Hatha Yoga Explained
In the last few years yoga has blossomed. Once upon a time if you said you were doing yoga, people would say, "Really? What's that?" Nowadays people are so knowledgeable and there are so many styles of yoga out there that the question people ask whenever you say you're doing yoga is, "What kind?"
Despite this apparent expertise, there is still a common misperception about what yoga is. People generally have only a vague idea that there is more to yoga than the asanas, or poses. This leads to another problematic myth: that someone who is good at doing poses is good at yoga.
At Lily Mason Yoga we do Hatha Yoga. But to properly explain what Hatha Yoga is I need to challenge the idea that any kind of yoga is just another exercise class: a trendy way to get fit or flexible.
What is Hatha Yoga?
Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Bikram, Iyengar...what do they all have in common? They're all styles of Hatha Yoga! Some use props or heat, some focus on a particular routine... At Lily Mason Yoga we do Hatha Yoga without the props (mostly), at room temperature (well, I may put the heater on mid-winter) and the routines will be different each class. Hatha is yoga, stripped back to the basics.
Ultimately, Hatha Yoga aims to re-create a balance and re-find a connection between your physical body, your breath and energy and your mind. Practically this means we'll focus on relaxation and meditation; breathing, stretching, strength and balance postures.
Is yoga more than just the asanas and pranayama we learn in class?
Asanas are the most commonly known - the poses. And yes, they'll form the majority of in-class time. The fundamental purpose of asana is to develop the ability to sit comfortably in one position for a long time - to increase the capacity for concentration, for meditation. But by increasing the capacity for control of the body, we develop the ability to better control our energy and our mind.
Pranayama is generally defined as breath control, but it should also be thought of as control of your vital energy, or even expansion of the energy within your body. In class, we'll use the breath to ease tensions in our body, to energise, to relax, to expand and contract and to assist with balance.
Mudra and bandhas are small physical gestures which deepen awareness and concentration. In performing a mudra, your physical body controls your energy (prana) which has an effect on your mind. A simple example is Anjali Mudra, placing your hands in prayer position at the heart. In Sanskrit, Anj means 'to honour or celebrate', and the gesture communicates our heartfelt respect. It also opens the heart, calms the mind and balances the body. You'll find it appears in many different asanas, such as tree pose (Vrksasana) where balance is required (bringing the hands together helps to connect left and right sides of the brain).
But a more complete practice of yoga, one that you practice on and off the mat, follows the 8 Limb path described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras:
Despite this apparent expertise, there is still a common misperception about what yoga is. People generally have only a vague idea that there is more to yoga than the asanas, or poses. This leads to another problematic myth: that someone who is good at doing poses is good at yoga.
At Lily Mason Yoga we do Hatha Yoga. But to properly explain what Hatha Yoga is I need to challenge the idea that any kind of yoga is just another exercise class: a trendy way to get fit or flexible.
What is Hatha Yoga?
Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Bikram, Iyengar...what do they all have in common? They're all styles of Hatha Yoga! Some use props or heat, some focus on a particular routine... At Lily Mason Yoga we do Hatha Yoga without the props (mostly), at room temperature (well, I may put the heater on mid-winter) and the routines will be different each class. Hatha is yoga, stripped back to the basics.
Ultimately, Hatha Yoga aims to re-create a balance and re-find a connection between your physical body, your breath and energy and your mind. Practically this means we'll focus on relaxation and meditation; breathing, stretching, strength and balance postures.
Is yoga more than just the asanas and pranayama we learn in class?
Asanas are the most commonly known - the poses. And yes, they'll form the majority of in-class time. The fundamental purpose of asana is to develop the ability to sit comfortably in one position for a long time - to increase the capacity for concentration, for meditation. But by increasing the capacity for control of the body, we develop the ability to better control our energy and our mind.
Pranayama is generally defined as breath control, but it should also be thought of as control of your vital energy, or even expansion of the energy within your body. In class, we'll use the breath to ease tensions in our body, to energise, to relax, to expand and contract and to assist with balance.
Mudra and bandhas are small physical gestures which deepen awareness and concentration. In performing a mudra, your physical body controls your energy (prana) which has an effect on your mind. A simple example is Anjali Mudra, placing your hands in prayer position at the heart. In Sanskrit, Anj means 'to honour or celebrate', and the gesture communicates our heartfelt respect. It also opens the heart, calms the mind and balances the body. You'll find it appears in many different asanas, such as tree pose (Vrksasana) where balance is required (bringing the hands together helps to connect left and right sides of the brain).
But a more complete practice of yoga, one that you practice on and off the mat, follows the 8 Limb path described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras:
This explanation of the 8 Limbs of Yoga is from yogamsharanam.com
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Do I have to be super bendy to be good at yoga?
No! Not at all. I hope I've expressed above what yoga is, so that you've come to this question already knowing the answer! Yoga is not the asanas. Yoga is a way of life, a total healthcare system that is available to everybody.
No! Not at all. I hope I've expressed above what yoga is, so that you've come to this question already knowing the answer! Yoga is not the asanas. Yoga is a way of life, a total healthcare system that is available to everybody.
