What is it?
Hatha Yoga had its inception way back in 15th century India. The primary reason why Hatha yoga was constituted was as a means of strengthening and purifying the body. The term 'hatha' is used to denote two separate words: the sun and the moon. Hatha yoga comprises of breathing exercises and postures and poses with the view to strengthen the body of human beings. Hatha yoga is basically a slow and calm form of yoga. It is extremely suitable for those people who want to prepare themselves, their bodies and minds for a higher level of meditation and also those who want to relieve stress from their lives.
Hatha yoga asanas, postures and positions
Since yoga is now being practiced in many forms all over the world, it may become confusing for novices to understand what the different forms mean and whether they are all beneficial. The truth is that hatha yoga is the primary form of performing yoga, its postures and positions, also known as 'asanas'. Almost every yoga posture and postions can be done and practiced by everyone, including those who do not have too much flexibility or strength. If you are a beginner in yoga, it is a good idea if your hatha yoga session lasts for anything between 30 and 45 minutes. But if you happen to be an advanced yoga student, your session may easily last from 90 minutes to a couple of hours. The only requirements of practicing hatha yoga are comfortable clothing and a quiet room. You don't need any special equipment or props to practice this form of yoga. You can even do it in your hotel room if you are going on a vacation, so versatile it is!
Benefits of Hatha yoga
Yoga has many benefits to it, both physical and mental. Making it a part of your life will fill you with a new purpose and give you a spring in your steps every day. Following are the most important benefits of hatha yoga:
- Increase in strength and flexibility
- Posture correction and strengthening of the spine
- Betterment of any condition in the muscular- skeletal structure, like scoliosis, weak knees, sore shoulders and neck
- Improvement of the endocrine, respiratory, immune, digestive and circulatory systems of the body
- Improvement in attention span and concentration levels
- Improvement in muscle- joint mobility
- Alleviation of back pain
- Enhancement in grace, stamina and balance
- Decrease in stress levels
- Increase in awareness levels towards the outside world and the inner self
- Relaxation of the mind and the body
Logan Chierotti is a Denver, Colorado resident who has had experience as a real estate agent and currently works in the Yoga industry. Logan Chierotti enjoys writing about real estate, yoga, fly fishing and much more.