What is Hatha-Yoga?

Acharya Upendra Roy in Peacock-Pose.

According to the text “Geranda Samhita” there are 7 steps in Hatha-yoga.

  1. Shat-Karma. (6 purifications) For cleansing the body. (shodhana).
    Six purifications are:
    1.dhauti…Stomach cleansing.
    2.Vasti… Colon cleansing.
    3. Neti… Nasal cleansing with a chord (nata) made out of cotton threads.
    4. Lauliki or Nauli…intestinal cleansing.
    5.Trataka… Eye cleansing by gazing and
    6. Kapalabhati… Sinuse and nasal passage cleansing.

    Please note:- For nasal cleansing there is no mention of Jala-neti in any texts of Hatha-Yoga.

    Jala means water and Neti means the act of cleaning the nostrils with chord made of cotton threads (nata), the term “jala-neti doesn’t make any sense. Besides, it is found that by cleaning the mucus membranes with salt and water can cause few problems.

  2. Asana. Posture For strength and flexibility.[.Dridhata ]
    There are 32 postures mentioned in the Gheranda Samhita. In the Shiva Samhita 8400,000 postures are mentioned; but there is no names of all the postures found any where. The text says that out of 8400,000 only 84 postures are sufficient for us in this age. Still no mention of the names of 84 postures found. Therefore, I have put together 84 most commonly used postures and their variations as a guide line for the practice of postures ( asana ) in “Acharya’sHatha-Yoga”.
  3. Pranayama:-Control of the Breath.for lightness [ Laghima ].
    There are 8 Kumbhaka Pranayamas mentioned in the Gheranda Samhita. There are quite a few other minor pranayamas also found in various texts.
    As for pranayama, some teachers have the stubborn idea that without perfecting asanas one must not practice pranayama. There is no such instructions in any texts.

    I give very easy practice of breathing right from the beginning of the yoga practice.

    As the students progress in the practices gragually the classical pranayamas are introduced. Such as Nadi shodhana, Ujjayi, Kapalabhati etc.

  4. Mudra:-Seals and locks. for steadiness [Sthidhata], there are 25 mudras.
    Some mudras are called Bandhas (locks). Generally three bandhas are used in classical pranayamas; they are
    1. Jalandhara bandha,
    2.Mula bandha and
    3. Uddiyana bandha.

    It is universally accepted by all the traditional schools of yoga that bandhas and mudras are an essential and integral part of Hatha-yoga. Practices like Ashvini mudra, Vajroli mudra Khechari mudra are so vital for the health of the body.

  5. Pratyahara:-Abstention. Withdrawal of mind, for calmness [Dhirata]. Pratyahara is practiced mainly with the charkas.
  6. Dhyana:-Contemplation. for perception [Pratyaksa].
  7. Samadhi:-One-ness. Deep state of Meditations leading to “self realisation”.
    For total merger into the Supreme Conciousness. [Nirliptata].

What is “Raja-Yoga”?

Eight limbs of Yoga (according to Yoga Sutra of Patanjali) is the ideal practice of Raja-Yoga. These are:

  1. Yama….Abstinences. 5 rules:
    a.Ahimsa.. Non violence.
    b. Satya.. Truthfulness.
    c. Asteya.. Nonstealing.
    d. Aparigraha.. non greed
    e. Brahmacharya.. celibacy.
  2. 2. Niyama…Observences. 5 rules.
    a. Shaucha.. Purity.
    b. Samtosha.. Contenment.
    c. Tapa.. Austerity.
    d.Svadhyaya.. Self study and
    e. Isvarapranidhana.. Divine ideation.
  3. Asana.. Posture. Sitting motionless for Meditation.
  4. Pranayama..Breath control. Regulating the breath to control the mind.
  5. Pratyahara..withdrawal. Control of the senses from sense-objects.
  6. Dharana..Concentration. Concentrating on one object or thought or Images.
  7. Dhyana..Meditation. Contemplation on one thought only without any disturbances or distractions in the mind.
  8. Samadhi.. Oneness. Being one with the spiritual state.

All these eight steps are taken by the practitioner or Raja Yoga as follows:-

  1. [1]. Yama and
  2. [2] Niyama for spiritual conducts to be followed by a yogi.
  3. [3] Asana
  4. [4] Pranayama and
  5. [5] Pratyahara are to be practiced together in an easy and motionless sitting position, regulating the breath and withdrawing the mind from the outward distraction to be absorbed in
  6. [6] Dharana
  7. [7] Dhyana and
  8. [8] Samadhi, all these three concentration, contemplation and one-ness for spiritual Freedom.

Yoga on the Beach

These three, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi together is termed as Samyama.. meditation.

As I have learnt and understood the Sutras of Patanjali, the sutras are the compact definitions or aphorisms of the words conveying the deeper meanings, such as the word “Yoga” as explained in Sutra 2/ Chapter, 1.

So are the words, samadhi, klesha, asana, pranayama etc. There is no any practical guidance of the practices in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. It is treatise on the philosophy of Yoga.

Hatha yoga and Raja yoga both are practiced hand in hand to achieve physical fitness, mental control and spiritual awareness.

There is a saying:-

No Hatha without Raja and no Raja without Hatha.

As I have practiced yoga for the last 49 years and sharing the traditional hatha yoga and raja yoga with my students for the last 36 years in Sydney, I am sure that those who devotedly practice and teach yoga as an ancient Indian traditional way of life will agree that no matter how some people are trying to modernise yoga to suit their style will summit to the vast ocean of Yoga.

Most people those who have been practicing yoga with me for all these years are still with me and lots of them are teaching yoga.The integrated practice of Yoga as a way of life is the ideal way of life.

“Yoga is a way of life; not just a physical culture”.

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