Hatha Yoga is the movement of energy, prana, through channels known as the nadi's. They are not visible channels but are the electrical fields around the body through which energy flows. Hatha means the merging of the sun and the moon, the light and the dark. The two opposites merge to create one single line of flow. The merging or uniting of the various nadi's (there are 72,000) is the uniting of the two sides of the body, the light and dark, male and female.
These two sides of our body also represent judgements of right and wrong, good and evil, pleasure and pain. The merging of duality is considered the central position, Yoke or Yoga. When we can see order in creation we move beyond judgement to love. Love is therefore the ultimate mission of all Yoga.
Hatha Yoga is designed to remove the blocks in our energy flow. Although the focus is initially on physical asana, the philosophy is critical. Blockages are not purely physical, they are a function of the physiology and psychology of the body. What we eat, drink, think, say, see, do and how we breathe affects the path of energy through the body. This is the science of Hatha Yoga.
The primary blockage to the flow of energy through the body is called the Kundalini. This is the coiled snake; coiled in such a way as to absorb and block flow. It is the mirror of emotional and physical beliefs. The elimination of Kundalini blockage is a vital focus of Hatha Yoga practice. The specific focus on the energy wasted through the Kundalini is called Tantra Yoga, where the connection between body, energy and the cosmos are interconnected and mastered.
This technique is a meditative process in itself, bringing us more into the present with our bodies to the exclusion of all that is around us. It is an important learning process; an external one which eventually gives way to a deeper more intuitive form of energy management-the internal feel of the subtle flow.
In Ashtanga Yoga there is not a lot of emphasis on the external alignment of the body. Once again the student is taught to work with internal energy, the body's own internal intelligence, to create a true and inner alignment.
The benefits of this internal focus on energy movement are significant: it increases the control and management of energy within the pose, tones and relaxes the nervous system, decreases the likelihood of injury, increases strength and endurance in poses, internally aligns the body in the pose from the inside, and prepares the body, breath and mind for pranayama.
