What Does "Hatha" Mean?

Yoga unites body and mind through a type of exercise that uses breathing exercises and postures to get in shape while relieving stress. You may have heard the term "hatha" used to describe certain schools of yoga, but hatha is one of the precepts that many other schools of yoga are based upon. Whether you're just beginning as a yogi or you're experienced in the studio, hatha can help you perfect your practice in order to move onto more challenging types of yoga.

Purpose

The term hatha literally means "willful or forceful," according to "Yoga Journal." It means using your body to perform certain exercises and poses as you use yoga as a form of fitness. Hatha yoga is built into most other forms of yoga, be it Bikram yoga or ashtanga yoga -- each use the same concepts of hatha yoga in order to lead students through breathing and posing.

Beginners

When you attend a beginner's yoga class, it is often referred to as a hatha yoga class. This is because a beginner's class centers on the precepts of hatha yoga, which is breathing exercises and poses, to introduce them to the concepts of yoga. Hatha yoga has its own set of poses that are ideal for beginners, since they are typically easy to perform and provide a basis for more difficult poses in other schools of yoga.

Poses

The poses for hatha yoga, known as "asanas," introduce comfortable positions for breathing. You'll often begin by sitting in a comfortable position, with legs crossed and your wrists resting on your knees as you inhale, exhale and meditate. When it's time to move onto active poses, you'll likely try basic asanas like cobra pose, downward facing dog, cat pose, cow pose, tree pose and boat pose. While the poses have formal yoga names, they are often called by names that are reminiscent of the action of the pose. For instance, in cat pose you get on all fours and round your back like a stretching cat.

Getting Started

If you're interested in incorporating the concepts of hatha yoga into your workout routine, a yoga studio will likely have beginner's classes. Even if you've practiced yoga before, having a good foundation in hatha yoga allows you to transition more easily into other schools of more challenging yoga. What's more, the concepts of breath awareness taught in hatha yoga can be employed in your daily life for stress relief and relaxation.