Hatha yoga is the most commonly known of the yoga of technique. It literally means the yoga of effort or force. While the tendency is to identify it with the physical yoga and asana practise, it is more than that. Classical hatha yoga texts like hatha yoga pradipika and gheranda samhita are tantric and teach not only asana but a whole range of tantric methods of purification, mantra and meditation.
The asana-dominated yoga of the west is sometimes called hatha yoga because in hatha texts we find the most detailed explanation of various asanas. In this regard, the best asana teachers and perhaps the greatest development of asana can be found in the west today in india the main yogic path is devotion and asana is generally treated superficially. However, western hatha yoga seldom goes into the meditation parts of classical hatha yoga. Therefore it is not entirely correct to call it hatha yoga. Classical hatha yoga employs powerful methods of internal cleansing that demand very special living circumstances. Hatha yoga is said to lead us to raja yoga or the higher yoga, in which meditation becomes the main concern.
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