Hatha yoga is the classical form of yoga. It has been practiced for some 2500 years BC in India.
In the West the practice is actually quite recent. If the overall Hatha Yoga is located at the convergence of intellectual and spiritual practice, in fact, the practice in the West is mainly based on physical exercise, gymnastics simple practice to gain flexibility and breath. The two are certainly not incompatible, as control of breath and exercise can alleviate the stress and reconnect with inner peace and harmony with our environment!
A postural
The practice of Hatha Yoga is mainly based on work posture. Postures called asanas in the thousands. Each has several variants which allows a gradual adjustment to the level of practice each posture according to the stage of learning. These postures are stretching the body but also the management of the breath through Pranayama are breathing exercises. In the enormous amount of postures of Hatha Yoga, 84 are really important. These postures are carried out standing, sitting, supine or prone, kneeling ... They all have names borrowed from the symbolic register the animal or plant:: lotus, cobra, locust, tree, camel posture ... The work is done on the instructions of a teacher. The teacher's breathing rhythm during his according to his voice. Relaxation between postures can eliminate all internal tensions. The benefit of a meeting of Hatha Yoga translates well being inside.
Beyond Postures
Hatha Yoga goes far beyond the simple postural discipline. The method allows to be positive and thus develop harmoniously the body and mind. Indeed, if one takes the origins of this discipline, including its purest form, the Sanskrit word yoga has its root "yug". This root has at least three senses: common, control, and integration (samadhi). In other words, Hatha Yoga defines both ends and means. And in fact, codified by Patanjali Hatha Yoga (Indian philosopher of the second century AD.) Consists of several steps further and inseparable. Each session implements postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), training in moral and social attitudes virtuous (Yama and Niyama) and periods of meditation where one forgets her body. These periods are named according to the degree of absorption of the mind prathyâhârâ, Dharan, dhyana and samadhi. The practice of Hatha Yoga is mainly testing of complementary opposites (female / male, movement / stillness, inspiration / expiration, resistance / letting go). These experiments allow a perfect control of his body to achieve inner harmony but also with its external environment.