page_title: Postural yoga in India
section_title: Medieval Haṭha yoga
hierarchical_section_title: Postural yoga in India / Medieval Haṭha yoga
caption_attribution_description: English: Illustration of Viparitakarana (Viparita Karani, here resembling Sarvangasana, shoulderstand) yoga pose from manuscript of, 1830.
context_page_description: Postural yoga began in India as a variant of traditional yoga, which was a mainly meditational practice; it has spread across the world and returned to the Indian subcontinent in different forms. The ancient Yoga Sutras of Patanjali mention yoga postures, asanas, only briefly, as meditation seats. Medieval Haṭha yoga made use of a small number of asanas alongside other techniques such as pranayama, shatkarmas, and mudras, but it was despised and almost extinct by the start of the 20th century. At that time, the revival of postural yoga was at first driven by Indian nationalism. Advocates such as Yogendra and Kuvalayananda made yoga acceptable in the 1920s, treating it as a medical subject. From the 1930s, the "father of modern yoga" Krishnamacharya developed a vigorous postural yoga, influenced by gymnastics, with transitions that allowed one pose to flow into the next.
  Krishnamacharya's pupils K. Pattabhi Jois and B. K. S. Iyengar brought yoga to the West and developed it further, founding their own schools and training yoga teachers. Once in the West, yoga quickly became mixed with other activities, becoming less spiritual and more energetic as well as commercial.
context_section_description: The branch of yoga that makes use of physical postures is Haṭha yoga. The Sanskrit word हठ haṭha means "force", alluding to its use of physical techniques.
  Haṭha yoga flourished from c. 1100. It was practised by Nath and other yogins in South Asia. Its performance was solitary and ascetic. All its procedures were secret. Its objectives were to force the vital fluid prana into the central sushumna channel of the subtle body to raise kundalini energy, enabling Samadhi (absorption) and ultimately Moksha (liberation). Hatha yoga made use of a small number of asanas, mainly seated; in particular, there very few standing poses before 1900. They were practised slowly; positions were often held for long periods. The practice of asanas was a minor preparatory aspect of spiritual work.
caption: Medieval Haṭha yoga was a solitary practice. The yogin is shown practising Viparita Karani, both an asana and a mudra intended to trap the vital fluid using gravity, helping the yogin to attain liberation.[4] Jogapradipika, 1830
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