Hatha Yoga - Information
on Asanas and Pranayama - History of Hatha Yoga
By
Alien
Hatha yoga is one of the
four main traditions of Tantra Yoga. Hatha yoga is mainly
practiced for health and vitality in this modern age. It
comes from the words ‘Ha’ meaning sun and ‘Tha’ meaning moon
unites in Hatha Yoga. It is commonly translated as the yoga,
which brings combination "of the pairs of opposites."
It is the symbolic
combination of active and passive energies, the opposites.
Hatha yoga is sometimes also known as “forceful yoga.” It is
from this yoga that several other styles of yoga originated
including Power yoga,
Bikram yoga, and Kundalini yoga.
History of Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga is a system of
yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a yogic sage in the 15th
century in India. It is introduced to modern society by T.
Krishnamacharya, a yoga teacher in Mysore Palace in south
India, in late 19th century.
His disciples B.K.S.
Iyengar, K.Pattabhi Jois and Indira Devi, and his son T.K.V.
Desikachar, were involved in setting up their schools and
spreading Yoga all over the world, especially in America.
Hatha Yoga tries to attain
balance between body and mind, and also tries to free the
more subtle spiritual elements of the mind through physical
asanas, pranayama, and meditation.
It basically concentrates
on the practice of asanas and pranayama to energize the
subtle channels. Therefore it focuses mainly on the 3rd and
4th steps in the eight limbs of yoga.
Asanas
These are the various body
positions, which help in the improvement of health and
removing of diseases in the physical, causal, and subtle
bodies. Actually, the word "asana" means “seat” in Sanskrit,
which not only refers to the physical position of the body
but also to the body position in relation to divinity.
These asanas are originally
meant for Meditation, as the postures can make you feel
relaxed for extended time period. A yoga practitioner can
improve the flexibility of the muscles and bone strength, as
well as non-physical rewards such as the development of will
power, concentration, and self-withdrawal by practicing
these asanas regularly.
Pranayama
Pranayama is derived from
the words prana, which means life or energy source and ayama,
which means to control. It is the science of breath control.
It is very essential for a yoga practitioner to practice
pranayama in hatha yoga for mastering ones' breathing
patterns. The mastery of mind is within reach if one can
master breath.
The flow of prana or vital
life force through the body is regulated through breathing
exercises. That energy is definitely required on the further
steps of Hatha Yoga that ultimately may lead to samadhi.
In Special breathing
techniques, the flow of breath though both nostrils are
alternated, this brings balance to the two hemispheres of
the brain, which is possibly the central objective of
Pranayama. Kundalini Energy is also activated with the
pranayama.
Some asanas are helpful in
toning up your internal organs, and thereby preventing
diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and hypertension. They
also bring balance to internal and glandular functions. In
contrast, pranayama in hatha yoga can help manage asthma and
bronchitis.
About the
author:
RAlien writes for
http://www.family-health-information.com.
He also writes for
http://www.online-family-doctor.com/ and
http://www.onlinemedicare.org,
http://www.alzheimers-treatment.org/.
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I wish you all the best on your yoga adventure!
To your health,
Thomas T :)
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