The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is traditionally arranged into four chapters, each unfolding a distinct yet interrelated dimension of the yogic path. The first chapter is devoted to asana, the physical postures that stabilize and purify the body. Here, asana is presented not as mere exercise, but as the foundational discipline that cultivates steadiness, health, and readiness for subtler practices. By emphasizing postures such as Padmasana, Siddhasana, Bhadrasana, and Simhasana, this section highlights how a firm and comfortable seat becomes the ground from which deeper internal work can proceed.

The second chapter turns to pranayama and the shatkarmas, bringing attention to the intimate link between breath, energy, and mind. Various pranayama techniques are described as means to regulate prana, purify the nadis, and steady the nervous system. Alongside these, the six purificatory practices are presented as methods to cleanse the body and remove blockages, thereby preparing the subtle channels for more refined energetic processes. Through this systematic purification, the practitioner is readied for the awakening and upward movement of inner energy.

In the third chapter, the text explores mudra and bandha, the seals and locks that concentrate and direct prana. These practices—such as Mahamudra, Mahabandha, Khechari, and Vajroli—are portrayed as powerful methods for containing and redirecting energy within the subtle body. By guiding prana into the central channel and refining the flow of vitality, they support the awakening of kundalini and the transformation of ordinary consciousness. The emphasis here is on harnessing and elevating life-force so that it serves spiritual realization rather than mere sensory pursuits.

The fourth chapter is dedicated to samadhi, the culmination of the entire hatha discipline in inner absorption and union. Here, the teachings on laya, the dissolution of mind, and nada, the inner sound, illuminate how the practices of posture, breath, and energy converge in meditative stillness. Samadhi is described as raja-yoga, the state in which prana and mind are unified and individual consciousness merges into a higher, non-dual awareness. This final movement of the text reveals hatha yoga not as an end in itself, but as a luminous pathway toward liberation and the realization of the deepest spiritual truth.