Day 8 : Hatha Hatha Hatha


Date : October 8th, Tuesday
Day : 8

When I went for Hatha yesterday at Orchard, I really was in two minds to go all the way to Raffles Place to make it to Daphne's Flow class. I love her monday flow classes. But then Raffles Place is just so far and going all that way will mean getting stuck in the office going 8 am crowd on my way back home and I wanted to try and make it back home asap! So I choose to go for Anton's hatha instead. Not complaining at all. Anton is terrific. But what I didn't realise is that I would be doing 3 Hatha classes back to back. Since both the 7 am and 6 pm class on Tuesdays in Raffles is Hatha. Anyway, no worries gives me a chance to improve on some of the poses. 

So today was my Hatha day with June in the morning and Monica (yes the taskmaster Monica) in the evening. I like both those ladies and it's a pleasure to be in their classes. I did improve the dandayamana dhanuasana a bit, which I am proud of! I can now lift my leg without stretching forward too much and my balance is SO much better because i am stretching and kicking simultaneously.

The good part about Hatha is that it is a fixed sequence so you know you are nearing the end when the going gets really tough! But the other really nice aspect of the hot hatha class is the pranayama or breathing exercises, at the beginning and the end of the class. The pranayama we do at the end of the class is one of my father's favorites : kapalbhati and is a yogic cleansing technique. Kapalbhati broken down is two words : Kapal meaning skull or head and Bhati meaning Shining.  So the word literally means "shining of the skull"

Kapalbhati is usually performed sitting in padmasan (cross-legged position)

                                                     

or even vajrasan (kneeling position)

                                                

The focus is on exhaling, while inhaling occurs automatically. When you exhale you have to contract the  muscles in your stomach. Very similar to blowing your nose. It's important to keep the rest of your body as relaxed as possible Here's a brief how-to (thanks to Shilpa Shetty's YT yoga videos!) :

  • Sit straight with your spine erect in padmasan or Vajrasan
  • Take in a deep breath and exhale quickly and suddenly making a puffing sound while you do it. Focus on exhaling forcefully and not on inhalation.
  • When you exhale, draw you abdominal muscles inward simultaneously. Your abdomen should rise when you inhale and fold when you exhale.
  • Continue for 10 breaths and then take a break. Perform two more similar sets.
As the name suggests, regular practice of kapalbhati makes one glow. It is of course brilliant to purify & detoxify your body and mind and also improves concentration.

I think it's the perfect end to the hatha class. And somehow makes your Savasana  even more beautiful.

Thankfully, my Hatha run will be broken by Michelle's flow class tomorrow morning :) 

Namaste

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