In recent years, interest in yoga has begun to grow rapidly. However, it should be understood that this is not a religion, not physical education or sport, but a way of life. Some conservative doctors of our time are of the opinion that yoga is only articular gymnastics, which is of little use. In fact, practicing daily asanas (postures), described in detail by many great yogis, you can not only improve health, but also the quality of life in general.
General information
According to reviews, many people consider hatha yoga to be a specific type of gymnastics with which you can stretch your body. Many fitness trainers or athletes do not attach any importance to it, considering it a prelude to "real" strengthening of muscles and ligaments. In some ways they are right, because yoga cannot be compared with sports. If we consider it from the point of view of the Vedic culture (where it comes from), then its entire system is divided into steps.
It is described in the book Hatha Yoga Pradipika, authored by Swami Swatmarama, a follower of Guruji Gorakshanatha. It is this text that is considered the oldest classic tale of the correct Vedic life. Although it is known that Krishna spoke about yoga in the holy text "Bhagavad-gita".
What it is
What is the difference between hatha yoga and physical education? The main difference is the ultimate goal. If physical education is aimed at healing only the physical body, then in yoga a person knows God. However, it is not a religion, but only a spiritual teaching.
In other words, yoga is a balanced state of mind, giving people the opportunity to look at their lives from all sides and from different angles, but without selfish intentions.
By practicing yoga, one can transform life energy into peace, strength into relaxation, tension into clarity, patience into power, and the static performance of asanas (postures) into intense internal work on oneself. It helps to overcome life's difficulties and keep the inner lake of peace clean and smooth.
Eight steps
You can find many reviews of hatha yoga. In them, those who deal with it write that it is worth starting with the study of the above book, as well as with the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. It is he who tells in detail about the eight steps of classical hatha yoga. The sage Patanjali systematized all the teachings about her and talked about how to achieve harmony in the age of Kali Yuga (the time in which modern humanity is described in the Vedas).
If a person wants to know all the goodness that a yoga gives, he cannot skip steps. It all starts with the Pit, which means a change in attitude towards this world. The second step is Niyama or self-attitude. It is here that the foundation is laid for proper non-toxic vegetarian nutrition, purity of thoughts, and so on. The third step is familiar to everyone from reviews of hatha yoga about documentary newsreels. This is Asana or work with the body. It is her exercises that are the period in which a person must curb his body and strengthen it for subsequent practices.
The fourth step is Pranayama. In reviews of hatha yoga, this word is replaced by "the art of breathing." “Prana” means “vital energy,” and “Pit” refers to the first stage. By practicing Pranayama, the yogi, in addition to calming the mind, increases the capacity of his lungs and learns to hold his breath for a long time. Fifth step - Pratyahara or the removal of feelings and emotions in relation to surrounding objects or circumstances.
The three most important steps
The sixth step is Dharana, by practicing which the yogi learns to concentrate on his inner sensation. Seventh - Dhyana or meditation. In fact, it is carried out at all stages, but it is in Dhyana that a yogi can disconnect his consciousness from this world. The last step (the main and most important) is Samadhi. According to reviews of hatha yoga, all practices strive to achieve it. When this happens, they will become liberated souls who can seamlessly unite with a higher power or God. A yogi who has reached the eighth stage can leave his body and wander around the expanses of energy. It is believed that among the Himalayan snows you can find many yogis whose age has exceeded three hundred years. But to verify this fact is quite difficult.
Types of techniques
Since hatha yoga is a classic concept of teaching. All the others in the methodology appeared and developed on its basis. The most popular types of yoga in the modern world:
- Ashtanga vinyasa, during which all asanas are performed in dynamics and strict sequence. That is, one pose flows into another.
- Iyengar. Named after the great yoga teacher. This technique pays great attention to the detuning of asanas, their conscious fixation and the use of additional means (pillows, belts, blocks, and so on).
- Yoga 23. Differs in a strong physical activity.
- Universal. Combines the elements of hatha yoga.
- Tray Yoga.
- Jivamukti and Sivananda (so named after teachers who practiced Vedic laws and wrote more than one useful book about yoga).
- Aeroyoga (in hammocks). This species has recently gained increasing popularity.
Features
Is modern hatha yoga harmful? If you practice it under the strict guidance of a certified instructor, then the body not only strengthens, but also heals. Of course, it is not possible to cure all diseases with the help of hatha yoga, but correcting or correcting the posture is a completely feasible task.
The specifics of these exercises is that they help keep joints and muscles healthy. You can do yoga at any age. This is especially useful for those who are constantly experiencing mental stress, because in addition to physical exercises, it uses unique methods of stimulation of internal organs and hormonal glands. The latter play an important role in the functioning of the human body. Everyone knows that hormones are a source of emotional instability.
Disruptions in the hormonal system can lead to serious mental illness. Many yogis believe that all our sufferings and illnesses arise against the background of the incorrect distribution of prana or vital energy in the body. The practice of hatha yoga restores the channels and removes the clamps that interfere with the free flow of prana.
Getting rid of stress, tension and bodily fatigue are the main priority factors of this teaching.
Main practices
Where to start hatha yoga? This question is asked by all newcomers. Practices are divided into four stages:
- Directly asanas, that is, exercises that are accompanied by some kind of breathing technique, as well as concentration of attention on special points - drishti. The features of hatha yoga for beginners (although constant practice should not be forgotten about this either) are as follows: enter the asanas carefully and perform them by virtue of your abilities, and not on the brink. Each pose should relax the muscles of a person. Otherwise, you may be injured. It is important to find a qualified instructor who will correct the student during the class. If during the exercise, pleasant sensations appear, then the energy moves in the right direction.
- Breathing exercises. With their help, a person learns to control his emotions. For Hatha Yoga practitioners, mastering this technique is very important. There are special exercises in the process of which you can massage the internal organs.
- Meditation. Their main goal is to study themselves, their essence and inner world. Relaxation allows a person to direct energy to spiritual development.
- Shatkarmas. They must be performed by every yogi who is seriously engaged in his own business. With the help of shatkarm, internal organs are cleaned. There are six of them:
-dhauti - putting the digestive tract in order;
-basti - washing of the large intestine;
Nauli - similar to a vacuum massage of internal organs, performed to strengthen the muscles of the abdominal cavity;
- neti - cleansing the nasopharynx;
-kapalabhati - cleansing the anterior lobe of the brain;
Trataka - improving vision, strengthening the eye muscles, developing mindfulness and concentration.
Basic techniques
There are a lot of techniques in hatha yoga, but the main one is “Salutation to the Sun” or “Surya Namaskar”. There are practices that have only performed this technique all their lives. It consists of a certain complex of asanas, following strictly one after another. In addition to the alternation of poses, the phases of breathing also change - inhale / exhale.
"Surya Namaskar" exists in different variations. If a person does not strive for spiritual development, then this technique can be presented as an ideal warming up of muscles before the main practice.
Hatha Yoga Pose Overview
Novice practitioners are better off starting with Surya Namaskar. So in reviews of postures in hatha yoga, all authoritative practices write. How to carry it out, wrote in detail by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. This is the founder of the Bihar School. "Salutation to the Sun" is a cycle of 24 poses. Ideally, they should perform 108 cycles (this is a sacred number in Vedic culture), but three or six are enough for beginners.
Technique of execution:
- From Tadasana, go to Pranamasana with folded arms at the chest. At this moment, the person tunes in to practice.
- On inhalation, Hasta Uttanasana is performed. A deflection is made in the thoracic region, the buttocks are in good shape, straight arms are extended behind the head, the outer side of the palms is bent over.
- On exhalation - Padahastasana. A slope is made from the hip, the back is not rounded.
- As you inhale, Ashva Shanchanalanasana. Horseman Pose. The palms rest on the fingers perpendicular to the floor. The right foot takes a step back, it is placed on the knee.
- On exhalation - Parvatasana. One of the variations of the pose of the Mountain.
- Holding the breath on the exhale - Ashtanga Namaskar or 8 points. You need to touch the floor with your chin, palms (without spreading your elbows to the sides), chest, knees and toes.
- On inspiration - Bhujangasana or Snake pose. Pelvic bones should be pressed to the floor, shoulders laid back, neck not pinched, and chest stretching forward.
- On exhalation - Parvatasana described in paragraph 5.
- As you inhale, Ashva Shanchanalanasana. The left foot makes a forward movement to the left hand, and the right remains behind. It must be lowered to the knee.
- On exhalation - Padahastasana, as in paragraph 3.
- On the inhale of Hast Uttanasan, as in paragraph 2.
- Return to Pranamasana.
Next, you need to repeat all the exercises. In step 4, a step back is made with the right foot. Performing an exercise on both legs is considered one cycle. Ideally, for each asana, a certain mantra should be pronounced and drishti should be established (concentration point).
Recommendations for beginners
Experienced practitioners are advised to beginners as follows:
- Before class, it is advisable not to eat for two hours, otherwise it will be difficult to perform breathing exercises.
- In a home environment, it is better to use additional tools in the form of blocks and belts. They facilitate entry into some asanas.
- During the exercise, it is not recommended to drink water or be distracted by other things. Musical accompaniment in the form of mantras or calm music will help relaxation
- No need to chase the result. Yoga is not a competition. A reverent attitude to your body and the ability to listen to it will protect against injuries.
- The first lessons should be led by an instructor.
- It is better to perform asanas with eyes closed, in this case it is easier to feel your body, muscles, ligaments.
- If you experience pain, you need to exit the asana.
- At the end of each practice, it is imperative to perform Shavasana (Corpse pose), in which all the muscles of the body relaxed during the session are relaxed.
Weight correction
Does hatha yoga help you lose weight? If a person is overweight, which interferes with a healthy lifestyle, then this technique is what a person needs. Yoga practitioners are required to review their diet. Nobody calls to become a vegan, but you need to take only natural food and not overeat.
Among the techniques there is a mass of dynamic poses, for example, when doing Ashtanga yoga, you can strengthen your muscles and lose extra pounds. But previously specialist advice is required.
Opinions of doctors
In the reviews of doctors about hatha yoga, one can find rather strict warnings, which mainly come from orthopedists. However, their concern is more related to the risk of injury. Doctors do not oppose yoga, but warn that not all patients can enter various asanas (especially very difficult to perform). Doctors advise not to master all the techniques in a short time, but to gradually come to complicated variations of poses. This is how you can avoid tearing ligaments and other injuries.
Most specialists involved in physical therapy also have nothing against yoga, because many asanas are also used in their practice. With the help of such exercises, osteochondrosis of the thoracic or cervical spine can be treated.
According to doctors' reviews, people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and epilepsy should refuse yoga classes. In any case, exercise should be fun, not pain.
Practice reviews
Serious Hatha Yoga practitioners warn beginners that these techniques can only help when a person consciously seeks enlightenment of the soul and connection with divine powers. If you do asanas for weight loss or treatment, you can significantly impair your health.
Also, practitioners warn that it is only necessary to deal with an experienced teacher who has completed a full course with a guru and has experience of at least 7 years. If a person opens a yoga center after taking short courses, he is not suitable for the role of a mentor.
Another advice of yogis is that in no case can you move on to asanas without fully mastering the first two steps. Otherwise, serious psychological problems may arise.