When people mention the term Yoga, they usually refer to Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is the most popular branch of Yoga and from which a lot of the Styles of Yoga originated including Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and Kundalini Yoga.
Hatha Yogis consider the body as the vehicle for the soul. They use Physical Poses or Asanas, Breathing Techniques or Pranayama, and Meditation in order to bring the body in perfect health and for more subtle spiritual elements of the mind to emerge freely.
Hatha Yoga came from the words “ha” which means “sun” and “tha” which means “moon”. It is often translated as the branch of Yoga that brings union of the pairs of opposites referring to the positive (sun) and negative (moon) currents in the system.
Hatha Yoga concentrates on the third (Asana) and fourth (Pranayama) steps in the Eight Limbs of Yoga. It uses the Physical Postures and Breathing Techniques in order to energize and clear the energy channels called the Nadis, removing the obstacles for the other Limbs – Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.
