About Chandra School of Yoga & wellness retreat
Hatha is a general category that includes most yoga styles. It is an old system that includes the practice of asanas (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), which help bring peace to the mind and body, preparing the body for deeper spiritual practices such as meditation. Today, the term hatha is used in such a broad way that it is difficult to know what a particular hatha class will be like. In most cases, however, it will be relatively gentle, slow and great for beginners or students who prefer a more relaxed style where they hold poses longer.
During a hatha yoga class, my goal is for my students to experience harmony between opposing energies, such as strength and flexibility, effort and ease.”
What to Expect During a Hatha Class
If you see “hatha yoga” on a class schedule, it will most likely be more gentle than the other classes and suitable for beginners.
Regardless of your level, however, if you’re seeking a good whole-body stretch and toning, as well as an overall sense of balance in the body and mind, a regular hatha yoga practice can be helpful.
Many intermediate and advanced yogis engage in hatha yoga through the practice of vinyasa flow, which is rooted in Ashtanga yoga.
In Sanskrit, vinyasa is broken down into two parts: vi meaning “in a special way” and nyasa meaning “to place.”
Vinyasa essentially means to move a part of your body in a mindful way, such as moving your foot to the front of the mat slowly with a focused mind. Vinyasa is also synonymous with the idea of linking movement with breath. For each movement, there is one breath — a practice that Ashtanga yogis say purifies the body and mind due to increased circulation.
Key hatha sequences of vinyasa flow are the sun salutations (or surya namaskar in Sanskrit), which has a focus on syncing movement with breath. Linking your breath with your movement turns your practice into a moving meditation, so you’re covering all of the elements of hatha — asana, pranayama, and meditation — in one fell swoop