What is the Difference Between Kundalini, Ashtanga, and Hatha Yoga?

Summary: Every yoga type or style comes with their own set of benefits and significance. Explore the article and know the difference between Ashtanga, Hatha, and Kundalini yoga.

Yoga is a wide concept and is beyond stretching, twisting, and bending. It comes in different types and styles, and each of them has their own significance and set of benefits. But those who are new to the universe of yoga, knowing and differentiating between the types can be quite bewildering. Practicing yoga of any type is beneficial, but select the one according to your personality and need to gain more benefits. Yoga and its use to cure Insomnia, assist in weight loss, enhance mental health, digestion, improve cardiovascular health, etc., are quite renowned. However, the lists of benefits of the science remain endless still.

Let’s start with knowing about the Kundalini, Hatha, and Ashtanga yoga and the difference between them.

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini Yoga focuses on the awakening of the psychic centers or chakras. In our body, there are six chakras, and with the practice of Kundalini, we can unfold each layer, and gain a higher level of consciousness as the layer unfolds. This yoga type mainly involves breathing and chanting. It helps in creating the spiritual transformation by setting free the energy found at the bottom of the spine.

Kundalini Yoga type involves the practice of intense breathing exercises and people who practice it experience an increase in energy flow and calmness of the mind. This yoga type is responsible for the spiritual awakening.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha is one of the traditional forms of yoga types. Its practice focuses majorly on the asanas. Hatha bifurcates into Ha- ‘vital force ruling the body’ and Tha- ‘the mental force that awakens the energy’. The Hatha Yoga purifies and cleanses the body system and connects the body and mind with the breathing techniques.

The type of yoga was popularised by Yogi Swatmarama in the 15th century and poses like Adho Mukha Svanasana, Bhujangasana, Garudasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana, and many more, are practiced even today.

The Hatha Yoga involves a gentle flow practice that also includes Sun Salutation, Balancing poses, Back and Forward bends, Relaxation poses, and Savasana for the body and mind alignment. Ashtanga Yoga

The eight-limbed practice of Ashtanga Yoga is one of the popular and oldest forms of Yoga. The eight-limbed practice comprises of Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. This eightfold path is a yogic guideline to live a healthy and meaningful life.

The practice of Ashtanga focuses on linking the breath with the movements- also called Vinyasa, and the advanced practices use the gaze or drishti and internal body locks or bandhas for holding the advanced and challenging Yoga poses.

The practice flow includes a set of poses that you need to perform sequence-wise and daily. It is a dynamic form of yoga and the practice flows from one pose to another without any use of props or music to stay in the present moment. More differences between the three

As mentioned, the yoga types are unique in their own way and are highly beneficial:

1. In Kundalini Yoga practice, there are repetitions of the movements, pranayama, and chanting mantras. Whereas, in Ashtanga, the practice starts with warm-up poses and the flow starts with warrior poses linking with the breath and the body movement.
2. Hatha and Kundalini are entirely different on the grounds of origin, focal point, and practice. But they do share a few similar asanas and breathing exercises. Even during Hatha practice, the practitioners use the mantra of Kundalini Yoga.
3. When it comes to Hatha and Ashtanga, both the yoga types are excellent and are two of the oldest and popular forms of yoga. Hatha majorly focuses on balance and strength, while Ashtanga connects the breath with the movement to bridge the gap between the body and mind.

The Author is a passionate Yogi, traveler and Yoga Teacher in Delhi. He loves writing and reading the books related to yoga, health, nature and the Himalayas.