The Meaning of Hatha Yoga

The Meaning of Hatha Yoga

Usually, Yoga is translated as ‘Union’ or ‘join’. However, there is another meaning to this word that is only revealed by understanding the historical context in which it was used. The word Yoga originally referred to a ‘yoke’ which was used to harness two oxen in order to pull a plough. In fact, the English word ‘Yoke’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Yoga’.

A yoke is a curved wooden beam and was placed across the necks of two draft animals. In the ancient world,

everyone knew that the key was to make sure the two draft animals were evenly balanced. In the Bible, Deuteronomy 22:10 says, “Thou shall not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.” Ancient people were intimately familiar with the need not only to harness the Oxen to each other, but also the importance that they be balanced, in order to steer the plow.

In Sanskrit, ‘ha’ means sun and ‘tha’ means moon. This is usually translated as male and female, but could also refer to warrior vs healer, the sympathetic vs parasympathetic nervous system or two opposites. So Hatha Yoga can be understood as a system designed to help us balance and unite opposites.

In Hindu mythology there are three primary gods, Brahma (creation), Vishnu (preservation) and Shiva (destruction). We can argue that Brahma and Shiva are flip sides of the same coin. Any time we change something, we destroy the past and create a new future. So whether something is an act of destruction or creation depends upon the temporal orientation of the observer. They are both aspects of change.

Balanced against that change is Vishnu and stasis. Life only exists when change and stasis are balanced. If we move too far towards Vishnu we suffocate life with too much order. In a crystal of salt, every atom has a unique address in the lattice and is not able to move about freely. If Shiva/Brahma dominate we move towards chaos. Imagine a plasma or hot gas, with atoms careening around chaotically.

When Vishnu is in balance with Shiva/Brahma life, in all of its complexities, becomes possible. The more comp

lex the organism, the more balance is required to sustain it. Humans require more balance than viruses. We have to balance our oxygen and carbon dioxide; sugar; electrolytes; the endocrine system; the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the peripheral nervous system; we have to balance to stand up and walk; we have to balance earning and spending, work and family. It never ends.

Awareness and intelligence are fundamental to maintaining balance, and balance is fundamental to sustaining complexity. Yoga is unparalleled in its ability to help us balance and unite opposites within ourself.