The beginnings of Hatha yoga date back to 15th century India where it mainly represented a step on the way of achieving high spiritual enlightenment and physical purification. Superior meditation is considered to be almost impossible without the mastery of Hatha yoga asanas. The very name of Hatha yoga fully reflects a philosophy of energetic purification since “ha” means “the sun” and “tha” “the moon”. These two elements also stand for the main energy channels in the body or nadis through which the universal light should flow unhindered.
Most often, westerners associate Hatha yoga with the wider concept of yoga as such, which is mainly practiced for spiritual and physical health achievements. Nevertheless, according to the Indian tradition, Hatha yoga is more sophisticated and even restrictive than we'd like to admit: there are principles of moral and spiritual restraint that need to be followed without hesitation. Though the body is complementary with the spirit, the accent falls on the latter, since the ultimate union with the Universal Source is the goal of Hatha yoga as such.
As practiced in the West, Hatha yoga mainly relies on body postures and breath control techniques, while leaving meditation out. The thing is that the asanas (the body postures) are nothing else but gates towards meditation; this is actually the way that the body uses to prepare for entering advanced states of consciousness. From the philosophical point of view, Hatha yoga represents an attempt at reconciling dualities: yin-yang, positive-negative, cold-hot, fire-water and so on.
By bringing mind and body into a stable or balanced state, Hatha yoga improves one's life in a variety of ways. First of all, by meditation, breath control and relaxation postures, stress and anxiety are no longer a problem, and improvements are obvious from the most superficial to the
The asanas specific to Hatha yoga are contemplative in nature, and they are meant to eliminate all sorts of blockages in the body, regardless of their location at the level of the organs or the energetic channels. The breathing technique or Pranayama is specific not just to Hatha yoga but to all other branches, since the movement of the air flow through the body lengthens or regulates the life force. Hatha yoga breathing will therefore bring physical, spiritual and mental health to the practitioner.
