The word Hatha comes from the two Sanskrit terms - "ha" meaning sun, and "tha" meaning moon. In Sanskrit, when “ha” and “tha” are put together, "hatha" means "forceful", implying that yoga is a powerful discipline. “Yoga” means to yoke, or to join two things together. Hatha yoga is designed to join together sun (masculine, active) energy with moon (feminine, receptive) energy, in order to create balance and greater power in the yoga practitioner.

Hatha Yoga is an ancient system of yoga based on the concept that before it was possible to reach a state enlightenment through meditation, the body needed to be purified and exercised to enable the yoga practitioner (male practitioners are called yogis, and females yoginis)  to sit for long periods of time to meditate. Quite a lot of modern Hatha yoga practice is still based on classic texts such as The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written by Swatmarama Swami (c 1350 – 1550 CE) and the oldest texts of all, the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali (c 200 BCE - 200 CE). These texts already outline the many benefits of yoga, some of whom have since been verified by modern science.

Hatha Yoga is also known as the science of purification. When the body is cleared of impurities, energy blocks are released. In an introduction to the Hathayogapradipika, Swami Muktibodhananda says:

“The main objective of Hatha Yoga is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activities and processes of the physical body, mind and energy.”

In modern yoga, we still practice many of the postures and breathing exercises in order to balance mind, body and breath. The way classical yoga postures are taught has been influenced by research in anatomy and physiology, and in my own teaching I use adaptations and modifications influenced by the latest thinking in yoga development to make the postures more beneficial to students and to make them safer.