Purpose of Hatha Yoga

Lord Krishna and Arjuna

There are references of Hatha yoga in the ancient texts like Upanishads and Puranas, as well as the Bhagvad Gita which was spoken and written down five thousand years ago. In Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of Sanatan Dharma, there are a few chapters where Hatha yoga is discussed between Lord Krishna and his devotee Arjuna. It is useful to remember, that spiritual and yogic teachings were passed down orally way before they have been written down. Due to fertile soils of Indus Valley for spiritual explorations and inherent freedom of self-expression that the civilization was sustaining more than anywhere else in the world, many sects have formed, but, in a way, they were all united by similar goal – to realise the nature of the Self.

The spiritual evolution was taking place in India over many centuries, in the 6th century BC, the teachings of yoga were already in existence (with many written texts already in existence), as were the teachings of Buddhism. With the growing popularity of Buddha’s teachings, meditation became the dominant yogic practice in the Subcontinent. With the emphasis on contemplation, austerities and morality and ethics, it became apparent, that something was still missing.

A Cambodian mural of the Buddha teaching his disciples. Photo by Robert Harding

Although Buddha was a great yogi and his teachings were powerful and useful, and even though the thinkers of India agreed, that meditation is the highest path, they began to re-assess Buddha’s teachings, and they have concluded, that one cannot start meditation practice immediately, as the body and the nervous system has to be purified, harmonised and prepared in order to facilitate the expansion of consciousness that meditation leads to. Since this step was missing in teachings of Buddhism, it became necessary to reintroduce a proper system of meditation, and this is how the system of Hatha Yoga was established.

“Ascetics Performing Tapas” South India, c1820

One of the firsts steps a sincere practitioner should take, was a Shatkarma – purification methods for the body, that involved techniques for stomach, intestines, nervous systems and other systems. We must note, that current science only now is catching up with what yogis knew thousands of years ago: the impact of our gut microbiome to the mental states and general wellbeing of humans. The health of our gut has a huge impact on our moods, capacity to concentrate and physical health. Yogis have discovered, that by eliminating the body from toxic waste build up, we create a balanced environment, that allows us to experience more harmony and therefore settle the nervous system, allowing to take on deeper practices without a negative impact.

Shiva meditating in Himalayan forest (picture from www.sanatansociety.com)

After the body has been purified and waste has been eliminated, the next step was the practice of pranayama and asana – practices of self-control and discipline, asana being the practice of self-discipline, and pranayama – the practice of self-control. By continuous dedicated practice yogis have discovered, that fighting and wrestling the mind without preparing the body was completely unproductive and could even lead to psychological disturbances (modern psychologists such as Carl Gustav Jung have confirmed this in their work and called it a ‘Split personality’), therefore in Hatha Yoga the first discipline is the body, so that nadis (energy channels), entire nervous system and body secretion should be harmonised, allowing prana (life force energy) to flow in most optimal way without encountering blockages. Practice of mudras was required to, only then practice of meditation was encouraged to be started.

A yogi practicing pranayama (source unknown)

Hatha Yoga is vast topic, and the deeper we go, the more knowledge and practices we find, however one of the most important things to remember is, that Hatha Yoga is not the goal, but rather a preparation practice for meditation – highest form of yoga. In our modern world Hatha Yoga is often practiced for its therapeutical benefits, and it’s a great bonus that is a by-product of this discipline, however we need to remember, that the main objective of Hatha Yoga is creation of harmony and balance within our systems of physical body, mind and energy, only then evolution of human consciousness is possible.