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| Is Hatha yoga like a ashtanga yoga? |
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| Hi Doris-
Hatha yoga is related to Ashtanga Yoga in several ways.
Hatha yoga is an umbrella term, referring to all kinds of yoga that focus on asana, or posture, as a means to enlightenment.
Ashtanga yoga refers to two things.
First, it refers to a path of conduct towards enlightenment, laid out by a sage named Pantanjali. So Ashtanga yoga (also spelled Astanga) can be in reference to an eight limbed path to enlightenment. One of the Limbs of this eight limbed path is Asana, or the postures done in all Hatha yoga.
Second, Ashtanga refers to one specific kind of Hatha Yoga. This type of Ashtanga is a vigorous sequence of postures linked with breath.
Hope that helps.
Georg Feuerstein, a preominent scholar of yoga, has written a book called , The Yoga Tradition, which explains this, plus much more, in great depth.
If you're intersted in the physical practice of Ashtanga yoga, you may want to check out The Ashtanga Yoga Practice Manual, by David Swenson, or Ashtanga Yoga, by John Scott.
All of these books are available here at yoga.com.
Namaste,
Jess |
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| Namaste,
Asthanga is the other name of Hatha Yoga.....Astha means 8 (eight) and Anga means Limbs...,ie 8 limbs of yoga as In Hatha Yoga there are 8 stages which a Yogi acheives so its also known as Asthanga Yoga.
Cheers
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| To get this answer, please read the translation in whichever language you understand of the following two Sanskrit Original works:
Hathayoga Pradipika
Patanjali Yoga Sutras (the first text which introduced the term Ashtanga Yoga )
That shall give a perfect answer to this question.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
  
Location: A Blue State | I'm used to thinking of Hatha Yoga as a subset of Ashtanga (or Raja) Yoga.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, for example, focuses mainly on the physical practices
of Asana and Pranayama, with less emphasis on the other 6 of the 8 limbs
of Raja or Ashtanga Yoga. In the US, when you see a teacher or studio billing themselves
as teachers of Hatha yoga, it usually means that they teach Asana and nothing else.
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| Just wanted to point out an Important Thing:
hathayogapradipika states: kevalm raajayogaaya hathavidyopadishyate. This means that Hatha Yoga is instructed in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika ONLY for the preparation for Rajayoga.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Guys, now I am as confused as Doris. Please keep it simple. I thought that ALL forms of phyical yoga are HATHA. Now it sounds like it's only ashtanga. So when I practice iyengar, anusara or bikram it's not HATHA???
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| I think that you are correct, Stefan. All "physical" or "forced" movements of the body would be hathayoga. All mental or meditative types of union would be rajayoga. I think Neel is right on track.
Just to make things more confusing, I went to the Sanskrit lexicon and got these definitions. These are only (believe it or not) partial definitions.
hatha=violence, force, a blow, stroke, absolute or inevitable necessity (as the cause of all existence and activity)
raja=a king, sovereign, chief or best of its kind: dust, the pollen of flowers, emotion, affection, the quality of passion.
yoga=union, joining, combination, any junction (this is quite a shortened definition--the definition of yoga is VERY lengthy)
Namaste |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
 
| Stefan - Patabhi Jois calls his particular practice of hatha "ashtanga" (just to confuse people, I'm sure!) but most other forms are also "eight limbed" so also ashtanga. Iyengar is definitely ashtanga yoga - yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi are the eight disciplines/practices taught by BKSI. Wow - I can chant those in my head now where I once despaired of ever being able to remember them...
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | Hey Redtail,
I can't quite make out the characters in your avatar image, but they
don't seem to be Sanskrit. What are they, and what do they say? |
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| Bay Guy - 2004-10-24 9:32 PM
Hey Redtail,
I can't quite make out the characters in your avatar image, but they
don't seem to be Sanskrit. What are they, and what do they say?
BayGuy
I think that's an ancient symbol for "double happiness". I have a charm bracelet with that symbol.
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| As I understand it, Hatha yoga refers to the physical asanas in all forms of yoga. It is the way each asana or sequence of asanas is practised that varies from one tradition to another (see YogaDancer's site (http://www.yogadancer.com/Asanas.shtml) for some examples, e.g. the differing forms of Trikonasana).
Hatha is actually two words in Sanskrit : Ha tha
meanings of "ha" [1]
ind.
1. an emphatic particle used to lay stress on the preceding word and translateable by 'verily', 'indeed', 'certainly', &c.
meanings of "ha" [2]
m.{a-stem}
1. a form of <&Ziva>;
2. water;
3. sky;
4. blood;
5. a cipher;
6. meditation;
7. auspiciousness;
8. paradise;
9. heaven;
10. drying;
11. fear;
12. knowledge;
13. the moon;
14. N. of <&ViSNu>;
15. war;
16. a horse;
17. pride;
18. horripilation;
19. a physician;
20. cause
meanings of "ha" [3]
n.{a-stem}
1. the Supreme Spirit;
2. pleasure;
3. a weapon;
4. the sparkling of a gem;
5. the sound of a lute (m. also according to some in these sentenses)
meanings of "ha" [4]
ind.
1. an emphatic particle used to lay stress on the preceding word and translateable by 'verily', 'indeed', 'certainly', &c.
meanings of "ha" [5]
m.{a-stem}
1. a form of <&Ziva>;
2. water;
3. sky;
4. blood;
5. a cipher;
6. meditation;
7. auspiciousness;
8. paradise;
9. heaven;
10. drying;
11. fear;
12. knowledge;
13. the moon;
14. N. of <&ViSNu>;
15. war;
16. a horse;
17. pride;
18. horripilation;
19. a physician;
20. cause
meanings of "ha" [6]
n.{a-stem}
1. the Supreme Spirit;
2. pleasure;
3. a weapon;
4. the sparkling of a gem;
5. the sound of a lute (m. also according to some in these sentenses)
meanings of "tha" [1]
m.{a-stem}
1.a mountain;
2.a protector;
3.a sign of danger;
4.a kind of disease;
5.eating
meanings of "tha" [2]
n.{a-stem}
1.protection;
2.terror;
3.auspiciousness
My Swami studied at the Bihar School of Ypga in India. Their web-site has a summary of some of the forms of yoga : http://www.satyananda.net/
Regards,
Fee
Edited by Orbilia 2004-10-25 8:19 AM
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| The symbols in my avatar image are Tibetan. It is the mantra of compassion--Om Mane Peme Hung (In sanskrit: Om Mane Padma Hum). Some Tibetans refer to it as the mantra of Chenrezig. Chenrezig is a 1000-armed bodhisattva, also called Avalokitshvara in earlier texts from India, that vowed to not acheive personal enlightenment until all beings had attained it first. If interested, check it out. It's a great story.
The mantra simply acknowledges the "lotus within," that is waiting to unfold, in a reverent manner (OM=amen, basically--and is also beleived to be the sound of universal energy). I use this mantra daily in spiritual practice; and when I am at work or anywhere there is a stressful situation. It quickly takes the mind back to quietness and calmness for me. It is the text that is written on prayer wheels. It is believed that by spinning the wheel the power of the mantra is imbued to the being spinning the wheel (which may contain 1000 mantras that are simultaneously being turned). Sometimes the symbols will be slightly different, depending upon whom actually wrote them. The Tibetan written language is, traditionally, written with calligraphy brushes--like Chinese--and is therefore subject to the whims and artistry of the individual writing it down.
For those not knowing what has happened in Tibet since the Chinese occupation in 1949-1950, please consider looking at www.tibet.com for information on how these people have been ravished because of greed. That human beings can treat each other like this is a sign of our time.
Namaste |
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| All the meanings of ha and tha in the various books can be useful in proper contexts, but the fact is that hatha is a Sanskrit word, and then all other explanations came later on.
hatha means force. forcing the body into otherwise Unnatural (that is what the force is, unnatural, meaning in the poses which one does not naturally go into) poses is called hathayoga. for example, a human being does not naturally feel like going into headstand throught the life, such as he/she feels like doing with walking talking etc. now, the advantage of doing these unnatural but not wrong processes is to build extra ordinary physical and mental ability. if you try it, you will find that it does so. however, the purpose of this ability is to later use that ability for ONLY mental (without any physical, except may be sitting still) practice. This later practice is called Rajayoga, meaning royal as it develops mind to the best possible level, that is getting mastery over mind and then reaching the Samadhi state.
After reaching samadhi state, the purpose of life is achieved, and no other things need to be done.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Wow! That is really interesting. Now that I examine my charm more closely I see that it IS actually a little different. I know about the Tibetan situation because I ordered something from "dharmashop.com", but didn't recognize your avatar as being what it actually is.
Namaste ...
Kay G. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | Redtail,
Thanks! That's interesting stuff. I had been thinking of posting
something similar for an avatar, but inertia has prevailed to date. |
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| Hy, Orbillia, sorry, can i translate that ha-tha yoga mean :
moon - sun
night - day
soft - hard
woman - man
sea - mountain
cold - hot
negative - positive
etc
double character in nature and our mind
Edited by toetank 2004-11-01 9:40 AM
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FYI
Hatha means to stick fast, to be devoted and to hold closely or firmly
Yoga means to unite, to associate, join.
It also means zeal, endeavour, fixing the mind on one point, holding the body in a steady posture, contemplation and meditation.
Vidya means knowledge, art and science.
Further...
It says The Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Siva, approached her Lord-- the seed of all knowledge--for guidance to ease the suffering of humanity. Lord Siva revealed to her the greatest of all sciences for the holistic development of man--the science of hatha yoga.
On receiving yogic knowledge from Siva, Parvati imparted it to Brahma, who taught it to his children born of his own will, the sages such as Narada, Sanaka and Sanatkumara, who passed it on to Vasista and others. Hatha vidya was set down in the Hatha yoga pradipika by Yogi Svatmarama who, it is thought, lived between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. The Pradipika has thus been referred to as a nebrively recent addition to the literature of yoga, which goes back to the Vedas (1500 bc). In fact, Svatmarama was part of the long unbroken line of sages or rishis, descended from Brahma, by whom hatha vidya was passed down through the ages.
At the very beginning of his treatise, in verses 4-9, Svatmarama invokes the names of many of these sages who came before him and who practised and passed on the noble art of hatha yoga. A consideration of this list of names leads to the conclusion that the yoga described by Svatmarama is contemporary with that of Patanjali (whose Yoga Sutras were also a codification of long-established theory and practice).
I got this text from a site/
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Explain
