Hatha Yoga Training: Things You Must Know

Hatha Yoga (or Hatha Vidya) is a discipline of yoga that was introduced to the world in the 15^th century by sage Yogi Swatmatrama through his Hatha Yoga Training Pradipika treatise. He disclosed this special yogic technique as a preparatory stage for physical purification in order for the body to cooperate with the mind for advanced meditation. The two syllables Ha (Sun in Sanskrit) and Tha (moon in Sanskrit) comprise the word “Hatha”, thus elucidating Prana (subtle life force energy), Apana (life sustaining vital energy in lower abdomen) and the principal nadis (nerve centers) that channelize energy into the subtle body for spiritual growth. The word Hatha literally means “forceful” which is the powerful force required to purify the body. And “yoga” implies the union of the body-mind complex with the universal consciousness that is the source of energy for life. Thus hatha yoga literally unites the forceful and opposing solar and lunar energies in human bodies in a complementary union that culminates in balance in thoughts, perfection in actions, and immense spiritual progress. This should be understood while undergoing hatha yoga training.

 

Some practices of Hatha Yoga are closely aligned to Raja Yoga disclosed by the sage Patanjali.

 

The extensive Hatha Yoga training techniques comprise purification techniques for the body, asanas (yoga poses), pranayama (breath modulation for more energy flow into body), chakras (energy reserves inside subtle body), kundalini (instinctive corporeal energy instrumental to Nirvana or enlightenment), bandhas (energy locks to bind dissipating energy in body), kriyas (kundalini manifestation), nadis (nerve centers), mudras (symbolic gestures for healing organs). The very deity of Yoga, Lord Shiva is associated with the conception of Hatha Yoga, and the folklores are abundant with generations of enlightened saints and yogis (yoga masters) who shared this priceless yoga training knowledge down the ages.

 

A powerful stress buster and an enhancer to Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Spiritual Quotient (SQ), training in Hatha or otherYoga is the best takeaway for the world today from India. It inculcates restraint and observance as core practices that train the body for perfection and balance. To this end, the mind responds favorably and becomes a more powerful and excellence-encompassing mind within which a strong, healthy and youthful body resides.

 

A rage across Western and European countries for its ever-increasing benefits, Hatha Yoga training has become a lifestyle choice for millions of successful people who achieve sharp acumen at climbing career ladder and all-dimensional fulfillment in personal lives through its time-tested knowledge.

 

And the array of exercises are so beautifully designed, it can well be termed as meditation in motion. Slow and graceful stretching asanas complemented with pranayamas that build up bodily strength and mental stillness, all make for an excellent experience both during and after the practices.

Asanas in Hatha Yoga training essentially purify the body to absorb the comic energy to the maximum benefit, and train the body to effortlessly maintain the grit required for long spans of mediation for self-realization. The nadis or energy centers open up, thus energizing the mind and the subtle body. The pranayamas facilitate mastery over the breath, thus leading to balance in both hemispheres of the brain and mastery over the mind. The all-dimensional potential of the practices in Hatha Yoga training are as empowering to an athlete as they are to a corporate, this reflects the all-encompassing essence that in imbibed in the richness of yoga.