| Hatha yoga is an ancient hindu system of working with | | | | postures, inhale using the diaphragm, not the chest |
| the human nervous system. Because it releases | | | | muscles. Do not stretch unduly or force the body. |
| tension and endows one with renewed energy, far too | | | | Relax into the poses. Don't worry if you can't perform |
| many 20th century people, yoga teachers included, | | | | them all perfectly. In time, you will find the body |
| have come to look upon the venerable Indian physical | | | | becoming more flexible and supple. Free the mind of |
| science as solely an exercise for health and vitality of | | | | thoughts and tensions. You will be more aware, more |
| mind and body. It is that, but it is also much more. Hatha | | | | alive, more serene. |
| yoga practices are more spiritual than physical, more | | | | While there are many more complex hatha yoga |
| subtle than gross, more a means of understanding | | | | routines, these twenty-four asanas provide a balanced |
| than an exotic way to relieve stress or limber up the | | | | system for daily use. For the simple purpose of |
| body. | | | | quieting the mind in preparation for meditation, this is all |
| The sages who developed hatha yoga designed it as | | | | you will ever need. For best results, hatha yoga should |
| a way to gain conscious control of our life energies, a | | | | be taught personally by a qualified teacher. These |
| way to go within, to harmonize the external so the | | | | instructions and drawings are meant only as a |
| innermost Self could be encountered. To them, it was | | | | rudimentary aid. For more elaborate regimens, inquire |
| about states of consciousness, about living a divine life, | | | | at a recognized school specializing in hatha yoga. |
| and it was a preparation for meditation. | | | | The scene of hatha yoga has a spiritual purpose - to |
| As you perform the asanas, concentrate on feeling | | | | balance physical and physic energies in preparation for |
| the energies within the nerve currents. Sensitize | | | | meditation. It is not only meant to make us young, |
| yourself to knowing when the body has been in each | | | | beautiful or creative, but to aid us in quieting the mind, |
| position long enough to tune the nerve currents | | | | body and emotions that we may awaken enlightened |
| involved. Then shift smoothly into the next asana. It's | | | | consciousness & know the Self within. |
| like a dance, a deliberate, fluid dance. During all | | | | |