What Is Hatha Yoga

What Is Hatha Yoga

HistoryYoga itself is at least 3,000 years old, according to the University of Indiana. Hatha yoga is a relatively new form of yoga. It originated in India in the 15th century, and was brought to the West in the late 19th and early 20thcenturies. The first Hatha yoga institute was opened in India in the 1920s, and the first institute in the United States was opened in Hollywood in 1947. It greatly increased in popularity in the United States in the 1960s, and has since branched off into a number of styles.

TheoryAll forms of yoga are based on a mystical philosophy with no direct counterpart in Western thought. It ultimately seeks to unify the practitioners inner soul with the cosmos, although many people practice it solely for its health benefits. Hatha yoga in particular utilizes poses and controlled breathing to unify the positive and negative forces in the body in a new harmony, eventually allowing the practitioner to control her own vital force, achieve clarity of mind and gain access to the unconscious mind. This harmony, when perfected, is thought to lead to a mentally healthy, diseasefree state. This state is considered a precondition to graduation to deeper meditative yoga practices that fall outside the scope of Hatha yoga. Hatha yoga has been shown to reduce stress, improve balance and flexibility, increase strength and reduce the risk of injury in daily life. It can reduce heart rate and blood pressure, and can help manage chronic diseases such as cancer, insomnia and chronic pain. Its psychological benefits can assist in weight loss by helping to control appetite. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. LIVESTRONG is a registered trademark of the LIVESTRONG Foundation. Moreover, we do not select every advertiser or advertisement that appears on the web sitemany of the advertisements are served by third party advertising companies.