What is Hatha Yoga?

Ailsa Burns
May 31
2 min read

What is Hatha Yoga?

(a quick overview)

Most forms of yoga in the West could be classified as Hatha Yoga as the term refers to the practice of physical yoga postures. Hatha can be translated as sun (ha) and moon (tha), the yoga of balance, or as 'wilful' and 'forceful', the yoga of activity.

Hatha Yoga Explained

Most forms of yoga in the West could be classified as Hatha Yoga as the term refers to the practice of physical yoga postures. However, in the context of a yoga studio or searching for yoga online, Hatha Yoga is a gentler paced practice in comparison to Vinyasa Flow Yoga. Hatha can be translated as sun (ha) and moon (tha), the yoga of balance, or as 'wilful' and 'forceful', the yoga of activity. This is the style of yoga that I recommend to complete beginners as the pace of the class is a lot slower, allowing time to give attention and accuracy to the alignment of the poses. Practising Hatha Yoga will help to improve your strength, balance and flexibility and encourages a peaceful connection between the body and mind.

I have titled this style of class 'Gentle Hatha Yoga Flow' within my Online Yoga Studio for ease of comprehension. I combine my knowledge of Vinyasa Flow Yoga and Restorative Yoga to create a calming and relaxing class that links flowing movement with the breath, while stretching out the whole body. The heart of this yoga class is an awareness with the breath and a sense of grounding in the present moment. I have designed this class to be accessible to all levels of physical yoga practice and more invigorating poses including core work and balances are peppered in throughout the sequence as these are key for mobility in the body and the health of the spine.

You can try several of my Gentle Hatha Yoga Flow classes via the videos below.