Today we have a special guest on Yoga Upload, Dr. Melissa West from Yoga with Melissa. This is a 40-minute beginner hatha yoga class.
Here is Melissa’s description of the practice:
Hatha yoga is often defined as a generic term to any type of yoga that teaches gentle physical postures that is not a flow based class. However, hatha yoga actually has a specific meaning.
Hatha is a sanskrit word which breaks down to ha for sun and tha for moon. Just like the sun brings the energy to the day and the moon brings the energy to the night, we need to balance the energy in our body. During the day we are active and at night we rest. Ha represents that active energies. Tha represents the quiet qualities. Together they bring harmony.
The Sun qualities of hatha yoga are stimulating, vibrant, energizing and strong but we can burn out if we are always efforting. In our day to day lives we tend to push forward, be addicted to busy and doing and be more comfortable with effort and energy. Generally, our culture needs to connect with our moon energy more, the quiet, receptive, nurturing, introspective, restorative energy. In our beginner hatha yoga class today we will balance the Ha and the Tha, the sun and the moon energies in your body with yoga postures. In this yoga class I will offer lots of modifications and explain how to do each pose. I offer easy to follow, step by step instructions in each yoga pose. The class begins with a preview of all the poses so that you will know if this is a class you can do.
The poses we’ll be doing in class are: Guided Relaxation, Bridge Pose or Setu Bandhasana, Reclined Half Moon Pose or Supta Ardha Chandrasana, Cat Pose or Marjaryasana, Child’s Pose or Balasana,, Lunge Pose or Anjaneyasana, Hero Pose or Virasana Option for Staff Pose or Dandasana, Chair Pose or Utkatasana, Uttanasana or Standing Forward Fold, Sphinx Pose or Salamba Bhujangasana, Crocodile Pose or Makarasana, Savasana or Corpse Pose
Suggested Props: Blocks
Yoga Upload with Maris Aylward 