MasterClass 121. How to start Hatha Yoga practice. Yoga guide with 46 poses, details and benefits explained.
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Yoga course 121. Hatha Yoga MasterClass
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- HATHA YOGA MASTERCLASS -
● YOGA POSES ● YOGA PRACTICE ● YOGA THEORY ●Estimated time for passing entire course: 6 months
What is this course about?
This is excellent hatha yoga course if you wish to learn different hatha yoga poses based on ancient treatise but taking into account modern life conditions.
Ancient Hatha yoga source – Hatha yoga from very beginning
First you will have a chance to read the full version of Hatha Yoga Narrative or Treatise of Hatha Yoga. There are many essential things you need to know. Even if you know nothing about yoga or you have some doubts about practicing of Hatha yoga – this single resource is enough for the beginner to start and for advanced practitioner to revise essential theory for successful practice. It’s language is simple and yet very deep. We suggest to reread this text when you start and when you complete this course46 essential Hatha yoga poses
In this course we have included 46 different poses. Each pose includes:
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name in English
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name in Sanskrit,
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photo of a pose,
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description from the treatise
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tips from Open Yoga Teachers
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level of difficulty
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image for visualization
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nice design you can print out.
You can also print out hatha yoga pose posters to form set of poses for your personal practice. Some poses also have video tutorials.
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Hatha Yoga Guide 
Hatha yoga includes large number of different poses. However, it is not enough to take a certain pose for a short moment of time to master this pose. Time factor plays important role too. And there are several more aspects to follow while you practice. This is very short but essential information to improve the knowledge of yoga and to work on practical skills.
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Pose for the stomach - Paschimottasasna
This is a pose for the stomach. Lie down on the ground, inhale and put your arms above your head, then exhale and bend forward, grasp your ankles by hands. Make sure your legs and knees are straight. Remain in this position and let the energy flow inside you. Then touch your knees with your forehead. By doing this pose, you will get rid of any illnesses in your abdominal area; you will feel joy.
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Pose – symbol of yogi giving up an illusion - Yoga mudra
Sit on your bended knees. Straighten your back, neck and head. Take the wrist of one hand by the opposite hand behind your back. Exhale and bend forward, touching the ground in front of you with your head. This pose is a symbol of yogi, giving up illusion. As for the air exhaled in the process of bending forward, yogi is exhaling all internal worries and mind affections to illusionary items. The strongest strings of Maya will be broken by this exercise. Yogi stops being a dummy in the hands of illusion. And if the strength of Maya is overcome, what other kind of Maya net you must overcome?! The whole set of associations, holding yogi enchained by ignorance, is being broken and the yogi becomes free. You can practice this pose sitting in the lotus pose. If you are worried by strange void desires, practice this pose diligently.
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Standing forward bend - Uttanasana
In an empty place, free from any unnecessary objects, stand still on both legs. Get a lungful of the life-giving air and raise your hands up. With exhale bend forward and grab your ankles. Keep your knees straight. Stay like this for a long time. You will cure many diseases of the brain, turn away the external and find the way to the inner world. The top part of body will be cured from many diseases.
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Cobra pose - Bhujangasana
Here is the cobra pose - Bhudjangasana. Oh, dear student! Place your body on the floor on your stomach. Place the palms under the shoulders, lift up your eyes, then slowly raise your head, bend your neck, then your back and help yourself with your hands to bend more. So, remain in this pose, being reflected by the energy. Then do everything in reverse to get out of the pose. This asana brings clear rage to the mind, like a cobra ready to strike. This exercise heals eyes, the upper spine, gives clarity of mind. By doing this asana, you will wake up the forces somniculous in the sacrum
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Bow pose - Dhanurasana
Now I will tell you about the bow pose. Lie down on your stomach, bend your knees and grab the ankles by your hands and remain in this position for some time. Wait until the energy of this pose will wake up.
Then, oh dear student, start unbending the knees and bend your back. You will take a pose of the bow. Remain in this pose as long, as your body lets you. This is an insuperable pose of burning the umbilical fire. Weak life fire can be cured by this pose. Shoulders and arm joints are cured by this pose. A lot of negative karma is burnt by it, as in the furnace.
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Cat pose - Uttana Shishosana
Stand on both knees and both arms, and then bend so that your head, arms and chest were on the floor, like a cat, climbing under the fence or stretching. Remain in this pose for a long time, so that the energy flows from your pelvis through the body to the head. Watch your spine to be gracefully curved down. Stomach upset and lungs disease is eliminated by this pose. You will become resilient and develop intelligence.
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Twist pose -Ardha Matsyendrasana
Sit down on your knees. Straighten your back, neck and head. Then bring your left foot to the outside of the right knee. Turn your back, head and neck to the left, helping with your arms to turn as much as you can. Hold this pose for a long time. By doing this pose you will cure many spine diseases. By this pose you can change the flow of lunar energy to the solar energy. Twist back to center in the same order and then repeat on the other side. By doing this asana you will understand the duality of the world, and perceive the All behind duality.
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Plow pose – Halasana
Put your straight body on the back. Inhale and exhale bring your straight legs to the ground behind your head. Touch the ground behind your head. Let your hands lay loose on the floor or place them behind your head. This pose is known as plow pose or halasana. It will cure pain in the lower back, as well as in the neck.
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Cow head pose - Gomukhasana
Sit on the ground on your bended knees. Bring one leg across the opposite leg and straighten your back. Raise one hand, bended in elbow behind your back. And bring the other hand, also bended in elbow, behind your back. Then let your hands to interlock behind your back. Repeat to the other side. This pose switches channels from lunar to solar and from solar to lunar. It is used for practicing mudras and bandhas.
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Inverted pose – Viparita Karani
Now listen to the description of the inverted pose – viparita karani. In a beautiful place lie down on your back, raise your legs upwards and hold the bottom of your body by hands. Remain like this for a long time. By doing this exercise you’ll reverse the flow of time. You’ll get younger, all wrinkles will disappear. By this asana Yogis swap energy and consciousness. Endless blessings are inherited by this pose. Do not overdo it. Slowly increase duration, eat well and avoid bad companies. Yogi practicing this pose holds time in own arms. If you move your legs further away from the head, so they are hold by arms only, you will become a master of the sexual energy. Brahmacharya can be reached only when this energy is under control.
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Half royal pose – Ardha Sirsasana
Place your head on the floor. Put your arms round it. Stay on the knees. Then straighten your legs in such a way, that you take stand on your feet, and the body is bent in an angle. Remain in this position and you will inherit sharp mind, excellent vision and knowledge of the finest energies. This asana by its effect can be compared with stand on head or the royal pose, that’s why it is called half royal pose – Ardha Sirsasana.
My dear student, if you're going to be empowered, if you lead the life of a Rajah, which requires constant vigilance and that requires your personal radiance, like the radiance of the Sun, in order to make a conspicuous figure for your subjects and trigger fears of your enemies, please practice this Royal pose.
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Shoulder stand - Sarvangasana
Lie on your back. Raise your legs and body up. Let them be straight forming one vertical line. Let the chin bear against your breast. Rest your arms along your sides, or you can use them to support your body, or leave them resting on the ground relaxed. This pose is similar to sirsasana (head stand). If you master this pose, you will become the lord of upper centers of your body.
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Camel pose - Ustrasana
Stand on your knees, bend your back backward and touch your heels with your hands. This position enables control over the upper respiratory organs and helps to develop endurance.
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Half circle pose - Ardha Chakrasana
Put your straight body on the ground. Let your arms lay along the body. Bend your knees and place feet flat on the ground. Grab your ankles by hands and bend the body up. This is a half-wheel pose, it gives same benefits as the wheel pose.
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Circle pose - Chakrasana
Lie down on your back. Bend your knees. Place hands behind the head and put palms on the floor. Supporting on your hands and feet, raise your body up and then hands and feet to move towards each other. You will get a wheel pose. This asana eliminates impurity in the spine and increases vitality.
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Pose of the resting hero- Supta Vajra Asana
Sit down on the ground between your feet. Helping by your arms lay on the back. Put your arms behind your head. Stay like this. This pose can cure joints illnesses as well as pain in the shoulders. It is known as a pose of the resting hero.
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Plank pose - Phalakasana
Place you straight body on a beautiful mat on the stomach. Place your palms on the floor under the shoulders. Raise your straight body on straight arms as if your body is a plank. By doing this position you mobilize your consciousness. If you feel you could hardly control yourself, by doing this pose you will not let anger to come out. This pose gives clearness to mind and cures all illnesses of the arms.
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Down-facing Dog pose - Adho Mukha Svanasana
Do the same as for the plank pose. Then bend at the waist keeping your legs straight. Your arms, body and head should make one line. By doing this pose you will clear channels in your legs, arms and waist. Blood with prana will wash your arms, body and head. By doing this you will renew the blood in your legs. Endurance is acquired by this pose, it will balance blood and energy level in your body.
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Crane pose - Bakasana
Support yourself on hands and toes. Arms should be bent in elbows and the knees rest on top of the elbows. Then very carefully raise the toes off the ground, resting only on the hands. This pose is known as a twisted stand on hands. It strengthens the stomach muscles.
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Peacock pose – Мayurasana
Standing on your knees, bend forward. Put the hands on the ground, with palms facing the legs. Put both elbows together and press them against the belly-button. Your forehead must be resting on the floor. Straighten your legs; raise your head from the ground, so that you are resting only on the palms and the toes. Wait for the energy to start flowing. Then move forward and raise your body from the ground, so that the head, body and legs are parallel to the ground and the whole body is held by the palms. This pose is called peacock pose – mayurasana. Those who practice this asana have a strong digestion, which kills all toxins. This pose will cure all stomach illnesses.
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Triangle pose - Trikonasana
Now I will describe the triangle pose. Stand straight; put your legs apart at shoulder width. Body, neck and head should be on one straight line. Inhale and raise your hands, keeping them parallel to the ground, so they make one line. Exhale and bend to the right, touch your right or left foot with the right hand. Let your eyes look towards the left hand. Try to keep your arms on one straight line. Then do the same exercise to another side. This asana will let you cure any pain in the spine. It also changes solar and lunar inffluences.
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Locust pose - Salabhasana
Lie down on the ground, on your stomach. Put your hands under your thighs or join them together at the groin area. Support yourself on hands and raise your legs as high as possible. This is a locust pose. It gives strength to the hands.
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Tree pose - Vriksasana
Stand straight on one leg. Bend the opposite leg in the knee, and rest the foot against the other inner thigh. Raise your hands above your head and put your palms together. This pose gives stability to the mind and insensibility to external influence.
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Balancing stick pose – Tuladandasana
Stand on one leg, bend forward. Raise the opposite leg and stretch it to make one line with the torso. Spread your arms into sides like a swan spreading wings, when it sits on the lake. Keep the balance. This pose gives the feeling of space and controls the position of your body in it. It’s a balancing stick pose.
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Head-to-knee pose - Janu Sirsasana
Sit on the ground keeping your legs straight. Bend one knee and place the foot against the inner thigh of the opposite leg. Bend forward. Grab the straight leg with your palms.
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Revolved Head-to-Knee - Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana
Sit on the ground keeping your legs straight. Bend one knee, and stretch the opposite leg to the side. Bend your torso to one side so that one body side is stretched and the opposite side is impacted. You can take the foot of your straight leg by your palm. This is the pose of stretched side. It gives flexibility and control over the ribs.
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Wide Seated Forward Bend Pose - Upavistha Konasana
Sit down on the ground with straight legs. Put the legs aside as wide as possible. Bend forward and take straight legs by your hands.
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Upward plank pose - Purvottanasana
Sit down on the ground with straight legs. Base yourself upon your palms behind your back. Bend the body upward in such a way that you rest on palms and feet. Keep your knees straight. Stay like this for a long time.
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Warrior pose – Virabhadasana
Stand so that one leg is bended in the knee and the opposite leg is straight behind. Raise your hands above your head and join the palms together.
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Boat pose - Navasana
Sit down on the ground, then raise your straight legs and grab them by hands. Keep the balance in this pose and stay like this for a long time. This is a balancing pose.
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Chair pose – Utkanasana
Stay straight; join your hands above your head. Bend your knees keeping your torso and arms on one straight line.
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Same angle pose - Samakonasana
Stay straight, bend forward, keeping your knees straight and stretched arms and torso parallel to the ground. Stay in this pose for a long time.
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Double triangle pose - Dvikonasana
Stand straight; join your palms behind your back. Bend forward, keeping your knees and elbows straight. Raise your elbows as high as possible. This is a double triangle pose.
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Pose of dancing Shiva – Natarajasana
Stand straight on one leg. Bend the opposite knee and hold the leg with your hand behind your back. Raise the opposite hand up to the front. Raise the leg as high as possible, helping with your hands. Stay long in this pose. This is a pose of dancing Shiva.
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The Celibate's pose - Brahmacharia asana
Sit down on the ground with straight legs, keeping your torso, neck and head on one straight line. Base yourself upon your hands on the ground and raise your body, holding only on palms and heels. Those who practice this pose get a lot of benefits in other poses. Practice it with diligence. This is brahmacharia asana.
Now I will describe wonderful poses for meditation and for practicing many types of yoga.
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Vadjrasana - Diamond pose
Sit down on your knees in the secluded place. Keep your back, neck and head on one straight line. Put your hands on the knees. Fix your eyes at the front. Strength of diamond is gained by doing this pose; for this reason it is called a diamond pose.
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Lotus pose– Padmasana
Sitting on the ground place your left foot on the right thigh and your right foot on the left thigh. Or place your right foot on the left thigh and your left foot on the right thigh so that your legs are interlaced. Straighten your back, neck and head. The pose is called lotus pose – Padmasana. This is an excellent pose, ideal for pranayama and meditation.
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Upward abdominal lock - Udianabandha asana
Stand straight, make a deep exhalation. Press your palms against half-bended legs. Pull in your stomach muscles as high as possible, while exhaling.
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Fish pose – Matsyasana
Sit in a lotus pose on the ground. Then lie down on your back, place both hands under your head – this is fish pose – matiasana. Those who mastered this pose feel like fish in water and can remain in this pose for a long time.
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Krishna’s dream pose - Yoga Nidrasana
Lie on your back on the ground. Bend the knees, bring them to the floor behind your head and place on both sides of your head. This pose is called Krishna’s dream. Yogi can fall asleep immediately when practicing this pose. Sleeping in this pose is very beneficial.
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Happy baby pose – Ananda Balasana
Lie on your back and pull your legs bent in knees to your torso. Slip your hands between the knees and grab your feet by hands. You can pull your feet and hands as far as possible and touch the ground behind your head. This is one of the most important poses for attaining power over sexual energy. Those who mastered this pose have full control over apana. Many siddhis sleep in this pose. If you feel disease inside your body caused by overstrain, practice this pose. All illnesses of the intestines and internal organs are cured by this pose. Those who practice this pose cure all illnesses and acquire clarity of perception. Yogi performing this pose is tuned out of all external influences. This is the pose of the winner.
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Crocodile pose – Makarasana
Lie down on the stomach, with your straight body. Place your head on your palms and stay long in this pose – pose of crocodile. It gives rest to your body and mind.
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Corpse pose – Shavasana
You should always finish Hatha Yoga exercises with the precious pose shavasana. Like no any other pose, this pose grants success in Yoga. If you know shavasana, you know all poses; if you don’t know this pose it is hard to become successful in yoga. So, listen, oh, worthy student. Put your body, straight and motionless, as a corps, on the ground, relax your muscles, release your face. And, as a corps, remain in this posture for a long time. Try not to breathe, and then even thoughts will disappear. This pose gives rest to the mind, and to your worn-out nerves, it regenerates the energy, redistributes the feelings. As the main diamond in a crown, shavasana is the main asana among all the poses. Consider you are dead. Then slowly return back to life. Start breathing, then thinking, then make some moves. Never get up quickly, and if you did, do some relaxing exercise. Always practice this pose; it would be unwise to neglect it.
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