It is the most popular form of Yoga known in the West. Indeed many of us think that Yoga is nothing but a series of strange physical postures. We should note carefully that no classical text describes Yoga in terms of posture or asana. The main classical text on Yoga, the YOGA SUTRAS, only discusses postures in three out of its two hundred verses. 

Nevertheless, the science of asanas is important. For many it is the first step on the path of Yoga, the easiest point of entry. Seeing the yogic wisdom in treating the physical body often helps us to pursue it into the realms of the mind. The principles of right action and conscious movement we learn in Hatha Yoga can be applied on the deeper levels of our being with similar harmonizing effects. The body is not only the beginning of the path of Yoga, it is often the end. 

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