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What is yoga?
"Yoga" is an eight part program designed by the ancient Indians
in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment. In the West today, however,
"yoga" has come to refer, in the main, to the physical stretching
poses or "asanas" that are one part of that program.
What is "hatha yoga"?
The "physical poses" part of "yoga" is also called
"hatha yoga." This is an all-encompassing, generic term. When
you hear a class described as "hatha yoga" it tells you it will
be a physical class; it does not tell what style of yoga is being taught.
If you think of "hatha yoga" as a pie, then the many slices of the pie are the different styles of teaching.
What does "hatha yoga" mean?
The Sanskrit words "ha" and "tha" are commonly said
to refer to "sun" and "moon.' The essence of the word "hatha"
may well be, therefore, the play of opposing forces.
On the physical yoga level "hatha" thus refers to concretely-felt opposing forces: a stretch that pulls you in one direction inside a pose and another stretch that wants to pull you in another direction. If either force dominates you lose the benefit of the pose. You seek out an find the correct balance.
On other levels "ha" and "tha" are said to refer to active and passive, to mind and body, to universal energies, etc. But whatever the level of meaning, balance is the key. It is always balance that you are seeking.
Because of the body-mind connection, hatha yoga is therefore said to be an incredible tool for achieving and maintaining both physical and emotional wellbeing, for becoming a "well-balanced" person.
How is hatha yoga different from just stretching?
In a yoga stretch you are "mindful." You are constantly monitoring
the body and listening to its feedback and adjusting yourself (perhaps
quite subtly) inside the pose. Your mind becomes very concentrated. Hatha
yoga has been described as "meditation in action."
Is there any religious content in an Alpine Yoga class?
No. The yoga we teach can be taken by students of any religious persuasion.
We do not promote the Indian religious aspects of "yoga" in
our classes.
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