What is Hatha Yoga?

Simple overview of Hatha, Restorative and Kundalini Yoga and Pranayama

What is Hatha Yoga?

This is a concise overview of this significant framework for life. What is commonly thought of as yoga, or asana/physical practice is often referred to as Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga ultimately encompasses many aspects of yoga, being a significant body of spiritual knowledge.

Hatha yoga, as described by Swami Niranjanananda, "has a deeper purpose than just that of physical movement, or asanas, and body awareness. Hatha Yoga involves balancing, managing and directing the energies that control the body and guide the mind'.

Hatha Yoga practices and techniques balance the pranic system (or energy systems) that govern all functions of the body and mind. Hatha yoga enables the physical body to retain, and regain its strength, providing a physical vessel for the mind to rest in, and enabling attainment of clarity of mental and emotional states of being. Most major styles of Yoga we are familiar with today come from Hatha Yoga, a tantra practice.

"Tantra and yoga are only two different words belonging to the same way of life. with Tantra being the philosophical, theoretical aspect and yoga the practical aspect. What tantra tells us, yoga asks us to practice".
Hatha Yoga Book 1 - Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati.

Hatha Yoga aims to encourage the union of the Ida and Pingala energies (also can be thought of as the Feminine + Masculine - Shiva + Shakti - Sun + Moon - Prana + Mind - Positive + Negative - Yin + Yang energies) at Ajna Chakra at the top of the spinal cord - a place scientifically known as the medulla oblongata.

It is understood that to only focus on attempts to control the mind to feel the best we can, is a difficult journey. So Hatha Yoga provides a framework for yogis to practice regularly to obtain a deeper sense of their true selves, working with the physical body, breath, and mind. Over time we start to feel the sense of inner freedom, free from the impacts of stresses and tensions.

Essentially, the more we can work with the body using the specific techniques
of Hatha Yoga, the more we become aware of the more subtle aspects of ourselves, and we awaken to our intuition and higher states of inner knowing
and guidance.

What is Restorative Yoga?

​Restorative yoga is another form of Hatha Yoga. Restorative yoga asanas are designed to support the physical body and nervous system. And with the help
of breath practices, the body moves into the 'rest and digest' nervous system response. It's like a moving meditation, so Restorative yoga uses props to support the body. When the breath is the focus, the mind becomes calm, thoughts become more optimistic and supportive of our desires.

What is Pranayama?

​A simplified overview - Pranayama is a precise science which "provides
methods to understand the essence of prana and to guide it within oneself". Prana roughly translated means energy or vital force. The motion in creation. The word prana assumes the quality of 'livingness'.

Pranayama practices involve the control of the breath to feel and understand the flow of energy in the body. Current daily living stressors and worry use maximum prana so our pranic fields become exhausted and discharged. This can cause fatigue and inefficient body processes such as digestion and circulation, creating anxieties and worries and the cycle keeps self-perpetuating until we decide to remedy this by recharging our pranas. Pranayama practices recharge and replenish the pranas through breath practices such as Khumbhaka or Natural Breath practices.

What is Kundalini yoga and what are kriyas?

Kundalini as talked about by Swami Satyananda, is the basis of tantra and yoga.

Kundalini Yoga is a series of practices based on combined breath, asanas, mudras and mantras. The practices can range from very simple to quite complex. Which is all subjective to a yogi's experience.

These simple practices can be added to your daily routine. They include pranayama (breath practices), mudras (psychic, emotional, devotional and aesthetic gestures), bandhas (energetic locks) and simple asanas - in combination they are known as kriyas.

Jai Dev, one of my yoga mentors, likens Kundalini Yoga to being 'the householder’s yoga'. There is no requirement to study or situate yourself in an ashram to experience the benefits directly.

These practices are designed to stimulate the flow of life force energy, or prana. within the physical body, increasing a sense of vitality, clarity and energy and with consistent practice build our ability to feel good more often. Every time we practice we are recalibrating our energy and vitality.

When we incorporate these practices, all forms of yoga, into our daily lives, we naturally become more centred, experiencing more calm and vitality and life challenges become less overwhelming. We gain a clear perspective.

Kundalini Yoga kriyas are a lovely way to complete a Serenity Session. The practices activate our subtle energetic fields and enable us to feel more self-care and love, inner strength and contentment.