page_title: Hatha yoga
section_title: Post-Hathapradipika texts
hierarchical_section_title: Hatha yoga / Origins / Classical haṭha yoga / Post-Hathapradipika texts
caption_attribution_description: English: India, Rajasthan, Bikaner, circa 1730-1740 Drawings; watercolors Opaque watercolor on paper 6 7/8 x 5 1/8 in. (17.46 x 13.02 cm) Gift of the Joseph B. and Ann S. Koepfli Trust in honor of Dr. Pratapaditya Pal (M.2011.156.4) South and Southeast Asian Art Currently on public view: Ahmanson Building, floor 4
context_page_description: Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga. The Sanskrit word हठ haṭha literally means "force" and thus alludes to a system of physical techniques.
  In India, haṭha yoga is associated in popular tradition with the Yogis of the Natha Sampradaya through its traditional founder Matsyendranath. Almost all hathayogic texts belong to the Nath siddhas, and the important ones are credited to Matsyendranath's disciple, Gorakhnath or Gorakshanath. Matsyendranath, also known as Minanath or Minapa in Tibet, is celebrated as a saint in both Hindu and Buddhist tantric and haṭha yoga schools. However, James Mallinson associates haṭha yoga with the Dashanami Sampradaya and the mystical figure of Dattatreya. According to the Dattatreya Yoga Śastra, there are two forms of haṭha yoga: one practiced by Yajñavalkya consisting of the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga and another practiced by Kapila consisting of eight mudras.
  Currently, the oldest dated text to describe haṭha yoga, the 11th-century CE Amṛtasiddhi, comes from a tantric Buddhist milieu. The oldest texts to use the terminology of hatha are also Vajrayana Buddhist.
context_section_description: Post-Hathapradipika texts on Hatha yoga include:
  Amaraughasasana: a Sharada script manuscript of this Hatha yoga text was copied in 1525 CE. It is notable because fragments of this manuscript have also been found near Kuqa in Xinjiang (China). The text discusses khecarimudra, but calls it saranas.
  Hatha Ratnavali: a 17th-century text that states Hatha yoga consists of ten mudras, eight cleansing methods, nine kumbhakas and 84 asanas (compared to 15 asanas of Hathapradīpikạ̄). The text is also notable for dropping the nadanusandhana (inner sound) technique.
  Hathapradipika Siddhantamuktavali: an early 18th-century text that expands on Hathapradīpikạ by adding practical insights and citations to other Indian texts on yoga.
  Gheranda Samhita: a 17th or 18th-century text that presents Hatha yoga as "ghatastha yoga", according to Mallinson. It presents 6 cleansing methods, 32 asanas, 25 mudras and 10 pranayamas. It is one of the most encyclopedic texts on Hatha yoga.
  Jogapradipika: an 18th-century Braj-language text by Ramanandi Jayatarama that presents Hatha yoga simply as "yoga". It presents 6 cleansing methods, 84 asanas, 24 mudras and 8 kumbhakas.
caption: 18th century yoginis in Rajasthan
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