Hatha yoga

Hatha yoga is a tradition of yoga that uses physical postures, breath control, bodily techniques, and meditation to transform body and mind.

Asana: A posture used in yoga practice, ranging from seated meditation positions to dynamic poses. Physical postures are among Hatha yoga’s most visible and widely practiced techniques.
Hatha Yoga Pradipika: A fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual describing Hatha yoga practices and their aims. It is one of the best-known sources for classical Hatha techniques.
Kumbhaka: Breath retention practiced as part of yogic breathing exercises. Classical Hatha manuals treat retention as a central means of regulating vital energy.
Raja yoga: A path of yoga centered on meditation and mental discipline, often associated with Patanjali’s system. Its meditation-centered presentation contrasts with Hatha’s distinctive bodily methods.
Pranayama: Yogic practices for regulating and directing the breath. Breath control links bodily exertion with attention in Hatha practice.
Gheranda Samhita: A late seventeenth-century Sanskrit text presenting a sevenfold system of yoga. Its purification-centered system offers a distinct account of Hatha training.
Nadi: A channel through which subtle energy is said to move in yogic physiology. Hatha techniques are often explained as purifying or regulating these channels.
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga: A modern yoga system that links a fixed sequence of postures with breath and movement. It exemplifies a structured, physically vigorous style descended from modern Hatha teaching.
Mudra: A bodily gesture or seal used in yoga and related contemplative traditions. Hatha texts describe gestures that direct breath and vital energy.
Shiva Samhita: A Sanskrit yoga text discussing bodily techniques, meditation, and liberation. It preserves another influential synthesis of Hatha practice and philosophy.

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