What is the difference between yoga, pranayama, and meditation?
Difference between yoga, pranayama, and meditation
MEDITATION
It is believed that the subtle body plays a very important role in human life and has an impact on his health. All our diseases first arise there, and then pass into the physical body. Unfortunately, modern man does not often pay attention to his subtle body, which would allow him to stay healthy and strong.
Meditation helps to eliminate the troubles that we have accumulated over the previous day, to restore the lost energy.
YOGA
Hatha Yoga
The word “hatha” comes from the Sanskrit terms “ha”, which means “sun” and “tha”, which means “moon”. Thus, hatha yoga is the direction of yoga, which unites pairs of opposites related to positive (sun) and negative (moon) currents.
This system is considered the stage of physical training that a person performs for the transition to the next level of meditation and yoga.
Nowadays it is common knowledge that yoga is useful for the physical body, but few are aware of many other positive aspects of yoga. Acting on a subtle level, yoga gradually allows a person to abandon bad habits without regret and labor. In the process of doing yoga, it becomes quite obvious that human life is too interesting and multifaceted to waste it. The lesson is conducted by a real professional, a yoga master who has extensive experience.
Hatha yoga is based on asanas (positions) and pranayama (breathing technique, also known as shatkarma). Traditional hatha yoga is a complex practice that includes the following disciplines: body positions (asanas), purification procedures (shatkriya), postures (mudras), breathing (pranayama) and meditation.
Hatha yoga is one of the directions of yoga, which focuses on physical culture, the second direction is called raja yoga. The main difference is that in Raja Yoga, asanas are used mainly to prepare the body for prolonged meditation, so the focus is on meditative asanas: the pose of lotus (padmasana), siddhasana, sukhasana, vajrasana. Hatha Yoga uses not only meditative, but also dynamic positions. Also, the use of pranayama in raja yoga is devoid of excessive locks (bandhas).
Hatha is the opposite energy: hot and cold, fire and water (in accordance with a similar concept of yin-yang), male and female, positive and negative. Hatha Yoga is aimed at balancing the mind and body through the positions of “asana”, purifying practices, controlled breathing and calm the mind through relaxation and meditation. Asanas improve balance, balance and physical strength, they are practiced to improve body health and purify the mind in preparation for meditation. However, if a person has too much mucus and ama then pranayama requires cleaning procedures.
This practice is also considered to reduce stress. Signs of a successful practice of hatha yoga are slender body, a smiling face, clear eyes, a sense of well-being, control over bindu, an increase in digestive fire and purification of the nadis.
PRANAYAMA
Pranayama is made up of the words “prana” – the life force and “ayama” – extension or regulation.
Pranayama is aimed at the extension, control and regulation of breathing.
Three components of respiration are regulated : recach (exhaled air), purak (inhalation) and kumbhak (pause between inhalation and exhalation).
Pranayama is practiced for the development of mental, physical and spiritual strength.