03 Dec 2011, Posted by the sensually fluid yogini, Mitzi Connell

About Hatha Yoga


—“When most people think of yoga, they immediately think about the most popular form of yoga in the Western world today: Hatha yoga.

Today, we find images of yogis and yoginis in every type of attire, situation, and exotic pose in every popular media around the globe. Still, just as comparatively little is generally known about the other branches of the yoga tradition, the term, “Hatha yoga” is often lost in a confusion of various brand names such as Power yoga, Fire yoga, Water yoga, Flow yoga, Ashtanga and myriad other types of yoga named for or by influential teachers.

All these approaches, however, have common roots in Hatha yoga, the yoga of sun and moon.

Made up of syllables “Ha” meaning sun and “Tha” meaning moon, the word Hatha (pronounced ha TUH) actually means “intense” or “vigorous” and refers to the physical practices of yoga.”

Hatha yoga is both a vast art and a science.

It is a science because of its highly refined practices and techniques, and an art because the ever-changing nature of life cannot be limited merely to a definable system or mechanistic structure.

Hatha yoga involves the physical practices of asana (yoga postures), pranayama (control of breath and energy), bandhas (muscular locks and contractions), mudras (seals and gestures), kriyas (internal cleansing techniques), philosophies, and meditations.”

“Hatha yoga, intelligently practiced, has extraordinary, beneficial effects on many levels, physically, mentally, and spiritually. As it has been handed down and expanded through the centuries, it has evolved, continually, into the most complete and sophisticated system of physical culture, health, and well-being ever known to humanity.

Yoga practices work with and balance many interrelationships within body and mind. In order to have a more holistic understanding of how yoga works, ten body-mind systems can be taken into account.


The Skeletal System
“…The skeletal system is stimulated to strengthen and remain strong by the weight-bearing effects of yoga practice. Additionally, yogis learn how to move and mobilize all of the joints, where bone meets bone, in the body. A balanced practice has upper-body work and weight bearing on many body parts and moves and articulates all of the body’s joints.

The Muscular System
“…The skeletal structure is supported and articulated by the muscular system. A healthy, balanced muscular system requires more than just strong, toned muscles. To maintain the symmetry and alignment of the body, muscular tensions on different sides of the body and within opposing muscle sets are equalized by yoga practice…Muscles strengthened and lengthened by yoga are less prone to injury than short, tight muscles and they work and use energy more efficiently. Yoga asana practice teaches us how to use, tone, build, and balance the muscular system.”

The Circulatory System
“…Good circulation involves blood, lymph, and all the bodily fluids. Good health, vitality, and immunity require keeping fluids moving well in veins, arteries, capillaries, the lymphatic system, and even in the bones, marrow and spinal disks. Pumping and working the circulatory system on a daily basis is key for health, well-being, detoxification, and the relief of tension. Asana practice has many unique circulatory effects. Many postures direct circulatory flows to specific body parts, glands, or organs….The many compressing and squeezing actions in yoga postures assist the heart in keeping fluids moving, preventing stagnation. These circulatory benefits and effects also work on the lymphatic system fluids, which are vital to health and the immune system…

The circulatory system offers a spiritual lesson too. After the lungs oxygenate the blood, the heart pumps the first, best, and freshest blood back to itself. the heart has learned and instructs us in the lesson that “charity begins at home.” Serving others is a key part of yoga and loving and caring for ourselves and our own bodies are essential to serve others well…”

The Respiratory System
“…Breath occupies a central role in Hatha yoga, both in the practice of asanas and as its own field of practice, pranayama – the control of breath and energy. Breathing capacity is proportional to the ability to control the breath and to the strength and flexibility of the thoracic area. If chest, ribs and intercostals are stiff, and if we are unable to fully utilize the diaphragm, breathing capacity is limited. Yoga brings flexibility to, gives fine control over, and increases the capacity of the respiratory system.

The Digestive and Elimination System
“…The digestive fire is stoked and toned by exercise. Appetite and the ability to digest foods are greatly increased after exercise. [certain poses] increase the flow of energy to the digestive and eliminative systems, both by directing energy toward these organs and by releasing compression in the spine to increase nerve flow to the digestive organs.

Health is often judged by the externals of muscle tone, strength and endurance. But the foundation of health lies in the organs of assimilation and elimination. Yoga practice works toward the health of internal organs not only through the benefits of asana practice, but also directly through lifestyle, internal cleansing kriyas, and by encouraging a clean and healthy diet…”

The Endocrine System
“…The endocrine glands of the hormonal system affect all aspects of growth, development, and function in the body. Hormones are complex and mysterious chemical messengers that transfer information and instructions between cells. They regulate our mood, tissue function, metabolism, and sexual function, pregnancy, and other reproductive processes. Asana practice [is] believed to have strong, beneficial effects on keeping the endocrine system in balance…”

The Nervous System
“…The nervous system is a vast network that conducts vital information throughout the body and consists of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, ganglia, and parts of the receptor and effector organs. Yogis pay special attention to the nerves in the spinal cord, which is seen as part of and an extension of the brain….asana practice works to lengthen the spine, maintaining and giving more space to the nerves…learning to direct and extend nerve energy out to our extremities…will keep the nerves active and alive….”

The Pranic Energy System
“…In the beginning we are mainly concerned with how to get into a pose and, just as important, how to get out of it. With progress, we begin to develop more awareness of subtler levels. Prana (prah nuh) refers to life force and to subtle flows of energy. Learning to create and direct flows of energy is essential in yoga and in learning inner control, self-healing and self-development…”

The Mental and Emotional Systems
“…Developing mental awareness, mental clarity, and insight are at the core of yoga. Although Hatha practice is very physical, it involves a great deal of mental conditioning and development. We learn to expand our attention to all areas of the body while simultaneously directing focus to specific parts. This ability improves powers of mind. Concentration, mental fortitude, and endurance are developed by holding difficult asanas for long periods. Discipline and strength of character come from creating and maintaining a regular practice and all of these qualities are carried over into other areas of life.

The mind and emotions affect one another and are closely related. Its has been shown that the nervous and muscular systems store emotional tension and trauma….Yoga practice is a self-directed body work that releases [emotional tension].”

~Ganga White – Yoga Beyond Belief

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