No matter your level of yoga or how much time you have, the classes and tutorials on Practice with Clara will support you in developing a safe and strong Hatha Yoga routine.
Hatha Yoga is the asanas (postures) that encourage discipline, self-awareness, and concentration. Hatha yoga was taught to calm the body before taking a seat for meditation. It is a tool to burn off excess energy before sitting for long periods. The goal was meditation, not the practice of Hatha Yoga as we know it today.
Much has changed; today, Hatha Yoga is practiced and observed worldwide to strengthen and stretch the body. It is a popular method to decrease mental stress and emotional anguish and enhance physical wellness. The instruction in a Hatha Yoga class will vary, depending on the studio, teacher, and studentship.
Hatha Yoga balances the contrasting elements and energies of the body, such as Ida and Pingala. Preserving the individual’s mental, physical, and emotional health is the aim of Hatha Yoga.
The How-To Guides include an extensive list of videos to support your practice, no matter your level.
Down dog and modifications for tight hamstrings
Chaturanga and modifications for beginners
Studio etiquette in where to place your yoga mat
Crazy eights transitions with eight angle pose and compass pose
We have over 72,000 nadis in the human body. Two energy lines traverse the length of the spine, from the tailbone to the crown of the head. The energy lines are called Ida and Pingala.
Pingala is ‘Ha’ from Hatha, representing Surya/sun, hot, and yang energies.
Ida is “Tha” from Hatha and represents Chandra/moon, cooling, and yin energies.
The primary element featured in the Hatha yoga classes is earth. Strong, stable, slow, and calming qualities describe a Hatha Yoga class on the Practice with Clara Apps.
The Hatha Yoga classes work within the Practice with Clara Program—a seven-day series of courses that helps you make it to your mat every day.
Patanjali’s work inspired two teachers who significantly impacted how yoga was received in the West: Tirumalai Krishnamacharya and Swami Sivananda. The modern styles of yoga, such as Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa, Jivamukti, Kundalini, and Moksha, are rooted in the teachings of Krishnamacharya and Sivananda.
Yamas
Niyamas
Asana
Pranayama
Pratyahara
Dharana
Dhyana
Samadhi
The five Yamas are how we relate to the world. The Yamas express moral constraint.
Ahimsa (non-harming/radical self-love)
Satya (truthfulness)
Asteya (non-stealing/grasping)
Brahmacharya (moderation/abstention)
Aparigraha (non-attachment/greedlessness)
The five Niyamas are how we relate to ourselves. The Niyamas express personal observances:
Source (purity)
Santosha (contentment)
Tapas (discipline)
Svadhyaya (self-study)
Isvara Pranidhan (surrender)
Asanas are the poses. Hatha yoga helps us develop the discipline and tenacity to sit for extended periods of concentration to master the body and mind.
Pranayamas are breathing techniques. Hatha Yoga often includes subtle body practices such as Pranayamas to move the prana (life force/energy). Breathwork helps clear stagnancy, create heat, shift the mental state, and encourage calm in the body.
Pratyahara refers to the withdrawal of the senses. This is to remove ourselves from the sensory world and external distractions. It allows us to become more aware of our inner processes and how we move through emotions.
Dharana is mental concentration. Once we shift from the outer to the inner world, the mind has more space to focus on one thing. Drishti Vinyasa and Focus Lila Flow are two classes to take on Practice with Clara that work with shifting away from the outer world to the inner landscape.
Dhyana is meditation. This is distinct from concentration as it is awareness without interruption. Dharana teaches us to focus on one thing where Dhyana is aware of the entire landscape. It is the widening of the lens. Check out the Meditation Collection on Practice with Clara for short, simple meditation classes.
Samadhi is Nirvana. It expresses enlightenment in connecting to the divine, which is global consciousness, the inner teacher, or God, depending on your beliefs.
The eight limbs of yoga may be practiced and observed out of order. Hatha Yoga is simply one aspect to aid you in self-discovery as you move through the world.
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