How To Practice This Popular Style Of Yoga
Hatha Yoga 101: How To Practice This Popular Style Of Yoga
What is hatha yoga?
Traditionally, hatha yoga is a catchall term for any type of yoga that pairs poses ("asanas") with breathing techniques ("pranayama"). Essentially, many of the yoga styles that are popular in the U.S.—like ashtanga, restorative, vinyasa, Iyengar, etc.—fall under the umbrella of hatha.At the same time, the term "hatha" has also evolved in the U.S. to describe a particular type of yoga class that's typically slow-paced with a focus on proper alignment, explains Lisa Maria, national workshop director at YogaWorks and certified yoga instructor.
What are the health benefits?
There is some research that focuses specifically on the benefits of hatha, though most of those studies define hatha using the umbrella term (i.e., yoga that combines poses and breathing techniques) rather than specifying it as yoga that's slower-paced and focused on alignment. With that caveat in mind, those studies suggest the broad category of hatha yoga may have a variety of benefits, including:
Better balance: A small 2014 study involving 34 men found that those whocom pleted a five-month hatha yoga program were able to better their postural control. Based on those results, the authors conclude that hatha yoga training can improve body balance.
Fitness improvements: A 2015 study of Chinese adults discovered that a 12-week hatha yoga program had positive effects on several components of fitness including cardio endurance, muscle strength and endurance, and flexibility.
And beyond these studies, there's a ton of research on the benefits of yoga in general, including data that suggests its ability to treat pain, lower BMI and blood pressure, reduce menopausal symptoms, help manage chronic diseases, improve mental health, and more.
It also can impact your endurance. "Yoga makes you very movable and very capable. You get to be strong in not just one direction, but everything you can imagine doing in every direction without tiring," says co-founder of Strala Yoga Michael Taylor in mbg's Complete Guide to Yoga class.
