Hatha Yoga - why it is such a wonderful Yoga practice

Hatha yoga has become one of the more popular types of yoga because it can build strength, improve flexibility, and align posture — while still being gentle enough for most bodies. In Yoga with Grá we use Hatha Yoga in most of courses and classes.

What is Hatha Yoga?

Most of the yoga classes you'll find at local gyms and yoga studios can be classified as hatha yoga, where you'll do a combination of poses and breathing exercises.

Hatha yoga translates to "discipline of force" in Sanskrit. It is rooted in ancient Hindu spiritual teachings and wasn't officially introduced to America until the late 1800s, when Indian yogi Swami Vivekananda brought it to Chicago.

In the early 1960s, Richard Hittleman's popular TV program Yoga For Health introduced hatha yoga to families across America. The practice gained even more steam later in the '60s with the rise of the New Age and hippie movements.

A yoga class described as ‘Hatha’ will typically involve a set of physical postures (yoga poses) and breathing techniques. These are typically practised more slowly and with more static posture holds than a Vinyasa flow or Ashtanga class. And indeed, that is how we describe our Hatha yoga classes on EkhartYoga.

Literally however, Hatha means ‘force’ and is more traditionally defined as ‘the yoga of force’, or ‘the means of attaining a state of yoga through force’. So Hatha yoga can be considered as anything you might do with the body, including:

• Asana – yoga postures (practised in any style of ‘yoga’)

• Pranayama – breathing techniques

• Mantra – chanting or reciting

• Mudra – hand gestures

• Shatkriyas and Shatkarmas – cleansing techniques

• Types of visualisation.

Benefits of Hatha Yoga

Research has repeatedly shown that hatha yoga has a wide variety of benefits for both mental and physical health. Some of the most prominent include:

• Better sleep. According to a 2013 review, doing yoga can not only help people to fall asleep faster but can also improve their quality of sleep. Researchers noted that subjects who practiced yoga showed a "statistically significant reduction" in the need for sleep aids, as well.

• Reduce stress. A small 2017 study found that people who did hatha yoga right before tackling a stressful task had lower blood pressure and lower cortisol levels compared to those who watched TV instead beforehand instead. Participants in the yoga group also reported feeling more confident about their performance during the stressful task.

• Improve balance and core strength. Volunteers in a 2016 study who did just 21 days of hatha yoga training improved their core muscle strength as well as their balance.

• Relieve neck and back pain. A 2008 review found that yoga can help prevent and manage lower back pain by improving posture, strengthening core muscles, and correcting spinal imbalance. A 2019 meta-analysis also found that yoga can improve range of motion in the neck and reduce intensity of neck pain.

• Lower levels of depression. According to a 2013 systematic review, yoga can boost levels of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid, which calm and regulate mood. The same review found that people who did yoga once weekly reported lower scores on surveys measuring depression after only five weeks.

• Strengthen flexibility. A small 2015 study found that when older women participated in 90-minute hatha yoga sessions once a week, they improved their spine and hamstring flexibility. As a result, researchers concluded that yoga exercises should be recommended to the elderly to increase the range of motion in the joints and enhance their muscle flexibility.

• Enhance mindfulness. In a 2018 survey of 1,820 young adults, participants attributed greater mindfulness — as well as motivation to engage in other forms of physical activity and eating healthier — to a regular yoga practice.

Classes & Courses coming up

To find out more about upcoming Hatha Yoga classes and courses, click here or contact me on gra@yogawithgra.com