Hatha Yoga - Lesson 1
By Swami Harinanda
from real-yoga.com

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About Lesson 1

There are literally hundreds of postures, but only about twenty are necessary to work the chakras.

What I want to do introduce you slowly to Hatha Yoga with the first and easiest asanas (poses). Then should you really want to advance to learn more advanced poses, I would be happy to help you.

Please remember that Yoga sped up too fast can do harm, both psychological harm and psychical harm. So the pace I like to take is a three year course for anyone interested in it.

Please read and view this whole lesson before practicing this lesson.

Disclaimer: There are inherent risks in doing any form of stretching. Please consult your doctor prior to practicing hatha yoga if you have any concerns.

Introduction

Welcome to a few very important Hatha Yoga postures. These postures will allow the chakras to unfold and begin spinning their energies upwards.

I have been teaching Yoga for over 50 years now and would like to pass on to you some aspects of REAL Yoga. Although Yoga means Union, it is Union with the SELF. Yoga is not effortful. If it is, then stop doing it.

Yoga should be done with Love. When you love doing something, there is no effort involved. If there is effort, you have stopped loving.

Begin your Yoga lessons with a feeling of love and relaxation and continue your lessons as long as you feel that.

Yoga is not practiced so you can get thin and get healthy. Although they are by-products of the study, but this is not why one practices Yoga. One practices Yoga to Unite with SELF.

When that Union occurs, you "experience" SatChitAnanda, which means, Being Ever Existent, Ever Conscious and Ever Blissful.

When this occurrence happens it is called Samadhi, and may last a short time only. Extended Samadhis come later and we shall discuss that at a future date.

Pose 1 - Sarvangasan (The shoulder stand)

Make sure you have a blanket or thin matting on the floor.

1. Raise yourself up on to your shoulders with the help of your arms. Tuck your chin into your chest while doing shallow but regular breathing.

2. Concentrate on the 5^th chakra in the throat the thyroid and the parathyroid gland. Visualize light covering the throat area.

3. You will see by the picture on the page that you want to attain a completely vertical posture with feet pointing heavenward.

4. Push the center of your back right in over your chin so that you can throw your hips in true vertical. This way the legs will rest comfortably as on a fulcrum.

5. Keep very still. Do not sway about. Keep concentrating on the throat chakra. Hold this pose for as long as you are comfortable and love doing it.

6. When you feel you know the pose well, then for half the time you are here, pull the toes in a downwards position towards the forehead, so that you can do a gentle stretch to the Achilles tendon and the hamstrings.

7. This pose is doing a number of things, primarily bringing blood to the thyroid glands, secondarily it is, by sheer weight of the body, compressing each of your vertebrae, thus allowing blood to course through those areas and cleanse any toxins from your spine.

8. Very slowly, to finish this exercise, let the feet be drawn towards the floor behind your head, so that you now stretch the spine allowing the toxins to be released for the spine.

9. The time you do this posture is entirely up to you. You must LOVE doing this posture and you must be comfortable. As time goes by, you can sustain this posture for long periods in total stillness and LIGHT! 

Do It!

Pose 2 - Sethu Bandhasan (Bridge Pose)

While still in the shoulder stand position slowly, keep your hands on the kidney area of the back, lower the legs towards the floor and lift the pelvic region as high as possible while still remaining comfortable.

Hold as long as you still love to do this pose. You may find it difficult to go directly from the shoulder stand to the bridge pose, but you should practice it like this.

When you go into the bridge pose, bring your legs as far forward as you can hold them. Then as the lumbar region becomes more supple, the legs will fall more easily. This will help to strengthen the stomach and lower back muscles - which soon will be strong enough to lower the legs all the way.

Visualize light where the tension is greatest.

Pose 3 - Kama Peedasan (Ear-Knee Pose)

This pose is a more extreme stretch for your spine and it works on every chakra.

1. While performing the pose visualize light along your entire spine. Breath very slowly and regularly.

2. Don’t worry if you can't reach the ears right away. This will come with time. When you do reach your ears, you will notice such an improvement in your flexibility.

3. What you won't really notice is the most important thing. You are preparing your chakras to receive the Kundalini power residing in the coccyx center at the base of the spine.

4. Kundalini is the primordial Shakti energy, which must, in Yoga be directed upwards to the higher brain centers. The entire existence of the cosmos is brought about by Shakti (energy) and Prakritti (matter). When these two forces are united in the Ajna center (the 6th center - that point between the eyebrows just above the bridge of the nose, the reality of the "Spiritual Eye" becomes self evident.

Pose 4 - Swing Pose

To finish the knee-ear pose, one must do the reversal of it by standing with legs slightly apart and knees bent, hands on the kidney area while leaning backwards as far as one can comfortably go without falling over.

The head must be thrown backwards as far as it will go so you can stretch the neck area. Hold that position steadily and quietly as long as you are comfortable.

Then while keeping your hands in that position, first learn forward, then go back again, the rotate the upper body in a full circular motion to the left, then to the right, three times each way.

This pose is an immediate counter pose to the knee-ear pose and works on the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine.

Visualize light where the tension is greatest.

Now, Do It.

 

Pose 5 - Padmasan Pose (Lotus Pose)

In this pose we are going to work on the hips, knees, and ankles.

Why is this pose so important and why do you see so many Yogis in this posture?

It is because when one attains Samadhi, one will not fall over. This pose is perfectly balanced position for sitting.

There are many steps to getting into this position, but you must start somewhere. So, sit with your legs outstretched and with both hands grab your right foot and pull it slowly up towards your left thigh and place it on top of the thigh, well into the groin area. Just go as far as you comfortably can.

If possible, take hold of the other leg and pull it over the ankle of the right foot. It is important that you only go as far as you can and only sit as long as you are comfortable. Remember there is always your evening session that you can practice again. Soon you will be able to do the full Lotus. Some people who are bow legged may have difficulty, but try nonetheless, as it opens up the pelvic area and stimulates the Kundalini force in the Mulhadara (Coccyc) center.

Visualize light over the knees, hips and ankles.

 

Pose 6 - Relaxation Pose

Always finish your Hatha Yoga with relaxation pose. Completion is achieved by lying prone on the floor, with hips centered on the floor. Shimmy the legs away from you while keeping the hips stationary. Again, shuttle back and shoulders up and away from hips. When this has been achieved, throw your arms above your head.

 

Once you have finished shimmying as outlined on the previous page, throw your arms above and over your head as seen below. This is the completion of the relaxation position. You will the tremendous stretch it gives to the rib cage. It will also gently pulls the spine out to a full resting posture. The relaxation pose should be done at the end of your routine or after each pose. The choice is yours. In the relaxation pose, or any meditative posture, the light focus should be between the eyebrows and the middle of the forehead