Hatha yoga

Hatha yoga (Sanskrit haṭhayoga, IPA: [ɦəʈʰəˈjoːɡə]), also called Haṭhavidyā, is a branch of yoga. The word haṭha (lit. "force") denotes a system of physical techniques supplementary to a broad conception of yoga.

Hatha yoga is associated with the Dashanami Sampradaya and the mystical figure of Dattatreya.

In the 20th century, hatha yoga, particularly asanas (the physical postures), became popular throughout the world as a form of physical exercise, and is now colloquially termed as simply "yoga".

According to Mallinson, some Hatha Yoga techniques can be traced back to the epics and the Pali canon. The Pali canon contains three passages in which the Buddha describes pressing the tongue against the palate for the purposes of controlling hunger or the mind, depending on the passage. However there is no mention of the tongue being inserted into the nasopharynx as in true khecarī mudrā. The Buddha used a posture where pressure is put on the perineum with the heel, similar to even modern postures used to stimulate Kundalini.

In medieval times, teachings on Yoga were systematized in several texts:

The methods of the Amṛtasiddhi, Dattātreyayogaśāstra and Vivekamārtaṇḍa are used to conserve bindu, although the Vivekamārtaṇḍa also involves raising kundalini. The Goraksaśatakạ and Khecarīvidyā involve raising kuṇḍalinī.

The only other texts older than the Hathapradīpikạ̄ to teach Hatha Yoga ̣ mudrās are the Shiva Samhita, Yogabīja, Amaraughaprabodha, and Śārṅgadharapaddhati.

The Hathapradīpikạ was composed by Svātmārāma in the 15th century CE as a compilation of the earlier hatha yoga texts.

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