– it’s NOT what you think

(Note: Hatha yoga is the style available on most DVDs and presented at most fitness centers, health clubs and sadly, even churches – you know, the kind that’s “only exercise”)

by Yogacharya Vishwas Mandlik, Vice Chancellor of Yoga at Vidya Gurukul (Yoga University)

“The term Hatha Yoga has been commonly used to describe the practice of asana (poses). The syllable ‘ha’ denotes the pranic (vital) force governing the physical body and ‘tha’ denotes the chitta (mental) force thus making Hatha Yoga a catalyst to an awakening of the two energies that govern our lives. More correctly the techniques described in Hatha Yoga harmonize and purify the body systems and focus the mind in preparation for more advanced chakra and kundalini practices.

“Let us see the meaning of word Hatha, it is made up of Ha + Tha. “Ha” means Ida nadi, (moon principle) or left nostril and “tha” means Pingala Nadi (sun principle) or right nostril. Nadi means psychic passage of energy which can be compared with nerves in physical body. Hatha means balance of Ida and Pingala Nadis, or balancing of mental energy of Ida and Vital energy of Pingala Nadi. Ida Nadi can be compared with Parasympathetic Nervous system and Pingala nadi can be compared with Sympathetic Nervous System. So Hatha Yoga practices results in balancing the entire nervous system. The basic purpose of Hatha Yoga is to purify the Ida and Pingala Nadis and then uniting these 2 forces with the third Psychic Nadi Sushumna, which carries Kundalini at Ajna Chakra (eyebrow center).”

“It’s just exercise…right?” Or is it?

For more, please see “Yoga is Religion” by L. G. Marshall, former yogi

and the blog post “Meet the HINDU Father of ‘Christian Yoga’”

“Christian Yoga“? NO!

PraiseMoves is the Christian ALTERNATIVE to yoga! Join us on Facebook to learn more about the Christian Alternative to yoga – and ALTERNATIVE to “Christian Yoga,” too!