What do Buddha, Jesus Christ, and Mohammed have in common? One, they were great spiritual leaders. Two, after a leader’s death, his followers splintered into sects with differing interpretations of the leader’s teachings. Hatha yoga is in this position, too, represented by a great deal of conflicting information. Anyone who has attended yoga classes from different teachers, read yoga books by different authors, or investigated different yoga sites on the internet is familiar with the situation.
In a field with the history and breadth of yoga, legitimate differences of opinion and interpretation will arise. These are to be valued, not dismissed. However, errors will also creep in: unintentional (through ignorance or carelessness) or intentional (e.g. through embellishment or self-promotion) misstatements of fact. Factual errors sometimes are difficult to distinguish from differences of viewpoint, but oftentimes the distinction is not hard -- it simply requires access to the actual facts.
The intent of this site is to make a contribution to hatha yoga by providing accurate, balanced, and authenticated information that is impartial and objective. The site utilizes source documents of hatha yoga, plus the actual teachings of recognized masters, in their words and pictures. Hatha yoga is a majestic ancient tree with deep roots, firm trunk, and sturdy limbs. The complete yoga tree includes numerous smaller branches plus leaves and flowers. Seasonal eaves and flowers can be enticing, but they are transient, and few of the smaller branches will survive storms and other perils to grow into strong support structures for the tree. This site speaks not of such impermanent growths, but of the solid structure upon which all the rest depends.
This site also explores incorporation of hatha yoga into an individual’s life. While the approach here is necessarily more personal than dry factual information, it too is based on foundational teachings and life experiences of the masters.
Information presented on this site is supported by material listed on the Resources page. The picture of hatha yoga that emerges is a mosaic of odd shapes instead of a precise geometric pattern, but that simply reflects life as it is. You may be confident that the information, while occasionally thought-provoking or surprising, is accurate.
This site is not selling or promoting anything. Its sole purpose is to be valuable to people learning about hatha yoga as an educational pursuit or to develop a hatha yoga practice.
