What is Hatha Yoga? Most emphatically, its concern is mainly to tame the body for its onward spiritual growth.
If it is only the body aspect, is the God given/God-designed body imperfect for commencing and conducting spiritual disciplines? Those who disown Hatha Yoga and are not overawed by its practice and the results that it gives, believe so. According to them the practice of Hatha Yoga is not necessary for the real spiritual growth.
Animated yoga postures for stress relief, breathing exercises, asana and pranayama-- all form part of Hatha Yoga. But they are all conducted with a purpose to achieve particular results. There are many subsidiary goals, which Hatha Yoga practitioners believe need to be achieved before achieving the final goal of Self-Realisation.
When we talk about yoga, we refer to it in the physical sense. To build the body to its perfection is the main aim of yoga. To attain emotional well being is also its concern, because without the emotional well being, spiritual attainments are not possible. The Hatha Yogi is a perfect scientist. He sees the body as the temple of God and wants to maintain it in a spic-and-span condition for the entry of God!
Therefore, asanas and other strict physical austerities, bordering the body are the priority of a Hatha Yogi. He considers them essential, without which it is not possible to achieve the final goal. He firmly believes that certain positions of the body can only be achieved by hard and intense practice.
There are several asanas for which the names of bird, animals or flowers are given. That shows their love for Nature, their feeling of oneness with the Nature. Some consider Hatha Yoga as the most unwanted part of yoga. Since any particular practice of Hatha Yoga is done by keeping in mind the attainment of a particular objective, the same is not considered perfect from the pure spiritual point of view. Doing anything with a motivated desire is not considered conducive to spiritual goal. The results of such actions are considered impermanent. The impermanent can not lead to the permanent.
Nevertheless, Hatha Yoga is what Hatha Yoga does! It has millions of ardent followers and some charlatans too, who are bent upon exploiting the gullibility of the people!
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