Hatha Yoga - The Complete System
Hatha Yoga The Complete System
Yoga is a science. It’s a science of the Mind. Hatha Yoga is the foundation for most of the yoga practices which you’d attend in a class format. Some of them have been given fancy names to illustrate where the influences come from (Iyengar, Ashtanga, etc.), or what you may expect from the practice (soft, strong, flow, slow etc.).
According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, we practice Yoga to maintain clarity and harmony in order to lead fruitful lives and be constant in our connection with existence. It illustrates how the illusions of Ignorance, Fear, Aversions, Attachments and Ego create Dukkha (restrictions or discomfort, which can lead to pain, unhappiness, disease etc) which separate us from the intimacy of this connection.
Hatha Yoga focuses on how we can use the template of Yoga to return to Sukha (liberation).
In doing we can train and simultaneously observe how different functions of the mind play a pivotal role in this. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras give us a pathway to maintain guidance for the way we participate in our lives (Yamas and Niyamas), how to regulate the flow of energy through the body using movement (Asana), and breath (Pranayama) and from there move towards the more subtle realm of consciousness.
A balanced Hatha Yoga practice will at first provide you with effective Asana and Pranayama tools and techniques which are tailored for your prevailing afflictions. A good teacher will ensure you comprehend how these tools are effective and can be utilized to suit certain afflictions. Essentially the practice seeks to open and harmonize the energetic layers which regulate our bodily functions and begin the calming of the mind.
To make this idea a little more palatable let’s return to Sukha and Dukkha. Basically, we want to maintain Sukha, yet can accept that there are external factors in our lives which create flux and change, so Dukkha arises. Dukkha can have many side effects, yet the most common is a build-up of stress.
What we seek to do from the Hatha practice is to work on flexion and strength of the body through Asana. Learn breath regulation techniques to observe where stress is trapped in the body and how we can shift it with the focused awareness of Pranayama.
This not only has multiple benefits for organ health and overall homeostasis, yet it also plays a vital part in our mental health in one critical way.
It gives us proof.
Proof that even when we feel extremely stressed and confused we can do something about it. It gives us hope and validation. Validation that we’re doing something that gives us a tangible sensation of wellbeing and the ability to change our experience.
So while our different types of practices will provide aspects of this, ideally we’d learn the full expression of the Hatha system in order to become our own guide and teacher in order to be present and maintain clarity in each circumstance.
About the author:
Geoff is a technical master of Yoga, learned from over 25+ years of movement-based arts; including influences from traditional and modern Yoga practices, martial arts and biomechanics. What differentiates Geoff is his ability to read energy lines and blend the technical with an intention of creating the energy flow through the body - something that our modern lifestyles highly compromise. You can contact geoff in here: geoffbrooksyoga@gmail.com
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