yoga in sacramento:
classical hatha yoga
classical hatha yoga
classes with
Bill Counter
in Sacramento, California
(916) 441-4914
Hatha Yoga FAQs
Bill Counter
in Sacramento, California
(916) 441-4914
Hatha Yoga FAQs
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
What are these "hatha yoga" classes like?
These are moderately paced Iyengar - inspired classes for
those new to yoga as well as more experienced yoga students
just wanting a more relaxed pace. All levels are welcome -- it's
usually quite a diverse group. We're happy to offer
modifications of the standard yoga poses if you have
particular areas of concern.
In addition to the basics, the syllabus also includes inversions,
arm balances, and all the other fun stuff of hatha yoga
practice. Each class is structured as a balanced practice,
working a bit on each of the basic types of yoga poses and
thus giving you a complete workout for the full body.
We cycle through a broad variety of traditional hatha yoga
poses -- all of which also show up in our ashtanga and power
yoga classes. We pay a lot of attention to alignment and form
in the poses. These classes also introduce pranayama
(breathwork) and meditation techniques.
Does one need to start at a particular time?
No. The classes are ongoing -- start any time. Learning yoga
is not a very linear process. Come jump in and do what you
can. Some things will be easy, some you'll want to just watch
and think about. It will be different each class (even as you
repeat similar poses) as you'll have different ideas about the
practice (and evolving skills) as your practice deepens.
How does this differ from vinyasa yoga or ashtanga
practice?
It's a bit more traditional. Here we focus on work in the poses
themselves rather than a flowing (vinyasa) style of practice.
The sun salutation-based vinyasa practice, despite its
popularity, probably only dates from the late 1920's when it
was cobbled together by Pattabhi Jois and his teacher
Krishnamacharya.
Do you do sun salutations in a traditional hatha class?
Yes, but it's a different form than in an ashtanga or power
yoga class. Still timed to the breath but it's a 12 pose cycle
with a number of differences including stepping back into a
lunge to open the hips (rather than jumping to a plank).
The idea regardless of the form of the salutation (classical vs.
ashtanga) is to get all the major muscle groups warmed up
and working prior to the practice of the asanas (the poses of
hatha yoga) themselves.
Isn't hatha a particular practice style of yoga?
No. Hatha is just a generic term that encompasses all styles of
physical yoga practice. Some styles are new (Iyengar,
anusara, Bikram, ashtanga), some are older. Most styles of
hatha yoga practice include breathwork (pranayama) and
meditation techniques in addition to the poses (asana).
We're using the tag "hatha" to indicate that what we try to do is
stay within the older, traditional mainstream of the hatha yoga
tradition. Yet we also incorporate more recent influences,
especially the Iyengar yoga system's emphasis on alignment
and good body mechanics.
Nor does "hatha yoga" necessarily imply an easy class. All
styles of teaching yoga (except Bikram yoga) offer classes of
varying intensity depending on the teacher and needs of the
students.
The word hatha in Sanskrit literally means force or power,
implying a practice requiring work on your part which is
intended to liberate the dormant energies (shakti or prana)
inside you.
How old is hatha yoga practice?
Yoga itself is ancient but hard to document because it was
until recently (1800's or so) a strictly oral tradition. And also
one that excluded outsiders from instruction. Hints of early
yoga practice in India (largely of a meditative nature, not the
current huge syllabus of poses) are in the Rg Veda, the oldest
scripture in the world. Patanjali, in the Yoga Sutra of 200 B.C.
laid out the currently observed philosophical underpinnings of
yoga practice but he was largely concerned with the meditative
aspects.
The best evidence we have for the flowering of the physical
practices (hatha yoga) are texts such as the Hatha Yoga
Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita and the Gheranda Samhita.
These were all late products of the Tantric period exploring a
body - centered yoga practice in the era 800-1600 A.D. Some
of the poses we do in a hatha yoga class today are described
clearly in these texts but many of our practices evolved later.
Why do people do yoga?
Traditionally it was to explore meditation and the quest for
bliss, tranquility and enlightenment. The theory of hatha yoga
is that what we do with the body affects what is going on in the
mind. Even without a specific intention of beginning a
meditation practice, we find that doing the breathwork and
poses of any style of hatha yoga greatly influences mood and
perceptions of well being.
If your journey leads toward a deeper practice of meditation
the process becomes much easier if you're healthy, supple
and relaxed. We can't regard any form of meditation (from any
tradition) as just an activity of the mind. The rest of the body
necessarily needs to come along as part of the journey. In
hatha yoga, awareness during the poses is a meditation in
itself. This cultivation of mental focus also prepares one for
deeper seated meditation practices that are the heart of the
hatha yoga tradition.
Of course many people come to the physical practice of the
poses and breathwork for many other reasons: stress
reduction, relaxation, stretching those hamstrings, fixing the
bad back or just because friends told them it was fun.
What does the tradition of yoga include beyond "hatha
yoga"?
The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj" meaning
to yoke or join together as in giving the yogi a connection to
the rest of the cosmos - a state said to occur in deep
meditation when all the dualities of our normal existence are
transcended. Hatha yoga is only one way outlined in this
tradition to work toward this state of unity:
Did we mention yoga should be fun?
We try to have a good time with our practice. Come join us!
Are there questions you need answered before coming
to class?
Call us at (916) 441-4914. Or just show up! All of our
classes are offered on a drop-in basis.
Namaste.
(A Sanskrit word meaning the higher
consciousness in me salutes the same in you).
| home | back to top | vinyasa / power yoga FAQs | ashtanga FAQs |
| other Sacramento yoga possibilities | class schedule |
copyright 2009 bill counter
These are moderately paced Iyengar - inspired classes for
those new to yoga as well as more experienced yoga students
just wanting a more relaxed pace. All levels are welcome -- it's
usually quite a diverse group. We're happy to offer
modifications of the standard yoga poses if you have
particular areas of concern.
In addition to the basics, the syllabus also includes inversions,
arm balances, and all the other fun stuff of hatha yoga
practice. Each class is structured as a balanced practice,
working a bit on each of the basic types of yoga poses and
thus giving you a complete workout for the full body.
We cycle through a broad variety of traditional hatha yoga
poses -- all of which also show up in our ashtanga and power
yoga classes. We pay a lot of attention to alignment and form
in the poses. These classes also introduce pranayama
(breathwork) and meditation techniques.
Does one need to start at a particular time?
No. The classes are ongoing -- start any time. Learning yoga
is not a very linear process. Come jump in and do what you
can. Some things will be easy, some you'll want to just watch
and think about. It will be different each class (even as you
repeat similar poses) as you'll have different ideas about the
practice (and evolving skills) as your practice deepens.
How does this differ from vinyasa yoga or ashtanga
practice?
It's a bit more traditional. Here we focus on work in the poses
themselves rather than a flowing (vinyasa) style of practice.
The sun salutation-based vinyasa practice, despite its
popularity, probably only dates from the late 1920's when it
was cobbled together by Pattabhi Jois and his teacher
Krishnamacharya.
Do you do sun salutations in a traditional hatha class?
Yes, but it's a different form than in an ashtanga or power
yoga class. Still timed to the breath but it's a 12 pose cycle
with a number of differences including stepping back into a
lunge to open the hips (rather than jumping to a plank).
The idea regardless of the form of the salutation (classical vs.
ashtanga) is to get all the major muscle groups warmed up
and working prior to the practice of the asanas (the poses of
hatha yoga) themselves.
Isn't hatha a particular practice style of yoga?
No. Hatha is just a generic term that encompasses all styles of
physical yoga practice. Some styles are new (Iyengar,
anusara, Bikram, ashtanga), some are older. Most styles of
hatha yoga practice include breathwork (pranayama) and
meditation techniques in addition to the poses (asana).
We're using the tag "hatha" to indicate that what we try to do is
stay within the older, traditional mainstream of the hatha yoga
tradition. Yet we also incorporate more recent influences,
especially the Iyengar yoga system's emphasis on alignment
and good body mechanics.
Nor does "hatha yoga" necessarily imply an easy class. All
styles of teaching yoga (except Bikram yoga) offer classes of
varying intensity depending on the teacher and needs of the
students.
The word hatha in Sanskrit literally means force or power,
implying a practice requiring work on your part which is
intended to liberate the dormant energies (shakti or prana)
inside you.
How old is hatha yoga practice?
Yoga itself is ancient but hard to document because it was
until recently (1800's or so) a strictly oral tradition. And also
one that excluded outsiders from instruction. Hints of early
yoga practice in India (largely of a meditative nature, not the
current huge syllabus of poses) are in the Rg Veda, the oldest
scripture in the world. Patanjali, in the Yoga Sutra of 200 B.C.
laid out the currently observed philosophical underpinnings of
yoga practice but he was largely concerned with the meditative
aspects.
The best evidence we have for the flowering of the physical
practices (hatha yoga) are texts such as the Hatha Yoga
Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita and the Gheranda Samhita.
These were all late products of the Tantric period exploring a
body - centered yoga practice in the era 800-1600 A.D. Some
of the poses we do in a hatha yoga class today are described
clearly in these texts but many of our practices evolved later.
Why do people do yoga?
Traditionally it was to explore meditation and the quest for
bliss, tranquility and enlightenment. The theory of hatha yoga
is that what we do with the body affects what is going on in the
mind. Even without a specific intention of beginning a
meditation practice, we find that doing the breathwork and
poses of any style of hatha yoga greatly influences mood and
perceptions of well being.
If your journey leads toward a deeper practice of meditation
the process becomes much easier if you're healthy, supple
and relaxed. We can't regard any form of meditation (from any
tradition) as just an activity of the mind. The rest of the body
necessarily needs to come along as part of the journey. In
hatha yoga, awareness during the poses is a meditation in
itself. This cultivation of mental focus also prepares one for
deeper seated meditation practices that are the heart of the
hatha yoga tradition.
Of course many people come to the physical practice of the
poses and breathwork for many other reasons: stress
reduction, relaxation, stretching those hamstrings, fixing the
bad back or just because friends told them it was fun.
What does the tradition of yoga include beyond "hatha
yoga"?
The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj" meaning
to yoke or join together as in giving the yogi a connection to
the rest of the cosmos - a state said to occur in deep
meditation when all the dualities of our normal existence are
transcended. Hatha yoga is only one way outlined in this
tradition to work toward this state of unity:
- Raja yoga -- the yoga of meditation as exemplified by
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. - Karma yoga -- the yoga of selfless service.
- Jnana yoga -- the path of study and intellectual inquiry.
- Hatha yoga -- asana, pranayama and meditation
practice. - Bhakti yoga -- on the path of devotional practice.
Did we mention yoga should be fun?
We try to have a good time with our practice. Come join us!
Are there questions you need answered before coming
to class?
Call us at (916) 441-4914. Or just show up! All of our
classes are offered on a drop-in basis.
Namaste.
(A Sanskrit word meaning the higher
consciousness in me salutes the same in you).
| home | back to top | vinyasa / power yoga FAQs | ashtanga FAQs |
| other Sacramento yoga possibilities | class schedule |
copyright 2009 bill counter
OM