Hatha yoga is an ancient practice of physical exercise featuring positions, or poses, called “asanas” in Sanskrit. Asana practice has been documented in India from as far back as the 2nd century. Hatha yoga is much more than the latest fitness craze; it is a practice that if cultivated can deeply impact your well being—physical, mental and emotional.

Asana practice stimulates the flow of our creative energy, giving us access to the experience of flow. In this way, we use our physical mechanism as a tool for tuning into and expanding our awareness. It is a first step in the process of connecting to the source of our vitality and entering a state of meditation.

Asana practice also makes it easier to sit for meditation. You can't sit comfortably for any length of time if your body, breath or mind are tense or overactive. They just get in the way. Hatha yoga practice allows you to relax, release tensions and stress in preparation for practicing meditation.

A core component of hatha yoga is learning to link body and mind into the experience of breath so that all three are integrated. Over time, it's the integration of body, mind and breath that releases the constrictions in a person's body and breath enough that they are able to experience the flow of creative energy through their energetic mechanism.

Our ability to effect a change of state through hatha yoga practice is why it is such a useful adjunct to spiritual practice. It literally makes the experience of meditation more accessible. Likewise, a person's experience of openness and flow in meditation feeds their hatha yoga practice. Practicing hatha yoga also helps us to integrate our meditation experience more fully. Hatha yoga and meditation continually reinforce each other.

For more information about hatha yoga practice at Nityananda Institute, visit The Movement Center: Yoga for Everyone website.

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—Swami Chetanananda     

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