Yoga has a long history dating back to ancient India’s Vedic culture. It became more widely known in the West after the 19th century, when figures like Swami Vivekananda and Tirumalai Krishnamacharya introduced it as a practice that included physical postures.
The word yoga first appeared in the Rig Veda, a collection of ritual hymns. The modern practices of yoga owe much to Krishnamacharya’s students, including BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, whose therapeutic, alignment-focused techniques are still in use today.
Origins
The origins of yoga are shrouded in mystery, mainly because the teachings were shared orally or written on palm fronds that could easily decompose. However, scholars think the first mention of yogic practices dates back to the Rig Veda, a set of ancient Hindu sacred texts from northern India around 5,000 years ago.
This knowledge would eventually be documented by the rishis (mystic seers) in the Upanishads and other scriptures, including the Bhagavad Gita. Yoga became a significant part of Hinduism and other Indian philosophies, helping people to find spiritual growth, understanding and balance.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, teachers like Swami Vivekananda and Krishnamacharya traveled to the West, bringing Hatha Yoga to the world. This style of yoga places a strong emphasis on physical fitness through postures, breathing and meditation.
Development
Yoga’s development and growth into the global wellness practice we know today has many influences. In the late 19th century, Swami Vivekananda brought yoga to America and Europe through his lectures, promoting it as a spiritual and physical path. He also founded ashrams and taught Yoga at the 1893 Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. Yoga also gained popularity in the 1930s with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya who promoted the physical practices of Hatha Yoga.
Estimates suggest that 300 million people practice yoga worldwide. Today, it has largely become a physical practice with an emphasis on fitness and relaxation. However, yoga’s original goal, enlightenment, remains the root of its teachings. Yoga is not a religious philosophy and can be practiced by believers of all faiths, as well as non-believers.
Influence
The rishis who developed yoga in ancient India shared their wisdom about the purpose of life and protocols for spiritual liberation through deep meditation. These insights were passed down orally for generations.
In the late 1800s, when yoga masters began to travel abroad it was to share this spiritual philosophy. Swami Vivekananda delivered a series of lectures at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 and Paramahansa Yogananda toured America promoting yoga as a path to Self-realization.
Today yoga is practiced by hundreds of millions of people worldwide in a variety of settings from fitness centers to community health centers to worksite wellness programs. It is not a religious discipline and can be practiced by believers in all faith traditions and by those who are agnostic or atheist.
Modernization
As yoga continues to evolve, it is becoming increasingly popular as a fitness and well-being practice. Its ancient roots have given way to a more modern approach, which is still very effective at improving mental health, physical wellness, and spiritual growth.
Yoga began as a series of spiritual practices for Brahmin priests and religious hermits. These were meant to connect them with the gods and goddesses of Hinduism. Later, the philosophy was further developed by Patanjali in his Yoga-Sutras and organized into an eight limbed path towards enlightenment.
In the 19th century, yoga masters like Swami Vivekananda and Paramahansa Yogananda spread the teachings of yoga to Europe and America. These individuals blended the four schools of yoga into what is now known as Hatha Yoga.
Internationalization
As yoga spreads worldwide, it is evolving to meet the needs of people in different cultures. It is now a global practice that can be found in schools, hospitals, businesses, and social initiatives that address wellness, community care, and environmental sustainability.
The Indian masters who brought yoga to the West took a variety of approaches. Some, like Vivekananda and Paramhansa Yogananda, presented it as part of a holistic spiritual worldview. Others tried to avoid pigeonholing yoga, presenting it as a secular therapeutic exercise of universal value.
But even these early yoga teachers struggled with how to represent yoga to the West. For example, popular poses such as Downward Dog are not mentioned in ancient texts but appear to have been inspired by western gymnastic drills.