Yoga has deep roots in Indian culture and has been practiced for over 5,000 years. Its mystical origins, its classical systematisation and its post-classical emphasis on spiritual liberation are all intertwined.
During the late 19th century, yoga saw a resurgence in popularity in its homeland thanks to figures like Swami Vivekananda. This helped propel it onto the global wellness stage.
Origins
Yoga began in ancient India over 5,000 years ago as a philosophical and spiritual practice. It has been a significant aspect of several Indian philosophical systems, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, where it was used to promote spiritual growth and understanding. Today, in the West, yoga is primarily known as a series of postures or “asanas” that are done for physical exercise and stress management. Yoga has its roots in a philosophy of self-realization, but the practice also encompasses meditation and other mental and physical techniques.
The first mention of yoga can be traced back to the Rig Veda, an ancient sacred text from northern India that contains many ritual hymns and prayers. The word yoga itself derives from two Sanskrit roots, yuj and yog, which mean “yoking,” “joining” or “connection.”
Yoga continued to develop through the centuries as it became a part of the Upanishads, another set of ancient Indian texts that influenced Hinduism. It was during this period that the sage Patanjali consolidated and organized the yogic practices that were already passed down orally and through the Vedas into a system of Yoga, which later came to be known as the eight-fold path.
It was around this time that a new form of yoga developed called Hatha Yoga, which focused more on the physical aspect of the practice. During this time, it was possible for men and women from all walks of life to study yoga, unlike the previous traditions that were largely restricted to hermits or religious priests.
In the 20th century, yoga experienced a revival in the Western world thanks to figures like Swami Vivekananda and Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who were influential teachers of modern Yoga. Since then, yoga has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, with countless forms and variations available. It continues to be a powerful tool for personal development and physical fitness. Yoga has even become a popular way for people to relieve stress and anxiety in their daily lives.
Classical Period
Yoga’s popularity in the West has grown enormously over the past few decades. However, it is a practice with a rich and varied history of spiritual traditions that dates back more than 5,000 years.
Some of the earliest references to Yoga can be found in the Rig Veda, one of the oldest Indian scriptures, and the Upanishads, which describe philosophical methods for self-inquiry leading to Self-realization. Over the course of several centuries, these teachings were expanded and distilled into texts such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. During this time, a series of meditative practices were also developed. These yogic techniques were passed from teacher to disciple orally for centuries before being compiled by the scholar Patanjali into a more streamlined set of yoga practices that are still practiced today.
This period of yoga’s development was marked by a growing interest in devotional and prayerful yoga, known as Bhakti Yoga, which encouraged people to worship God in a variety of creative forms. One of the most well-known texts of this time is the Bhagavad Gita, which provides guidance for kings, servants, and housewives alike in their spiritual lives. It is a powerful text that has inspired people of many different faiths to practice Bhakti yoga over the centuries.
During this time, a number of yogic postures were developed that are used in the Western practice of yoga today. In the late 1800s and 1900s, Swami Vivekananda and Tirumalai Krishnamacharya helped introduce yoga to the West, where it grew into a more secular form of exercise and relaxation.
These yoga masters and their students went on to spread these teachings to the United States and other parts of the world. As a result, yoga’s modern form is often seen as a series of poses or “asanas” that promote physical strength and flexibility. However, this is only a small part of what yoga was originally intended to be.