In the early stages of yoga’s evolution it was an ecstatic mysticism, primarily associated with Hindu worship and ritual sacrifice. Later, it was shaped by the beliefs of Samsara (the endless cycle of birth, disease, old age and death) and Karma.
Yogis began to slowly refine and develop the ideas, insights and techniques contained within the Upanishads into a coordinated system of yoga practice.
Origins
The origin of yoga is unclear. Some scholars believe it could have begun in the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization 5000 years ago. Seals found there depict a deity that resembles Shiva, leading some to suggest this is where the practice started.
Later, the practice was refined by Brahmans and Rishis (mystic seers). They documented their beliefs and practices in a series of sacred Hindu texts known as the Upanishads. One of the most famous is the Baghavad Gita, which teaches the path to Self-Realization.
In the late 19th century, Indian spiritual teachers like Swami Vivekananda began traveling to Europe and America spreading the teachings of Yoga. He delivered a series of lectures at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 that created widespread interest in Eastern philosophies and practices like yoga.
Development
Yoga developed over time into a well-rounded spiritual system. It emerged alongside a variety of other spiritual paths such as Buddhism and Jainism and influenced them in turn.
The earliest Upanishads don’t map out anything like a specific yoga practice and instead use anecdotes, dialogues and hymns to point towards ineffable mystical experiences and insights. But later Upanishads describe a coordinated system of practices.
For several centuries, yogis refined and perfected these techniques, and in the early 20th century two figures became a driving force behind yoga’s modern renaissance – Swami Vivekananda and the founder of the Theosophical Society, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Both of these yogis introduced yoga to the West, where it has continued to grow in popularity today. This growth has mainly been in the form of physical practice – a blend of traditional hatha yoga postures and Western styles of gymnastics that emphasizes physical fitness and health.
Teachings
Initially yoga was practiced as a spiritual discipline. The hatha yoga poses prepare the body for meditation and the breathing techniques help to calm the mind.
Then came the Upanishads, gnostic scriptures that expound upon the hidden teaching of the ultimate unity of all things. These are considered the most profound texts on yoga.
Some yogis believe that Parvati found it difficult to keep her secret knowledge of yoga to herself, so she passed it onto humans. This is why Lord Shiva is traditionally referred to as the first yogi.
Later in the 1900’s Indian yoga masters travelled to Europe and America spreading their understanding of the philosophy of yoga. BKS Iyengar is credited with developing a therapeutic style that emphasized alignment while Pattabhi Jois and Indra Devi popularized the Ashtanga yoga system of postures.
Influence
The word yoga is derived from the root yuj, meaning “to bind,” or “to unite.” The practice of yoga seeks to create union between body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual self and universal consciousness. This union helps to neutralize ego-driven thoughts and behaviours, creating a sense of spiritual awakening.
Until this point the teachings of yoga were primarily oral, passed down from one teacher to the next. However, the sage Patanjali codified yoga in his Yoga Sutras, written between 500 BCE and 400 C.E.
He is also known for introducing the concept of philosophical dualism into Yoga, which states that matter and spirit are separate, but they exist in a state of perpetual interaction with each other. This philosophy is largely what guides the practices of modern yoga.
Conclusions
YOGA has a rich, 5,000-year history. Its beginnings are obscure due to the lack of written archaeological evidence, but references to yogic-like practices and philosophy started to appear in the Vedic culture between 1500BCE and 500 BCE.
During this time, Bhakti Yoga was born as a heartfelt devotion to a deity, and Hatha Yoga developed with a focus on physical fitness and the awakening of energy (kundalini) within the body. The Katha and Maitrayani Upanishads further elaborated on the yogic philosophy of control of the senses, withdrawal of the mind, meditation, philosophical inquiry, and absorption into a state of pure consciousness.
Yoga experienced a decline during the colonial era but was revived in the late 1800s and early 1900s thanks to teachers such as Swami Vivekananda. He brought Yoga to the West through the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago and the Theosophical Society.