For nearly every challenging moment in life, there's a yoga pose to help you feel better.
Mandy Ingber
Hatha yoga, a popular form in the Western hemisphere, refers to yoga postures, including Ashtanga, Iyengar, vinyasa, and power yoga. The term 'hatha' means 'force,' 'effort,' or 'willfulness,' but not all hatha workouts need to be intense; they can be designed for various purposes.
For example, beginners need to learn foundational movements and focus on their teacher's guidance, while advanced practitioners can handle more demanding poses. This is why yoga classes are sequenced to cater to different skill levels.
Hatha yoga offers numerous benefits, from aiding digestion to relieving arthritis, through various pose combinations. Today, we will explore which poses are beneficial for different conditions and how to sequence sessions for beginners, intermediates, and advanced yogis.
The Basics of Hatha Yoga
A hatha yoga session generally runs for an hour but beginners classes may last only 30 minutes and some yoga studios offer ‘yoga during lunch’ sessions that may last only 15 or 20 minutes! The general outline of a hatha yoga session, regardless of level or duration, starts with the physical aspect, meaning the poses. That exertion better prepares us for the more subtle breath work and energy flow. The tranquillity we earn from breath awareness and energy flow, in turn, prepares us for a deeper state of meditation.
A general rule of thumb for hatha yoga is to follow these specific steps when completing your sequences.
- Start with the standing poses – warrior poses, gate and tree poses, moving down to the kneeling poses such as ‘cow and cat’ and downward-facing dog.
- Next complete the seated poses, among them the ‘bound angle’ and ‘cow face’ poses – and let us not forget ‘crane’ and ‘peacock’! And then, we arrive at the lying down poses, with ‘cobra’ and ‘sphinx’ being very similar.
- Finally, shavasana! Enjoy your ‘corpse’ pose; you’ve earned it!
Some yoga teachers have preferred poses that they will include in every session – the crescent lunge is a particular fav of mine, for example. If you are currently undergoing yoga teacher training or hope to soon, you should always be sure to mix up your classes a little bit so that your students do not become bored with the same sequences in every class. By some estimates, there are thousands of yoga sequences to choose from, meaning your yoga sessions never need to be the same.
Just one little exception to that point: if you are leading restorative yoga sessions, you should probably keep things pretty much the same, seeing as that particular yoga sequence is meant to serve a particular purpose! With these general guidelines in place, let’s take a look at some targeted hatha sequences.
The Creation of Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga, a very important branch of yoga focused on physical postures and breath control, has evolved over centuries. This timeline highlights the key phases in the development of Hatha Yoga, from its early roots in ancient Indian spiritual practices to its modern global presence. Let's get started!
Pre-10th Century CE
Early roots in the Vedic period (1500-500 BCE) with meditative and ascetic practices. Influences from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (2nd century BCE), emphasizing moral guidelines, postures, breath control, and meditation.
9th - 12th Century CE
Emergence of Hatha Yoga with texts like the Amritasiddhi and the Goraksha Samhita, introducing specific physical practices.
15th Century CE
Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Swami Swatmarama systematized Hatha Yoga, detailing asanas, pranayama, mudras, and bandhas.
16th - 18th Century CE
Further development with texts like the Gheranda Samhita and the Shiva Samhita, expanding on Hatha Yoga practices and philosophy.
Late 19th - 20th Century CE
Modern revival and global popularization by Indian yogis such as Swami Vivekananda, T. Krishnamacharya, B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and Indra Devi.
21st Century
Hatha Yoga becomes widely practiced worldwide with various styles and schools focusing on physical and meditative aspects.
The timeline of Hatha Yoga from ancient ascetic practices to a widely practiced and appreciated global discipline showcases its relevance and adaptability. By understanding its historical development, you can appreciate the rich heritage of Hatha Yoga and its impact on physical and mental well-being!
A Good Place to Start: Sun Salutation Sequences
Many yoga teachers like to begin their class with a sun salutation; it is a great way to warm up, stretch and work major muscle groups. Sun salutations are particularly effective in vinyasa flow classes and also in power yoga classes because each movement flows into another.
A benefit of these Suria Namaskar mantras – the Sanskrit name for sun salutation sequences is that they coordinate breath with movement. For instance, as you sweep your arms upwards in the ‘raised arm’ pose, a deep inhale feels inevitable because your ribcage naturally expands on that move. Likewise, as you flow into a forward fold, exhaling is inevitable; it is almost as though you were compressing a bellows.
While practicing the sun salutation, it seems as though your body’s positions mirror your breath’s inward and outward cycles. That is rather the point of this sequence. When done correctly, each ‘reaching’ move is done on an inhale and each release is done on the exhale. There are many ways to sequence a sun salutation but most yogis agree that one should start in mountain pose (pranamasana) and then flow into ‘upward salute’ or hasta uttanasana, its traditional name.
The rest of the sequence is a follows:
- Uttasana or standing forward bend: feet shoulder-width apart, bend forward at the hips
- Anjaneyasana or crescent moon pose: a deep lunge with head back and arms raised high
- Adho Mukha Svanasana: the downward dog positions
- Ashtanga Namaskara: knees and chest down, hands under shoulders and hips raised
- This asana has many names including ‘chest, knees and chin’, indicating what should touch the mat when done properly
- Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana or ‘upward-facing dog’: head and torso raised; hips and legs on the mat
- Adho Mukha Svanasana: again, flow into the downward-facing dog pose
- Anhaneyasana: again, the crescent moon position, this time with the other foot back
- Uttasana: again, bend forward
- Hasta Uttasana: reach again for the heavens with your head raised, really opening your chest up
- Pranamasasa: back into mountain pose; the salutation is complete. Namaste!
This sequence is more commonly known as a Type A Sequence, from which you may logically infer that there must be a Type B. Type B Sequence substitutes the ‘forward bend’ pose with the chair pose, which looks like the yogi is about to sit down on a chair, albeit with arms raised high. The Type B sequence includes the forward bend but calls for the yogi to grab their toes. It also includes warrior poses.
Of course, nothing says you cannot include other asanas in your warmup sequence; some yoga instructors may insert a boat pose (navasana) or a seated forward bend. The important takeaway of sun salutations is that they are meant to open the body up and coordinate movement with breathing; to ready the mind and body for deeper reflection of the fundamental yoga philosophy: that the mind, body and spirit are one.
Did you know that yin yoga does not call for any standing asanas?
Yoga for Beginners: Creating Sequences
Using the Sun Salutation sequence is a great way to start your class – indeed, some instructors base their hour-long class on these 12 asanas alone, but you should probably add a few asanas to make each session complete. The average hatha yoga session includes between 20 and 30 asanas; about half of them should be dynamic.
Hatha yoga is a 'yang' yoga, meaning that there is more movement involved than a 'yin' yoga class.
Each session should start by working the body. Once the body is ‘opened’, warmed up, practitioners can focus exclusively on breathing which, in turn, leads to a meditative state. After your sun salutation, deciding which asanas to include in your sequence really depends on the results you are aiming for. If you are looking for general flexibility and other benefits of yoga, you would use a combination of standing, hand-and-knees and seated poses, culminating in a series of laying down poses. Just make sure the poses flow into one another!
Hatha Yoga Sequence for Beginners
Hatha Yoga sequences for beginners offer a structured approach to introducing foundational yoga poses and techniques. These sequences emphasize proper alignment, controlled breathing, and gentle stretching, making them ideal for those new to yoga. Typical beginner sequences might include poses like Mountain Pose, Downward Dog, Warrior I, and Child's Pose, each designed to build strength, flexibility, and balance gradually.
Practicing these sequences regularly helps improve posture, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being! By following a guided sequence, beginners can safely and effectively develop their yoga practice, laying the groundwork for more advanced poses and deeper mindfulness in the future. In this table, we’ve listed a sequence of asanas to try; naturally, you may replace some of these poses with your favorites.
| Name | Target Area(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation | Works your entire body | A series of 12 poses to warm the body |
| Standing Poses | The focus is on strengthening major muscle groups and building balance | Warrior poses, tree poses, gate poses, extended side triangle and others |
| Hand-and-knee postures | Works your core as well as lower joints | Camel pose, cow-and-cat; upward and downward facing dog; plank and side plank |
| Seated postures | Gains flexibility | Head-to-knee, seated forward bend, bound angle, cow face pose |
| Lying down poses | Works your abs and back | On your stomach: Sphinx, Cobra, Pigeon, Bow On your back: Bridge, Fish, Plow |
| Savasana corpse pose | Resting your entire body | Namaste! |
What About the Sun and Moon?
Somehow, word has gone around in yoga circles that ‘hatha’ is actually the melding of two words: ‘ha’ for sun and ‘tha’ for moon, implying that hatha yoga is a balance between solar and lunar energies. Or, if you wish, between yin and yang.
Unfortunately, that theory is not correct.
While ‘ha’ does indeed represent ‘sun’, it is not the only word for the sun, nor is it meant to represent the sun in ‘hatha’. Likewise, ‘tha’ may well stand for ‘moon’ but Sanskrit texts give no indication of such. While the practice of hatha yoga is millennia-old, focus on the physical is a relatively new aspect of the discipline and, focusing one’s efforts solely on balancing the physical and mental aspects of yoga leaves out the most important aspect, the spiritual.
Really, it is more than a matter of semantics. According to Swami Svatmarama, spending all of our energy trying to balance two forces constantly in flux overlooks the fundamental philosophy of yoga. He averred that we should instead focus and guide the mind so that the body’s energy can flow as it should.
Where Can You Learn Hatha Yoga in the United States?
In the United States, numerous options are available for learning hatha yoga, catering to a wide range of preferences and experience levels. Major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are home to renowned yoga studios like YogaWorks, CorePower Yoga, and the Iyengar Yoga Institute, where expert instructors offer classes from beginner to advanced levels. Yoga retreats in scenic locations such as Sedona, Arizona, and Big Sur, California, provide immersive experiences, combining hatha yoga practice with wellness programs.
For those seeking flexibility, online platforms such as Yoga International, Gaia, and Alo Moves offer extensive libraries of hatha yoga classes that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Universities and community colleges often include hatha yoga in their physical education or wellness programs, making it accessible to students and community members.
Additionally, many fitness centers and gyms across the country have certified yoga instructors who teach hatha yoga as part of their group exercise offerings. Specialized yoga festivals, such as the Wanderlust Festival and Yoga Journal LIVE, also provide opportunities to learn from esteemed teachers in a lively community setting. With such diverse options, finding a suitable place to learn hatha yoga is within reach for anyone interested in this great practice.
Master Hatha Yoga Poses with Superprof
Unlock the secrets to mastering hatha yoga sequences and poses with Superprof, your ultimate guide to achieving physical and mental harmony. Our experienced tutors offer personalized sessions to help you delve into the intricacies of hatha yoga, covering specific poses and mastering numerous sequences. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced yogi looking to deepen your practice, Superprof connects you with skilled tutors who tailor their guidance to your individual needs.
From foundational asanas to advanced postures, our hatha yoga instructors will guide you through a transformative journey, fostering flexibility, strength, and mindfulness. With a focus on personalized instruction, our tutors ensure that each session is aligned with your current skill level and goals, providing you with the tools needed to progress safely and effectively.
Embrace the path to holistic well-being with Superprof and elevate your hatha yoga practice to new heights. Through dedicated guidance and a supportive learning environment, you'll achieve greater physical balance and mental clarity, enriching your overall yoga experience. Join Superprof today and discover the transformative power of hatha yoga.
Now learn how you can sequence any yoga class!
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