Hatha yoga is a branch of yoga that engages in the physical and energy body to purify, empower and prepare us for more yoga practices like meditation. Hatha yoga is used to balance the nervous, hormonal and other vital systems, so it is one of the most widespread yoga practices in the West today.
Hatha yoga is made up of several techniques and each one is a chapter in itself, and they all round off one complete practice. They can also be understood as regular hygiene of the body, mind and energy flows.
The most famous techniques of Hatha yoga:
- Asana - body postures
- Pranayama - breathing exercises
- Kriya - purification techniques
- Wise and Bandhe - sealing and locking techniques
- Yoga nidra - a yogic dream
1. Asana - body position
The most famous yoga practices today are the postures of the body or asana. The great yogis are also known for over a thousand positions, of which only one hundred are practiced today. When practiced regularly, they can heal the body and mind deeply, bring vitality, health, happiness and peace.
By becoming aware of your body's reactions, listening internally, and reconnecting with the self in the silence of your practice, we can learn a lot about ourselves and become aware of stress points. Asana practice can be an effective way of healing the pain, numbness or trauma recorded in the body by coordinating attention, breathing and movement.
It also has a particularly positive effect on our mind, soothes it deeply, brings it into the presence of the present moment and purifies us from superfluous thoughts. Also, asana practice brings great power and works to preserve the immune system. They are performed so that when we adjust to a position, we remain in a position for some time, where the movement is coordinated with conscious breathing and the point of concentration.
2. Pranayama - breathing exercises
The practice of pranayama (breathing technique), kriye (purification technique) and other related techniques in yoga (bandha and mudra) have the invaluable values that are especially needed by today's human being who lives in the polluted world. By breathing we can excrete almost 70 percent of the poison from the body, purify and improve the circulation of oxygen and blood, balance the nerves and other body systems.
Breathing directly affects the state of mind that is released from the accumulated thoughts and emotions, which brings deep peace, rest, ease and happiness. Through pranayama, we work with the breath by lengthening it, accelerating it, slowing it down, warming it, cooling it, purifying it and the like.
By doing pranayama techniques, oxygen is distributed into various levels of our physical body, systems and vital organs while life energy (prana) is distributed into different levels of our subtle body. It takes just a few minutes a day of conscious deep breathing to relieve all the tension and experience the breathing techniques provided. An important and central part of pranayama is breath holding.
3. Kriya - purification techniques
Kriye are techniques used for internal and external purity, purification of the body, mind and energy channels (nadi) from accumulated harmful substances. They can serve us a great deal in nurturing health and mental hygiene and developing concentration and willpower.
It is recommended to perform six kriyas (shat-karma kriye) to purify the body and awaken the nadis. They are:
- Dhauti - Body Wash Techniques
- Basti - techniques for cleansing the bowel
- Neti - techniques for cleaning the nasal passages
- Brief - a technique for purifying the eyes and developing concentration
- Nauli - Exercise for massage of abdominal organs and stimulation of internal fire (agni), i
- Kapalabhati - a breathing technique to purify the internal organs and the frontal part of the brain.
In Ayurvedic medicine and yogic therapy, kriye is applied to a wide range of disease treatments. For the modern man, kriya techniques are a real asset. Practicing them regularly (like basic hygiene) will help us cleanse ourselves from the daily stress and pollution of the body and mind.
4. Wise and Bandhe - Sealing and locking techniques
Wise are the ancient methods for drawing attention away from the outside world, for balancing the five elements of which we are composed (fire, water, earth, air and ether) and for healing. The body is placed in certain angles and positions in which it lingers for some time, thus affecting physical and mental changes.
The mudras can be categorized into two groups: those involving the whole body in combination with the techniques of asana, pranayama, bandha and visualization, and simple wise hands to balance the five elements, and are divided into several major groups:
- Hasta (hand positions);
- Mana (head positions);
- Kaya (body postures);
- Bandha (lock), i
- Adhara (pelvic floor positions).
The hand and foot are made up of reflex zones and many end nerves that represent a place of high concentration of life energy (Prana). By connecting the fingers in various combinations, we manipulate the elements in the physical body and the subtle body, where internal energy is diverted, which affects changes in the veins, tendons, glands and sensory organs to bring the body back into balance.
Wise bodies stimulate certain endocrine glands that affect hormonal changes as well as changes in consciousness and energy centers (chakras).
Bandhas are locks that begin at the physical level, tightening certain muscle groups, and are reflected at the nervous system, and further at the mental and energy levels. Muscle tightening deeply affects the nervous, respiratory, endocrine and energy systems, and the bandha transmits a nerve impulse to the central nervous system.
When practicing bandhas, different parts of the body gently but strongly tighten and strain, which acts as a massage for the internal organs, enhancing their circulation, regulating nerve innervation and endocrine glands. Doing these exercises regularly is rejuvenating and is beneficial for the subtle energy system, the physical body and the nervous system. Bandhas have a pronounced effect on enhancing the flow of prana (vital energy) through the chakras and the main energy channel of sushumna nadi.
The three most famous bands are:
- Mula bandha (pelvis of the perineum and pelvic floor)
- Uddiyana bandha (padlock of the abdominal organs, i
- Jalandhara bandha (door lock).
Suitable asanas and pranayamas are a prerequisite for the proper practice of bandhi and the measure of willingness to perform is the ability to hold the kumbhaka breath for a long time. When we are ready to hold our breath with ease, we are also ready to introduce bandhas.
5. Yoga nidra - a yogic dream
Stress is today the leading cause of various serious illnesses and poor interpersonal relationships. The restlessness and noise of the world around us is reflected in our bodies and minds. Yoga nidra and deep yoga relaxation are also very appreciated methods of yoga in the fight against stress.
Yoga nidra is one of the most powerful techniques to achieve complete, deep and healing relaxation that involves physical, emotional and mental relaxation to awaken the dormant brain and mind centers. It is a wonderful instrument for achieving peace, withdrawal from the senses and the mind and complete regeneration of all our systems.
Nidra means sleep and yoga nidra means getting out of sleep. Yoga nidra is a conscious dream that is the borderline between sleep and wakefulness. With about 40 minutes of deep relaxation, it penetrates into deeper levels of mindfulness, storage of mind and record in the body. A time dedicated to deep relaxation restores all of our systems that become healthy and balanced.
It relieves tension and fatigue of the physical body, normalizes the circulation of oxygen, blood and vital energy (prana), relieves depression and anxiety, cravings and desires are reduced, rejuvenated and energized throughout the system. Overall, Benefits supports the body to return to its natural healing abilities.
Although a lot of information about yoga is available on the Internet and books, serious yoga practice still depends on the transfer directly from teacher to student. Today, almost every yoga studio offers more or less of all of the above. Visit yoga classes and find an experienced teacher who will teach you the practices of Hatha yoga properly.
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