Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga: What’s the Difference?
It’s difficult to keep track of what’s going on in the yoga world these days. Continually, new styles and flavors keep popping and it gets quite confusing. Let’s get a few terms straight and it will help you understand the big picture as well as the difference between Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga.
Firstly, way back in the day, Ashtanga Yoga was the method of yoga outlined in Patanjali’s yoga sutras. It is the 8 step method to progress from normal human to enlightened yogi. Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga included Asana (postures) and Pranayama (breathing) as well as meditation (Dharana and Dhyana), bliss (Samadhi) and codes of personal conduct (Yama and Niyama). This Ashtanga was a complete system to take you from beginning to end in yoga.
About 1500 years ago, a new method of yoga developed out of the older ways of Patanjali and other systems. This method was named Hatha Yoga and it concentrates on the energetic systems of the human body and how we can change it to reach Samadhi (bliss) and Kundalini. Hatha Yoga starts with purification (Kriya) and then one does postures (Asana) then Pranayama, then locks (Bandha) and seals (Mudra). All these practices are based on energy and prana and are quite different than Patanjali’s Ashtanga system.
Yoga Styles: Ashtanga and Hatha
Now that we know the big picture, let’s address what you are probably actually asking, about the difference between “Ashtanga Yoga” of K. Pattabhi Jois and “Hatha”. When you put it this way, we are talking about yoga styles. Yoga styles are the different flavors of Hatha Yoga (as described above) where the practice is based on asana and postures.
Ashtanga style yoga is the fixed flow of postures that is done the same way every time. There are a number of different set series (first series, second series, etc) but most people only get through the first series. When you go to an ashtanga class, expect a powerful and difficult experience (until you get used to it), which is meant to bring power and intensity to the body. This is a type of Hatha Yoga as mentioned above.
Another common yoga style is termed “Hatha”. This is a blanket term that is used when they don’t know what else to call it. It could basically include any types of practices but is usually focused on asana and sometimes pranayama. It all depends on the teacher and what they want to focus on.
So, to put it in a nutshell: Ashtanga style yoga and Hatha are both types of the original Hatha Yoga. Ashtanga is actually not very much the 8 Limbs (Ashtanga) of Patanjali because its full focus is asana and does not engage with the other 7 limbs. Hatha yoga engages the methods of energetic practice that is different than Patanjali’s method. Got it?
Read the Hatha Yoga Pradipika to learn about the original traditions of Hatha Yoga and read the Yoga Sutras to get more info about traditional Ashtanga Yoga.
Join Us on a 200 Hour Training or course and learn much more about yoga traditions, methods and wisdom!! And Check our our Podcast: Yogis, Swamis and Swindlers!
