Hatha Yoga is a Sanskrit word combination. Sanskrit is an ancient language, which scientists call the proto language of the whole family of Indo European languages that includes Indian, Slavic and Romance-Germanic languages. Sometimes Sanskrit is called the East Latin language.

The literary translation of the Sanskrit word hatha is “power, might; effort, strain; tension, compulsion, necessity”. The word yoga is translated as “team; reins; application; means, tool; trap, magic; connection, conjugation; gain, acquisition; work, effort, earnestness; concentration, contemplation, meditation, etymology; structural origin; rule; coordination, management, control”.

The definition given by the ancient sage Patanjali in Yoga Sutra is accepted as classical. According to his definition yoga is such state of consciousness in which any uncontrollable deviations are absent: uncontrollable thoughts, emotions, wishes. This is a state extremely difficult to reach. However it is worth trying to. Because only in this condition man is capable to fully comprehend and master one’s motivations, acts and expressions. The yoga state is a state of total self-comprehension and self-control. This state raises man to a higher stage of mental evolution of totally new quality.

___________________________________

May be here rises the logical question: what is the relation of hatha to yoga? How the attainment of such elevated state of consciousness relates to the corporeal gymnastic, what is the training practice of hatha-yoga in fact?

Things are quite simple. The relation between the body and the consciousness embodied can be provisionally illustrated with the relation between a computer and its software support. The body is the hardware, the consciousness is the input software, that is the program back up. The more complicated and “finer” is the device and corporeal organization, the more perfect consciousness can be input in it and, respectively, higher levels of functionality can be achieved.

Hatha-yoga is a kind of bodybuilding but a more specific one. The main purpose is the developing of the peripheral nervous system and building of perfect endocrine system. The training technology of hatha-yoga has been developed through the millennia to build a body for the specific purpose to host a consciousness of complex organization.

And because life is a self-regulating system, a chance empty space will be always filled in. Strong spirit is contained in strong body. A perfect body is the receptacle of perfect spirit…

The main processor of our biological computer is the brain. Brain is a part of its own right like all other organs and systems of our organism. Besides, brain is the most important part of the body. Brain not only commands the work of all organs and systems. The development of brain is crucial for the development of consciousness. Perfect body does not mean just a highly developed locomotory apparatus. This is a harmonious development of all organs and systems. All biological functions of the perfect body must be under the control of highly developed mind that is result from the functioning of the brain.

___________________________________


The basis of hatha-yoga technological algorithm is a system of physical exercises comprising of separate elements called “asana”. In Sanskrit “asana” means “position, posture of body, shape”. Each asana is a specific exercise, which, when accomplished correctly, causes harmonious training impact on the tissues of the locomotory apparatus and internal organs. The difference between the asana and all other types of physical exercises is that doing asana not only consumes energy but also triggers specific physiological mechanisms and stimulates the body to accumulate energy in large quantities. Additionally, at the expense of performance of specific type of distributed stretching, compressing and twisting of tissues, each asana exercises a deep impact on the distribution of potentials and energies in the peripheral nervous system, spinal cord and processes components of the endocrine system. And this, in its turn, has cardinal influence on the processes running in the brain.

The specific system of stretching of the muscular and tendon knots that is typical for the asana practice stimulates the growth of nervous fibers and complexity of the organizational structure of the nervous system. Respectively the system of enervation upon tissues becomes more intricate. As a result the links of the periphery to the center become more intricately organized and more clarified. Now the body has the potential to perform functions of higher type. The necessity to control these functions leads to more perfect functioning of the brain.

The many centuries of experience allowed the hatha yoga practice to improve the asana system to such degree that it has turned into a unique arsenal of tools for the optimizing of all organs and systems (with any sort of temporary statute) by means of natural elaboration processes that control their action.

Today it is no secret that apart from the physical body the human being is far more than a simple collection of organic tissues and that apart from his organic body man possesses an “energy body” as well. Yoga knew this fact long ago. They perceived human body as an energy structure comprising of an organic structure and layers “collected” in it: “fine” components of the “energy body”. These layers are called “koshas” in Sanskrit. “Kosha” means “cocoon”. Yoga developed a full collection of techniques specially devised to manage the distribution of energy in the nervous system and the kosha system.

These techniques are based on the control of breathing and are called “pranayama” or “the art to control energy”. “Prana” means power, energy, and “yama” means control and management. In yoga training sessions the gymnastic exercises asana are always combined with the practicing of techniques for breathing control: the breathing exercises of pranayama.

Because of the higher concentration of energy in the organic and energy body when the asana-pranayama combination is practiced correctly, new inner dominants of concentration of attention arise. Attention, which in the usual state of common man is diffused and directed outwards, gradually changes orientation and is “aimed” inward on the inner feelings. Perceptions are “drawn” inward. Attention is directed to the “space of inner feelings”. When the practice is sufficiently intensive such high degree of “shrinking of perceptions inward” is achieved that attention is fully closed to outer objects. This state is called “pratyahara”. “Pratyahara” is translated as “deviation, tightening, shrinking”.

The shrinking of attention inward leads to maximum concentration of attention on the state of “psycho-energy space”. This is called “dharana”, meaning “concentration” or “concentration of attention”. “Dharana” is translated as “fixation” or “contents”.

The stable deep concentration on the inner psycho-energy space leads to conscious connection between the inner and outer since the inner, in its essence, is just a reflection of the outer infinity perceived by the senses. The field of perceptions is widened to encompass the infinity, the attention traces the interconnections and correlations between different levels of spatial organization. This state is called “dhyana”, meaning “contemplation”. The result of contemplation is factual perception of the wholeness and unity of organic body and the kosha system without division between inner and outer, coarse and fine, organic and non-organic. Self-consciousness of man becomes self-consciousness of one and whole endless creature that is not limited by the organic body and temporary frames of human life. This state is called “samadhi”, meaning “union”.

In samadhi man becomes aware of his energy structure and its correlation to the energy structures of other beings. Eventually he gains full control over everything functional that builds his being and is able to control the functions of his energy structure through control over the consciousness at the highest that this particular individual can attain.

___________________________________


The practice of hatha-yoga becomes a tool for the attainment of the yoga state only with the accomplishment of a number of conditions that define the life style of the practicing person. If these conditions are not accomplished when the consciousness is transferred to a higher level of functioning, the body of the practicing person is destroyed because of the forced intensity of transition processes.

These conditions are appropriate diet, physical and mental health and psycho-energy immaculateness. When the technical methods are practiced correctly and in sufficient intensity the life style changes smoothly in accord with the necessary conditions. In the course of time the practicing person starts to feel which food is good for him and which is not. The higher level of fitness, the saturating of energy structure with energy, its inclusion and functional optimizing lead the body to a state of good health and everything that does not correspond to the principles of psycho-physical immaculateness naturally drops out.

The main principles of immaculateness are represented by the five principles of yama, the five limitations, and the five principles of nyama, the five rules.
The five limitations of yama are:

• Ahimsa: the rejection of violence towards everyone and everything, including to one’s own self and the natural order of things in the world;
  
• 
  
• Satya: rejection of lies and self-deceit on the first place;
  
• 
  
• Asteya: refusal from the ambition to gain things that do not belong to us;
  
• 
  
• Brahmacharya: restraint, refusal to follow one’s own passions, wishes and weaknesses, i.e. restraint from everything that is not vitally necessary on the way to self-perception, restraint from any actions that cause loss of energy, unjustified from the viewpoint of widening of perception;
  
• 
  
• Aparigraha: refusal of gifts and charities of any type and form, complete self-sufficiency, readiness to rely on one’s own potential.
  
• 
  

The five rules of nyama are defined in the following way:

• Saucha: observance of purity in all demonstrations of body and psyche;
  
• 
  
• Santosha: calm and acceptance of all things as they are;
  
• 
  
• Tapas: continuous diligent training;
  
• 
  
• Svadhyaya: stable determination to raise the level of consciousness;
  
• 
  
• Ishvara-pranidhana: humbleness and accepting of the true hierarchic structure of the World where rules The Spirit.