The Meaning of hatha in Early Hathayoga

Journal article

This essay was prompted by the question of how Hathayoga, literally 'the Yoga of force', acquired its name. Many Indian and Western scholars have understood the 'force' of Hathayoga to refer to the effort required to practice it. Inherent in this understanding is the assumption that Hathayoga techniques such as pranayama (breath control) are strenuous and may even cause pain. Others eschew the notion of force altogether and favor the so-called 'esoteric' definition of Hathayoga (i...

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Authors: Birch, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Journal: Journal of the American Oriental Society
• Volume: 131
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 527-554
• Publication date: 2011-12-01
• ISSN: 0003-0279
• Language: English
• Keywords: ha; Laya; Raja; Hatha yoga; Shaivism; saiva; Mantra; raja; mudra; samadhi; forceful yoga; Hathapradipika; Tantra; amanaska; tha; saivism; hatha; patanjalayoga; Pradipika; Patanjali; Buddhist Tantra
• Subjects: Religions of the Indian subcontinent.; History; Languages (Medieval and Modern) and non-English literature; History of Asia & Far East; Literature (non-English); Literatures of other languages; Oriental philosophy; Sanskrit; Philosophy,psychology and sociology of religion