Health and fitness are just the side-benefits of Hatha Yoga. Classical Hatha Yoga is a powerful system to prepare the system for a “cosmic download” and explore our full potential. In this comprehensive guide to the fundamentals of Hatha Yoga, yogi and mystic Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of Isha Foundation introduces us to this phenomenal science: 

Isha Hatha Yoga is offered from Nov. 20 at Mahajana Alumni Association Hall, Jayalakshmipuram. For details and registration, visit: isha.co/mysuru or call Mob: 81050-01720.

Surya Kriya – Nov.20 to 23 – 6.30 am to 8.30 am.

Angamardana – Nov.20 to 24 – 6.30 pm to 8.45 pm.

Bhuta Shuddhi – Nov. 24 – 6 am to 8 am.

Jala Nethi – Nov.24 – 9 am to 10 am.

Yogasanas – Nov.25 to 29 – 6 am to 9 am.

Eye Care Upa Yoga – Nov.25 to 27 – 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm. 

When you experience everything as oneness in your consciousness, then you are in yoga. To attain that unity within you, there are many ways. You work with the body, then you move to the breath, then to the mind, then to the inner self. Like this, many steps have been created, but they are only different facets of yoga. It is important that all of them are addressed in a very balanced way, all at once, as one single unit. There is really no division as such; yoga employs all aspects of who you are.

The body is a very large part of who you are right now. The science of using the body to hasten your evolutionary process is Hatha Yoga. The body itself has its own attitudes, its own ego, its own nature. Let us say you decided, “Starting tomorrow, I will get up at five in the morning and go for a walk.” You set the alarm. The alarm rings. You want to get up, but your body says, “Shut up and sleep.” It has its own way. Hatha Yoga is a way of working with the body, a way of disciplining, purifying and preparing the body for higher levels of energy and possibilities.

 Science of Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga is not exercise. Understanding the mechanics of the body, creating a certain atmosphere, and then using body postures to drive your energy in specific directions is what Hatha Yoga or yogasanas are about. “Asana” means a “posture.” That kind of posture which allows you to reach your higher nature is a yogasana. There are other dimensions to this, but to put it in the simplest way, just by observing the way someone is sitting, you can almost know what is happening with him, if you have known him long enough. 

If you have observed yourself, when you are angry, you sit one way; if you are happy, you sit another way; if you are depressed, you sit another way. For every different level of consciousness or mental and emotional situation that you go through, your body naturally tends to assume certain postures. The converse of this is the science of asanas. If you consciously get your body into different postures, you can elevate your consciousness. 

There are thousands of people who have come out of spinal problems by doing simple asanas. Doctors had told them they would definitely have to go through a surgery, but they never had to. Your back can be restored to such an excellent condition that you will never need to go to a chiropractor. It is not only your spine that becomes flexible; you also become flexible. Once you are flexible, you are willing to listen, not just to someone’s talk; you are willing to listen to life. Learning to listen is the essence of a sensible life.

Dedicating a certain amount of effort and time to see that the body does not become a barrier is important. A painful body can become a major obstacle, and so can a compulsive body. Simple compulsions, whether they are about the body wanting to relieve itself or of lust, can rule you so strongly that they will not allow you to look beyond; the physical body becomes a major entity. Body is only a part of you; it should not become the whole of you. Asanas level the body down to its natural place.

Hatha Yoga prepares the Body

Another aspect of Hatha Yoga, when one wants to move into deeper dimensions of meditation, is that it allows for a higher possibility of energy. If you want your energies to surge upwards, it is very important that the pipeline of the body is conducive. If it is blocked, it will not work, or else, something will burst. Preparing the body sufficiently before one goes into more intense forms of meditation is very important. Hatha yoga ensures that the body takes it gently and joyfully.

Hatha Yoga does not mean twisting your body, standing on your head, or holding your breath. For a lot of people, spiritual growth happens very painfully because the necessary preparation does not happen. Most human beings have unfortunately let themselves live in a condition where the external situations mould them and direct them. Whether it is wisdom of the world or spiritual possibilities, they get the point only when they are knocked around by life. Even then, only some become wise; others become wounded. It is this possibility of transforming a potential wound into a source of wisdom that leads one to a state of freedom. If one has put in the necessary preparation, it can be a very pleasant and wonderful experience of growth. 

Today, the Hatha Yoga that people are learning is not in its classical form, not in its full depth and dimension. Largely the “studio yoga” that you are seeing today is unfortunately just the physical aspect of it. Just teaching the physical aspect of yoga is like having a stillborn baby. 

There was a time when I was personally teaching Hatha Yoga as a two-day programme. People would burst with joy; tears of ecstasy would flow simply doing asanas. That is the way yoga needs to be done. Unfortunately, the Hatha Yoga in the world today brings peace for some, is healthful for others and a painful circus for many.

Most yogis just use the simple postures to break the limitations of who they are. That is all I learnt when I was eleven years of age — just a few simple postures. It is just the way it is done that makes the difference. 

– Sadhguru