The Sanskrit word ha means “sun” and tha means “moon”, and thus hatha, or literally sun-moon yoga, strives to balance opposing parts of the physical body, the front and back, left and right, top and bottom. Hatha yoga is the most widely practiced form of yoga in the West. It is the branch of yoga, which concentrates on physical health and mental well-being. Hatha yoga uses bodily postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation (dyana) aiming to bring about a sound, healthy body and a clear, peaceful mind.
There are nearly 200 hatha yoga postures, with hundreds of variations, which work to make the spine supple and to promote circulation in all the organs, glands and tissues. Hatha yoga utilizes asanas, or physical postures, to bring about flexibility, balance and strength in the body. Traditionally, its practice is done twice a day: some prefer it in the morning as a wake-up routine, while others like to wind down and de-stress with yoga at the end of the day.
Yoga is an exercise that can be done anywhere and requires no special equipment. It only uses gravity and the body itself as resistance, so it is a low-impact activity excellent for those who don’t do well with other types of exercise. The mental component of yoga can appeal to those who get bored easily with exercise. By the same token, yoga can be a good stress management tool for those who prefer movement to sitting meditation.
Yoga Nidra is the systematic method which aims at a deep relaxation of the human body, while maintaining its awareness. For this reason, etymologically Yoga (join-consciousness) Nidra (sleep) means “conscious sleep”. Through this technique, the body is led to a state between sleep and awareness, in which it is possible to approach the mind’s subconscious and unconscious side in order to allow a controlled release of its contents.
More specifically, through Yoga Nidra, we can manage the tension that accumulates in the body and relates to all its functions, the mind and the recordings that accumulate daily, while at an emotional level, the tension caused by oppressed emotions and anxiety. Basically, this method can be a first step in the practice of meditation, as the practitioner lies in deep relaxation trying to maintain an increased ability of perception.
Marianna Kapsimali was born and raised in Athens. She attended classical ballet lessons from a very young age, and at the age of 16 she began contemporary dance lessons.
