II. HATHA YOGA

 

This form of yoga deals with the control of the body and the bodily activities as the means of stilling the mind. It's aim is to make the human body strong and capable enough to stand and endure the hardest and the toughest conditions, and to make it immune, as far as possible, from physical diseases and ailments. But Beyond a robust physique and possible longevity through the practice of pranayam or habs-I-dam, as it is called by the Muslims (control and regulation of breath), it is not much help in self-realization by itself, though it may to a certain extent prepare the ground for a higher type of spiritual discipline leading thereto. It is in a sense a “ladder to Raja Yoga.” It cannot even give the mind any great degree of control, as it is commonly supposed to do. By practicing Hatha yoga, one may come to gain some siddhis or psychic powers through the exercise of certain asanas, mudras and bandhas, or physical position and postures, and the practice of pranayam. The system includes observance of a number of penances and ascetic austerities like fast and vigils, maun or a vow of silence for months and years, panch agni tapas (sitting with lighted fire on four sides and the burning sun overhead), standing on one leg, suspending oneself with head downward, etc. Some of the Christian Saints went to great extremes like the wearing of nail-studded tunics, horsehair shirts, scourging of the body, self-flogging in all imitation of the suffering of Christ. Even among the Muslim shias, we see the traces of self torture when during the Muharram days, they beat their breasts and backs with knives fastened to iron chains in commemoration of the terrible sufferings that Hasan and Hussain the grandsons of the Prophet, had to undergo along with a handful of their faithful followers, at the hands of their co-religionists under Yazid, on the burning plains of Karbla in defence of their faith. But all these terrible self-chastisements, however heroic in themselves, hardly grant any spiritual benefit. Of what good is it to torture and torment the body, when the serpent of the mind lies safely hid far beneath the surface and continues to thrive unscathed?

 

Leaving aside such forms of self-torture, the Hatha Yoga proper aims at perfecting the body as an instrument for higher types of yogas, and as such may have some value, to enable the body to stand the stress and strain involved in them. But even the routine of Hatha Yoga Kriyas is too difficulty to perform and often leads to inner complications which at times prove serious and incurable and endanger life.

 

These kriyas are meant for purification of the arteries and other channels in the body of all kind of accumulated mineral deposits like chalk, lime and salt, etc., which clog the system and are the root cause of decay and disease. This process of deintoxication and rejuvenation is done by means of purificatory acts called Shat Karma (meaning six acts ),which are: Neti karma (cleaning of the nose)  A piece of thin muslin about three- fourths yard long is twisted into a string like form and covered with a coating of wax. It is passed through each of the nostrils in turn and taken out of the mouth after a little rubbing so as to clean them of phlegm, etc. It is helpful in curing diseases of the nose and throat . It keeps the head cool, and disorders or acidity may substitute for jala neti, or douching the nasal channels withpure water.

(ii) Dhoti karma (washing the stomach) : Along piece of cloth three inches in width and measuring about seven yards in length is soaked in tepid water and then slightly wrenched.   It is gradually swallowed down the throat into the stomach with the help of warm water, keeping about two feet of the other end in hand. After retaining it for a few minutes and shaking the abdomen, it is taken out very, very slowly. It clenses the alimentary canal of impurities like mucus, bile and phlegm and cures an enlarged spleen and cough, etc. This practice requires extreme care and attention so that cloth may not get entangled in the intestines and result in serious complications, which might even prove fatal. It should not be practiced when suffering from inflammation of the throat and bronchial disorders, irritation of the stomach or during coughing, etc.

(iii) Basti karma (washing the bowels):It is a kind of enema whereby water is drawn in through the rectum into the lower intestines. After retaining it for some time , it is churned sideways and thrown out. It removes constipation and ejects inner, hardened refuse matter, which generally to the tepid water makes it more beneficial. It is used for ailments connected with the male organ and the anus and it cures gaseous disorders of bile or Basti weakens the tender intestines and may inflame the inner surface, and hence the need for careful guidance in such matters. It may be substituted by air cleansing if necessary, by drawing in and letting out air instead of water.    (iv) Gaja karni or kunj karma: it is also known as Shankha Pashala. The practice consists in taking a bellyful of water and then swilling it within by muscular activity and throwing it out from the mouth as a gaja or elephant does with his trunk. In this way two or three quarts of warm water are taken and vomited out after washing the inner system by a circulatory motion of the muscles within. It is particularly useful for those who suffer from biliousness or actdity.   (v) Niyoli karma(shaking the belly ): It is done by sitting erect in Siddha or padma Asana with hands settled on the knees. The upper part of the body along with the intestines is then to be churned or shaken rapidly from right to left so as to remove all inner impurities adhering to the inner walls. This practice is useful in ridding one of abdominal ailments of gastric and gaseous nature by releasing the digestive secretions . It helps in muscular contractions which in turn aid yogic breathing or pranayam. (vi) Tratak Karma (gaze fixing ): It is a dristi sadhana  and consits in fixing the gaze, first on external centers, and then gradually on inner centers as explained at some length in the foregoing pages dealing with Yog Vidya and Yog Sadhna, in the section on “pranayam.” By it, the gazing becomes steady and when turned inward, one begings to  see the wonders of the inner world of Trikuti, the highest heaven of such yogins.*

 

Besides the above there are two other practices:

(i)                  Kalpal Dhoti (rapid breathing in and out ) for purification of the lungs. It can conveniently  take the place of Neti, but should be avoided in the rainy season and in ill- health. The brething should be quick but not too fast, so that it may not affect the lungs and the respiratory system.

(ii)                Shnkh pashali: it consists in taking water by mouth and immediately evacuating it through the rectum after a little shaking of the abdomen . It clenses the entire digestivesystem by washing it clean of all impurities.  All these processes, if not done under the direction , guidance and control of an adept in the yogic sadhnas, more often than not do more harm than good . It must be admitted that there is something artificial and unnatural about them, and cases have been reported wherein even adepts have suffered from their performance. It is therefore better to take recourse to natural ways of simple, wholesome and fresh vegetarian diet in it's natural state, some cow’s milk and ghee, fresh water, regular but untiring exercises, deep breathing, etc., all of which are free from any of the dangers attending the Hatha yoga practices.

 

Thus we see that in Hatha Yoga one has, in the first instance, to set the physical house in order, and that this is done by the practice of shat Karmas, or the six preliminary practices as described above. After this, for successfully working out this type of yoga and acquiring proficiency therein, recourse is to be had to the following disciplines:

(a)           Scrupulous cultivion of yamas and niyamas.

(b)          Observance of sanjam, or moderation and discipline, in all phases of life, and particularly in thoughts, words and deeds.

(c)           Physical postures of asanas, mudras and bandhas.

(d)          Pranayam system, all of which have been explained elsewhere in Ashtang Yoga.

 

We may now cosider what some writers have said regarding the place of Hatha Yoga in the spiritual path. Shri Yogindra, in his Introuction to his Hatha Yoga (simplified), speaks of Hatha Yoga as follows:

 

The necessity of this system of yoga must have been felf in the ancient past when the discipline and education of the physical became an essential form of discipline and control of the mental, the moral and the psychic. In this context, Hatha Yoga should be, and is regarded as the methodical approach to the attainment of the highest in Yooga. Because it deals primarily with the physical, the human body, in relation to mental, it has been appropriately identified as the physiological yoga or Ghatasya Yoga. 

 

The author Alain Danielou in his book, Yoga: The Method of Reintegration, describes the Method of Hatha yoga as reintegration through strength, because “self is not within the reach of the weak,” and dealing with its object and method, says:

 

Hatha Yoga is the name given to the technical practices and disciplines by which the body and the vital energies can be brought under control. Although of the means of yoga, it is the first preparation toward the way of reintegration, essential for further realization.

 

All treatises on yoga insist that the sole purpose of the physical practices of Hatha Yoga is to surmount physical obstacles on the spiritual or royal path of reintegration – Raja Yoga.

 

“Hatha” literally means “will- power,” or indomitable will to do a thing or to achive an object howsoever out of the common run it may appear to be .The meaning of the word “Hatha” Danielou goes on to explain from the Goraksha samhita, as:

 

The syllable “Ha” represents the sun, and the syllable “tha”represents the moon and the conjunction (yoga) of the sun and moon is therefore Hatha Yoga.

 

The cosmic principles, which manifest themselves in the planetary world as the sun and the moon, are found in every aspect of existence. In man, they appear mainly under two forms, one in the subtle body. The other in the gross body in the subtle body they appear as two channels along which our perception travel between the subtle centers at the base of the spinal chord and the center at the summit of the head. These two are called Ida and pingala; one corresponding to the cold aspect of the moon and the other to the warm aspect of the sun.

 

In the gross body, the lunar and solar principles correspond to the respiratory, cool, and the digestive, warm, vital energies, and are called prana and apana. It is by coordinating these two most powerful vital impulses that the yogin achieves his aim. In relation to breath, the cold air breathed in is spoken of as prana vayu and the warm air breathed out as apana vayu.

 

Hatha Yoga has certain undeniable advantages, many of which have already been described in the previous chapter when discussing asanas, pranayam or pratyahara. It lays the foundation of a healthy life capable of withstanding many physical strains through the elimination of toxic and impure matter within the bodily system. Toa yogin, decay comes not as the tortured end ripe fruit, it is the severance that is naturally wrought by inner maturity. Gain of control over various physical function naturally bring with it some degree of mental control as well, for any rigorous discipline of the will, and the development of the one stimulates the other.

 

Nevertheless, the physical and psychic powers that Hatha Yoga ensures to physical and psychic powers that Hatha Yoga ensures to the successful sadhak are not without their snares and dangers. Instead of being kept strictly private for further spiritual progress or uned only for the most humanitarian purposes, they are often employed for winning public applause and wealth. It is not for nothing that the common man associates this yoga with men who walk on burning charcoals, swallow glass- pieces or metal blades, eat snakeheads and rodents, hold back running cars , or allow themselves to be run  over by trucks or elephants. The serious- minded student of yoga, observing this abuse, must use these practices strictly as stepping – stones to Raja Yoga or else discard them altogether as yet another distraction from the goal , another means for pampering the ego which they set out to master. Huston smith, in The Religions of Man, has put the matter roundly:

 

Some person are chiefly interested in coordinating their bodies. Needless to say, they have their Indian counterparts –men who take mastery of the body as their basic interest, India has been interested in precision and control, ideally complete control over the body ‘s every function … Julian Huxley has ventured cautiously that India appears to have discovered some thing about what the body can be brought to do of which the west has no inkling. This extensive body of instruction comprises an authentic yoga, Hatha yoga. Originally it was practiced as a preliminary to spiritual yoga, but as it has largely lost this connection , it need not concern us here. A judgement of the Hindu sages on this mater can be ours as well: incredible thing can be done with the body if this is what interests you are willing to give your life to it. but these things have little to do with enlightenment. In fact, they grow out of a desire to show off, their mastery makes for oride and so is inimical to spiritual progress.