(First published 14/1/2008)

Following on from the first Inside Yoga chapter in which I explained that one principle meaning of yoga is union. There are various types or strands of yoga.

Each, ultimately, has the same goal, that of union. In yoga when speaking of union, this state can range from the local (micro) level – that of feeling connected with our body and soul – and out to the universal (macro) level where we feel connected to (and part of) of the world.
I touched on this subject in Inside Yoga 1.
In this chapter, I want to focus on the meaning of Hatha Yoga.
Hatha Yoga is the kind of yoga most practised in Europe. One source of confusion for many people, who I have met through teaching, is that there appears to be so many types of yoga that it’s hard to know where to start.
To put it simply, all exercises on a yoga mat falls under the term, Hatha Yoga.
There are names like Iyengar, Ashtanga (K Pattabhi Jois), Vini (TKV Desikachar), Sivananda yogas that you will come across, and these are hatha yoga traditions that have been handed down by particular teachers from India. (I trained in several traditions, including Iyengar, Ashtanga and Sivananda, over the years.)
There are many others names of which some are simply names yoga teachers (often western teachers) have given to their “company” as a means of marketing themselves. It is usually still hatha yoga, just with different flavours and approaches.
The word “hatha” has various meanings, including “will power”. For our purposes, this will power refers to the discipline needed to consistently practice (and this includes the discipline of coming to my classes regularly).
Through the will power to keep practising (as often as you can manage) you will deepen an understanding of yoga. Yoga is not a quick fix. Like many things in life, depth comes through practice.
Another way of explaining hatha is to split the word up into its Sanskrit roots.
“Ha” represents the ida nadi (the left channel – or left nostril when breathing in pranayama) and the cool energy of the moon (chandra), which is also represented as the female side.
“Tha” represents the pingala nadi (right channel – or right nostril when breathing in pranayama) and the hot energy of the sun (surya), which is also represented as the male side.
When practising hatha yoga one wants to attain a balance between these two sides, or forces in us, so that they are in harmony.
In general terms, when practising yoga you will become more sensitive to your body and as a result become more aware of differences between your right and left sides. One might be stronger and/or more flexible. Through yoga you can help close the gap between the sides.
And through time, this metaphorical gap will close in many areas of your life, and you will feel more balanced not just within your body and mind, but also with the people and world around you.

In hatha yoga the breath is the key.

“Hathayoga Pradipika” is a practical treatise on yoga, and in it the author stresses importance of breath by saying that if the mind is the king of the senses, the master of the mind is the breath.

To be continued…