Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga is an ancient form of yoga, developed by and for the monks to support their meditation. Hatha is Sanskrit and made up of the words 'ha' (Sun) and 'tha' (Moon). It symbolizes balance between opposing terms that form a couple, such as positive and negative, male and female and day and night. Hatha Yoga is about creating a balance in your body with an inward focus: you concentrate on your own body and breathing. Hatha Yoga postures (asanas) stimulate blood circulation, internal organs, glands and nervous system in the body. Swami Sivananda, a Hindu spiritual leader, made Hatha Yoga accessible for non-Monks and also for women in the 50's. Nowadays many women and an increasingly number of men in the West practice yoga.

At the Hatha Yoga classes the postures are traditionally done static in constructive stages. Each posture is held a number of breaths. As a result, you learn to tighten and relax certain parts of the body, which improves the coordination in your body. Your breathing is leading. It helps you to get deeper into the postures so its effect is more powerful. Here mental surrender comes into the frame while you observe, feel and experience what's happening in your body.

It is never the intention to force asanas. It's very important that you first look for and discover your boundaries and let your body get used to them. Repetition provides more flexibility by itself, so that you automatically push your boundaries in a gentle way.