I wrote this article to, hopefully, shed some light on what Hatha yoga is and its purpose, as there seems to be considerable confusion or misunderstanding as to what it is.
The purpose of Hatha yoga is to balance the right and left brain, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, masculine and feminine, yin and yang. In the West, Hatha yoga has become synonymous with physical practice (almost viewed as exercise), but the actual meaning of Hatha– comes from the Sanskrit words – ham – representing the sun or solar force and tham representing the moon or lunar force, which are symbols for the the masculine and feminine principles. The aim of Hatha yoga, then, is to balance these two flows so that neither the mental nor physical faculties are dominant.
The yogis talked about the nadis, which are currents of energy or prana running through the body. There are three main ones – the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna. Ida is the lunar, feminine energy, Pingala the solar, masculine energy, and they are represented by the chakra charts and in the western medicine charts as currents crisscrossing at the chakras. The Sushumna is the central channel and when the nadis are balanced, the energy can flow up through the chakras. When the nervous system is in balance, we can realize our full human potential and integrate into the ground of pure consciousness.
The main object of hatha yoga is to create balance between the interacting activities and process of the pranic and mental forces. Hatha yoga not only strengthens the body and improves health but also activates and awakens the higher centers responsible for the evolution of human consciousness. — Swami Satyananda Saraswati
The mind and body are not separate entities although there is a tendency to think and act as though they are. The gross form of the mind is the body and the subtle form of the body is the mind. The practice of asana integrates and harmonizes the two. Both the body and the mind harbor tensions or knots. Every mental knot has a corresponding physical, muscular knot and vice versa.
The aim of asana is to release these knots. They release mental tensions by dealing with them on the physical level, acting somato-psychically, through the body to the mind.
A well chosen set of asana, meditation and yoga nidra allows us to approach these blockages on a physical and mental level. The result is the release of dormant energy; the body becomes full of vitality and strength, the mind becomes light, creative, joyful and balanced. Through asana practice, the dormant energy potential is released and experienced as increased confidence in all areas of life. — Swami Satyananda Saraswati
A well chosen set of asana, meditation and yoga nidra allows us to approach these blockages on a physical and mental level. The result is the release of dormant energy; the body becomes full of vitality and strength, the mind becomes light, creative, joyful and balanced. Through asana practice, the dormant energy potential is released and experienced as increased confidence in all areas of life. — Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Asanas are really not exercises but techniques that place the physical body in positions that cultivate awareness, relaxation, concentration and meditation.
There is a difference between exercise and asana. Exercise imposes a beneficial stress on the body. When yoga asanas are performed respiration and metabolic rates slow down, the consumption of oxygen and the body temperature drop. The opposite occurs in exercise. Asansa also have specific effects on the glands and internal organs and alter electrochemical activity in the nervous system.
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion, it is apparent that many forms of yoga, such as Iyengar, Ashtanga, flow, etc. are really all varieties of Hatha yoga. So if you go to an Ashtanga class or a restorative class, you are practicing Hatha yoga. When we lie on our right sides after practicing Savasana or yoga nidra, we are opening the left nostril, which activates the Ida, the lunar energy, which calms the nervous system.
Adaptation from Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
Peter Brother