Course Content

The course begins with an examination of the historical evolution of haṭha yoga, tracing its development and transmission over approximately the last fifteen centuries. Students will explore the emergence of haṭha yoga within the broader landscape of Indian contemplative traditions, attending to its shifting aims, methods, and lineages over time.

The course then examines the goals and objectives of classical haṭha yoga practice. Emphasis is placed on understanding haṭha yoga as a psycho-energetic discipline designed to prepare the body, breath, and nervous system for deep meditative absorption. Classical teachings present haṭha yoga as a means of purifying and stabilizing the body–prāṇa system, thereby creating the conditions necessary for sustained concentration and the safe pursuit of rāja yoga, culminating in samādhi.

The majority of the course is devoted to an in-depth study of the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā itself. Through careful reading and discussion, students will engage with the text’s detailed presentation of yogic practices, subtle-body theory, and meditative aims, developing both textual literacy and an integrated understanding of how haṭha yoga functions as a coherent system of practice oriented toward liberation.