant and any kind of mental work is handled better. So, during sleep, Ida flows predominantly. If Pingala flows at night, then your sleep is disturbed. Otherwise when Ida flows when taking food, then the digestive process slows down and it causes indigestion. So, when Ida and Pingala are purified and balanced, then the mind is controlled, and Sushumna, the most important nadi is activated. Once this is done, your Kundalini chakra awakens, and through this chakra, the kundalini energy moves like a serpent to the Sahsarara chakra, centre of the head where it meets the highest source of consciousness- the union of Shiva and Shakti.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”275″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”mudra”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
MUDRA
In the practice of yoga, the universe consists of five elements-air, water, fire, earth and sky. And all these elements in fact, the whole of the human structure is present in our hand. Our small finger is water, our ring finger is the earth, our middle finger-the sky, the index finger- the air, and the thumb represents fire.
The word “mudra” applies to the use of hand gestures during yoga that carry specific goals of channeling your body’s energy flow. They release the energy locked within our body, and they help create inner strength and peace.
Mudras flow through energy pathways from our fingertips throughout our body, triggering activity in the brain and relieving emotional and physical imbalances. Just by placing our fingers in certain positions, we can cure anxiety or stress, pain or weakness.
There are over 100 mudras, and they are the easiest postures to adopt in the yoga class but they also bring a miraculous transformative change in your body and mind. They generate power, make you peaceful and cure ailments. They can be done anytime of the day, even when you are off the mat, working or relaxing. Unlike an asana or pranayama, they do not require any specific preparation. You don’t have to be on an empty stomach or have a time gap between lunch or dinner to do these Mudras. They can be done whenever you have some free time, and yet these simple hand postures can have far reaching beneficial effects for both body and mind.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”chakra”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
CHAKRA
Hatha yogis believe that our Yoga asanas are tools to take you to the high level of awareness-our chakras. The Sanskrit word ‘Chakra’ means “wheel” or “disk””. In the yogic context, it means whirlpool. Chakras are the concentrated energy centers of the body. They have the responsibility of taking in, incorporating and emanating energy to keep us functioning at optimal levels.
Our wellbeing on all levels is affected by the chakras. Sometimes our chakras also become blocked in our system, impeding our energy flow and energy levels. When a chakra is not functioning properly or if it is blocked, our mental state of mind begins to suffer. That’s when it needs to energized, tapped, worked upon on a regular basis. The chakras tap you at the subconscious level and by working on your subconscious gradually, you’ll see an internal, positive awareness that you have created by opening these chakras, filter into all aspects of your life, and you’ll feel energized and renewed from within.
There are 8 Chakras:
1. Sahasrara Chakra
2. Bindu Chakra
3. Ajna Chakra
4. Vishuddhi Chakra
5. Anahata Chakra
6. Manipura Chakra
7. Swadhisthana Chakra
8. MooladharaChakra
All these 8 chakras in our body relate to the specific parts of the brain, and when we focus on a chakra after doing our yogic practice, we stimulate the flow of the chakras and activate and awaken dormant areas, areas with potential in the brain. The main aim of chakra awakening is to awaken our Kundalini shakti-the source of all energy in the universe.
If our asanas work on the body through movement, the pranas on our mind through silence, then the chakras work on our inherent potential, the shakti to conquer anything in life.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”bandh”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
BANDH
Bandh means a lock, to close, to bind or hold captive. In the practice of a Bandh, the energy flow to a particular area of the body is blocked. When the Bandh is released, this causes the energy to flood more strongly through the body with an increased pressure. It is a technique through which the opposite poles of energy are bound together. So, what the bandh is doing, is to block the pranas, in a particular area and then redirect the flow to the sushumna nadi for the purpose of spiritual awakening. Sushumna redirects the energy flow to balance the mind, body, soul.
Basically there are three bandhs : Jalandhar bandh, Uddiyanabandh and the Moolbandh. When we do all three together, it becomes Mahabandh.
The benefits of the bandh are to actually awaken our pranas, release energy blocks and energize all our glands and hormonal secretions and all our systems so that each and every cell is rejuvenated and our mind is also in the highest working condition.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”pranayama”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
PRANAYAMA
Hatha yogis even in the ancient times became aware that it is difficult to control the mind. You can control it for some time but not 24 hours. Then they adopted another way to bring the body and mind in balance. They focused on ‘pranayama’. The word is derived from ‘Prana’ which stands for ‘life force’. Prana, in yogic terms, means the force within the body that is vital for the functioning of the body as well as its vitality.
Breathing lies at the core of human existence. Breathing facilitates the oxygen supply to the brain as well as to rest of the body. Therefore, the way we breathe determines not only our physical life force but also our mental life force. And the Hatha yogis realized that breathing plays an extremely crucial role in the regulation, and maintenance of Prana. Therefore, pranayama is the simple practice of utilizing many breathing techniques to promote emotional, mental well- being, which will then translate to physical well-being.
We don’t realize it, but in our busy lives, we have forgotten how to breathe correctly. Shallow breathing, results in not using our lungs to their full capacity and hence, depriving the body and mind of oxygen and prana. With pranayama, the Hatha yogis devised the correct way to breathe to detoxify the body, and enhance your prana to move freely, making you feel more uplifted, positive and happier. Pranayama helps calm the mind and is life transforming for people suffering from anxiety disorders, depression and other mental-health issues.
Pranayama also offers great benefit in helping respiratory issues (so important in these Covid-19 times), heart troubles, digestive disorders, stress and lung-related problems.
So, we with Pranayama, make our breath a vital weapon that helps us to calm our mind, detoxify our mind and body, and breathe in the right amount of oxygen into our lungs. Yoga is essentially a practice that aims at cleansing, balancing, fixing, strengthening and challenging the body both from within as well as on the outside. When you learn to breathe correctly, you’re setting things right internally, giving your various organs and systems, a thorough cleanse. Pranayama is a practice that helps in bringing the body, mind and soul into a rhythm which with practice (abhyas) becomes a part of a daily life of mindfulness for all yoga practitioners.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]