I know this can be shocking, especially if you know yoga to be about peace, love, and understanding. The literal meaning of hatha is “ force” or “forceful.” It also means to strike a blow. You pronounce hatha, like “ hot ta,” where the “a” rhymes with la, ma, and pa and it has a hard “t,” not like “hath tha,” as in “bath” and “math.” Not all yoga is hatha yoga, but all physical yoga is hatha.īut, and here’s where the problem comes up, in modern yoga, we tend to treat hatha yoga like it’s own separate practice. What’s the difference between cars and red cars, or the difference between fruit and oranges. So in some aspects, the question like saying: Hatha yoga is referred to as an umbrella term or broad category of things, like cars. Hatha Yoga refers to all physical yoga practices, including Vinyasa yoga. However, the short answer when comparing hatha and vinyasa is: Then we need to separate what’s helpful and not and bring it back into the modern era to apply it to your practice. Many people take this ordering as an indication that one should have a fair amount of asana experience before taking on pranayama, so I would recommend that you focus your attention on Ujjayi breathing, as this element of the breath is most appropriate and relevant for beginning practitioners.To determine the difference between hatha yoga and vinyasa yoga, we need to reach back and look at some 15th-century texts. In Patanjalis eight limbs of yoga, asana is the fourth limb and pranayama the fifth. Pranayama is a quite advanced form of breath control that is usually practiced separately from asana practice, under the close guidance and supervision of a teacher. The breath will naturally become deeper and faster with increased effort, but when it becomes impossible to keep breathing through the nose and when the quality of the breath becomes compromised, it is usually a sign to back off and rest until you can resume with an even Ujjayi breath. Maintaining a steady Ujjayi breath is hard work and thus has a very positive effect upon the lungs and heart. The tendency is to start breathing through the mouth and for the breath to become shallower and more ragged. The breath has a function on the physical level as well, for as we begin to move more and the practice becomes more rigorous, it becomes more challenging to maintain a steady, even Ujjayi breath. Practicing Ujjayi breathing is a way of harnessing the mind, using the breath as a vehicle for taking our attention off of our normal thought patterns and re-focusing it on the physical details of the practice. Sometimes people create a breath that sounds like Darth Vader, thinking that louder is better, but in fact the breath should have a soothing, quieting quality to it. The breath should be audible to you, but not to anyone standing more than a couple of feet from you. Ujjayi breathing is sometimes compared to the sound of the sea in a shell, or to the purring of a contented cat. It is less nasal, throatier, and has a more hollow sound to it. Notice how this shift in intention changes the sound and quality of your breath. Imagine that instead of breathing through your nostrils, you are instead breathing through the soft spot right between your collarbones, at the base of your throat. Continue to breathe in and out through the nose, and then shift your intention. Once the breath is even, elongate and deepen the breath just slightly, not to the point where it feels forced or strained, but just enough so that there is a consciousness about it. Begin by matching the length of your inhales to the length of your exhales. Once you have taken note of the details of your natural breath, start to make subtle adjustments. Focusing on the breath this way is one of the most basic and important tools of yoga, for it is by observing the breath that we come into the present moment, and it is this pattern of observation, linking mind and body, that we want to re-create throughout our practice. Compare the length of your inhales to the length of your exhales. To find your way into this form of breathing, begin by closing your eyes and observing your breath in its natural state. This is not to say that the quality of the breath should be aggressive, but rather that there is a steadiness, resonance, and depth to it. The kind of breathing generally practiced in most hatha yoga classes is called Ujjayi breathing, which loosely translates as “victory” breathing. What is proper yoga breathing? -Marion from New England Read Natasha Rizopoulos’s reply: Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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