Hatha yoga is considered the foundation of many styles of yoga, such as Bikram yoga and Kundalini yoga. Some yogi masters define this discipline as "the yoga of force" others as the union of two opposites: "Ha" (sun) and "tha" (moon). The practice of this type of yoga is very popular and is an excellent option for those who want to start on the path of yoga.

What is Hatha yoga?

Hatha yoga is a very slow type of yoga whose main objective is to unite the body, mind, and spirit through smooth and simple movements that connect one asana with another. This type of yoga is ideal to practice after work, as it offers to reinforce health and vitality, which considerably reduces body stress and provides a calm mind.

Hatha yoga  is made up of several elements :

• Asanas  - postures.
• Shodhana  - cleaning practices.
• Pranayama  - breathing exercises.
• Mudra  - hand gestures.
• Badha  - locks.

Nowadays  Hatha yoga is the most practiced type of yoga, for this reason, it is taught in almost all yoga centers in the world. However, its popularity has been a factor against some yogis, since this boom has allowed its contribution as physical exercise to be more relevant than its relaxation, meditation and breathing techniques, which offer to reach a true mental and spiritual balance.

Hatha Yoga: Benefits of Your Learning

Among the main benefits of Hatha yoga stands out its slow and soft style that allows the body and the mind to connect with each other in order to reduce stress, promote calm, feel each breath and connect with the interior. It is a type of yoga that is lived and felt fully through the awareness of the breath.

Many people practice this traditional yoga because it is a great physical exercise that requires exercising, stretching, and mobilizing almost all the muscles in the body, allowing greater flexibility, strength, and toning to be achieved. Another of the benefits of Hatha yoga is that it helps promote correct body posture, being a highly recommended discipline for all those who have pain in the lower back, who have herniated discs or who suffer from sciatica.

Who Can Practice Hatha Yoga?

This is another of the benefits of Hatha yoga: it can be practiced by anyone. Any yoga teacher dedicated to teaching Hatha has the necessary faculties to help initiate a beginner in the practice of this discipline, even if they have never done yoga in their life.

To do Hatha yoga you do not need a strong, fit, or flexible body, on the contrary, those are characteristics that you can achieve through the practice of this discipline. The yoga teacher is responsible for adapting each pose to the individual needs of their students.

The path of yoga is very long and Hatha is the best discipline to start walking. If you are looking for a type of yoga that allows you to exercise while learning to be aware of your breathing to order your thoughts: Hatha yoga is for you!

How to Design a Hatha Yoga Routine

An ideal Hatha yoga routine should be composed of an initial warm-up that you can carry out by performing the sun salutation and pranayama. Then it is time to start practicing the asanas, which must include extension, torsion, flexion, inclination, meditation, and, finally, relaxation.

Each yoga teacher can design their own Hatha yoga routine by combining a series of traditional asanas and selecting the pranayamas and relaxation and meditation techniques that they consider most effective. For this reason, a yoga class is always different, because there are many elements that make it up.

When practicing yoga you should take it seriously,  this discipline will not be as effective for you if you do not listen carefully to each of the instructions when performing the asanas and if you do not coordinate your breathing with your movements. Therefore, if you have never practiced Hatha yoga, it is best to go to a professional yoga center where you can learn from the hands of real experts.

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