Hatha Flow
Focus on alignment and posture
Yoga is for everyone. Meaning people of all walks life are welcome to join a yoga class for varying reasons. The word Hatha refers to the physical practice of yoga. Yes, yoga is not just a bunch of poses. The asanas (poses) of yoga is just one aspect of what yoga is.
If you have never been to a yoga class before, perhaps a Hatha Flow is a great place to start. This doesn’t mean that Hatha Flow is only for newbies. The reason for it being a great starting point is because of the structure of the class. I design my Hatha Flows so students from all levels get a deeper understanding of the importance of breathing correctly and proper alignment.
There are so many cues involved in each posture. Since a Hatha Flow is slower paced, I am able to give more cues and help students get into a much deeper posture than say in a vinyasa flow where each breath is matched with a movement. For newbies, a Hatha Flow will give a basic understanding of the most popular poses used in yoga asanas. So, I treat my Hatha Flow as a foundation class for asanas for beginners and alignment and fine tuning class for more advanced students.
Hatha Flow let’s me do basic adjustments
There is no right or wrong way to do asanas. I want to make that very clear. We all have different body types and different levels of flexibility and strengths. That said, you can seriously hurt yourself if you are not careful when you do some asanas. Moreover, there are general guidelines and basic alignment principles that are necessary for safety and long term benefits of an asana practice. This is why it’s always best to learn from someone who is aware of these general guidelines.
Since students hold a pose for a longer time, I am able to go around and do adjustments. An adjustment could be verbal or a gentle nudge on an area where you might be holding too much tension. We all have room for improvement. So being able to get some input as to how to get in and out of a pose more gracefully is always a plus point, right?
Again, I want to reiterate that yoga is for everyone. There are so many variations and modifications of the generic pose that one can do in order to reap the same benefits. If you have chronic knee pain, doing what everyone else does may not be what’s best for you. This is why you must always tell me what your injuries are before the class so I can give you specific cues and modifications.
STRENGTHEN and create a breath and movement connection
One of the most important aspects of an asana practice is syncing up your breath with your movements. It sounds easy. But, it’s much easier said, than done. In the beginning, most students have a tendency to just force their bodies to get into a pose based on what advanced students around them do. This motivation is not always bad, but when you force your muscles and joints, it’s rather contradictory to what we are trying to achieve from an asana flow.
Remember, the asana practice in yoga is a soft-discipline that is meant to improve your health, overtime. It’s not a quick fix, get-in-shape scheme. At least I don’t treat it that way. Hard-discipline, in fact, is considered one of the stumbling blocks that hinders progress in yogic philosophy. So, really focus on making that connection between your breath and movement as you practice a Hatha Flow. The slower pace will allow you to bring your awareness to your breath. So, use that awareness to cultivate a sense of awareness about your body.
If you haven’t already heard, you will hear the phrase “breath into your pose” or some form of it when you take a yoga class. What this means, is that instead of yanking your muscles to get into a pose, use your exhalations and inhalations to do the stretching for you. For example, when you are in Child’s pose (Balasana) Your inhalations will push your belly away from your thighs, but as you exhale you should use that natural momentum to reach forward and let your body stretch out.