Hatha Yoga: What is it and how to practice it on vacation

Hatha Yoga: the yogic discipline as a source of wellness at the Forte Village Resort

Unwinding, relaxing and focus on the wellbeing of the body and the mind becomes easier with Hatha Yoga, a kind of yoga you can practice in the relaxing ‘Ayurvedic-Yoga Park’, inside of the wonderful garden of the ‘Acquaforte Thalasso & Spa’. Here the resort guests can relax with yoga, pilates sessions and massages.

On vacation, there are those who cannot renounce to active sports and those who prefer to learn to listen to their own body instead using disciplines like chromotherapy or Hatha Yoga, also known as “strength yoga” or “effort yoga”.

Hatha Yoga is one among several types of yoga, it is the most famous and is used in the Occident, it’s aim is to help the practitioner reach a balance between body, mind and spirit through a series of physical exercises (asana), breathing exercises (Pranyama) and meditation. It is a yogic discipline, part of the stream of tantric yoga, which also includes Kundalini yoga, Raja yoga, Laya yoga and Mantra yoga, with origins which date back to the writing of the sacred works written in Sanskrit.

The regularization of the practice is attributed to Gorakhnāth, the Indian philosopher whose history is shrouded in mystery. According to the legend, the mystic is the manifestation of the god Śiva and the founder of Hatha Yoga.

The word Hatha, from Sanskrit origin, means literally “prolonged effort”, that is why we refer to it as the “strength yoga” or “yoga of effort”, but it holds also another interpretation. It refers in fact to a terminology composed by two words: ha (sun), that connects the right nostril of our nose, and tha (moon), that influences the left nostril.

Hatha Yoga is therefore the union of two breaths, the yoga of the sun and the moon, the heart and the reason, body and spirit. Opposites that become one and work in harmony to restore the balance between mind and body.

Hatha Yoga is the yogic discipline that aims to achieve the physiological and psychological balance through a constant and regular practice and to bring together the individual and the universal self.

The principal texts of the discipline are Haṭhayoga Pradīpikā, from the XV century, the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā, written between the XVI and the XVII century, and the Śiva Saṃhitā, a work from an unknown author from the XVIII century.

The foundation principles of Hatha Yoga are collected in these books.

• Shatkarma: This word is composed by the term shat, six, and kria, purification. These are preliminary practices that aim to purify the body and balance the three dosha, that is the vital energies.
• Asana: Yoga positions. There are a thousands of them, static and dynamic and are to be practiced in full respect of the rhythm of the body.
• Pranayama: Breathing techniques that the practitioner has to learn in order to purify the mind and body. Through the control of prana, the breathing, body, and mind work in harmony.
• Mudra: Symbolic gestures used as completion of some asana during moments dedicated to meditation.
• Pratyahara: Focusing your attention on your own inwardness
• Dharana: useful practices to improve your focus
• Dhyâna: meditation practices
• Samadhi: deep meditation practices

Hatha Yoga: Benefits for body and mind

The health of the spine benefits greatly from the practices of Hatha Yoga, which benefits extend to body and spirit.

To practice the yogic disciplines means:

• To prevent back and neck pain
• Improve muscle tone, elasticity, and balance
• Learn to control your own body
• Balance your weight
• Increase calm, concentration and strength
• Contrast stress, anxiety, depression and panic attacks
• Discover one-self and improve relationships with others

Hatha Yoga: Ayurvedic-Yoga Park at the Forte Village

The Ayurvedic-Yoga Park is the garden of the Indian wisdom of the Forte Village, inside the Acquaforte Thalasso & Spa, where resort guests can practice Hatha Yoga or choose a wellbeing treatment to relax the body and restore the spirit.

• Abhyanga: This is the massage, symbolic of Ayurvedic medicine, that improves blood and lymphatic circulation, tones the muscles and eliminates toxins. It helps you relax thanks to the use of scented oil and aromatic essences, spices and Indian plants.
• Forteveda signature massage: it is a massage with Ayurvedic oil. It helps the body to relax muscles and ligaments.
• Shirodara and 4-hands treatment: A massage that pampers you and helps you release any tension, thanks to hot oil running down the forehead in a constant and fluid way.
• Hatha Flow & Vinyasa: It is a fluid series of asana that help you rebalance the harmony between breath and movement with the aim to control the hold and the alignment of every position.
• Gentle Hatha: It is a delicate yoga that combines a sequence of relaxing postures to the practice of meditation.
• Yoga: For this millenary Indian tradition, the resort reserves a special place and proposes the Ying Yoga, where the yin practice, in contraposition to the Yang dynamic, focus on the ligaments, tendons, and joints

Do you want to live a dream holiday characterized by wellness and good taste? Come to Forte Village Resort in Sardinia.