Yoga History – A Brief History of Yoga

Yogic lore says that Lord Shiva imparted his significant knowledge of yoga to seven Saptarishis, who then spread it far and wide. The discipline eventually reached Asia, Middle East and Northern Africa.

In the early decades of the 20th century, India was gripped by a fervor for physical culture linked to the fight for independence. A variety of strength-building regimes were taught, including a wide range of yogic exercises.

Origins

Several seals found at Indus Valley Civilization (3000 to 1700 BCE) show individuals in postures that suggest a yoga practice. The earliest references to yoga are found in the Vedas, India’s oldest religious texts.

The Vedas are divided into many parts and one of the most important is the Upanishads, which discuss methods of meditation on the path to self-realization. Kashmir Saivism philosophy emphasizes that the grace of a teacher is required to achieve enlightenment, a process called “Shaktipat.”

During the colonial era, yoga experienced a decline, but saw a rebirth in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries led by figures like Swami Vivekananda. He introduced yoga to the Western world and brought with him Indian spirituality. He founded the Yoga Alliance and wrote several influential books on the subject including Light on Yoga. His students included BKS Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois and Indra Devi.

Early yogis

Yoga has been taught and practiced by a variety of great yogis over the course of its long history. These early yogis were important in developing and refining the spiritual and philosophical aspects of yoga that we know today.

They also recorded these teachings in the Upanishads, a collection of Hindu philosophical-religious texts that discuss methods for self-realization and finding one’s true nature. Later, yogis like Swami Vivekananda and Tirumalai Krishnamacharya helped introduce yoga to the West, where it is now commonly practiced as a form of physical exercise.

These yogis promoted yoga as a means of liberation from material creation, or moksha. They believed that yoga creates union between body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual and universal consciousness. They also encouraged meditation and positive thinking as ways to attain spiritual growth.

Patanjali

During this time, the concept of yoga as a spiritual practice was beginning to emerge. The sage Patanjali is believed to have systematized the existing practices of yoga and compiled them into a book called the Yoga Sutras.

The sage is known for having a deep understanding of the nature of life, and for his mystical abilities. Symbolized by the half-man, half-snake form, he is said to have transcended duality and reached complete oneness.

While the Yoga Sutras were in use around the time of their compilation, they did not gain wide popularity until much later. The 19th century saw yoga’s resurgence, in part thanks to the influential Indian yogi Swami Vivekananda. It is thought that he promoted yoga as a philosophy, legitimizing the growing vinyasa style of yoga.

Bhagavad-Gita

One of the most famous texts in yoga history is a Sanskrit verse known as the Bhagavad Gita. The chapter explains the nature of existence and urges readers to pursue spiritual self-realization.

The story goes that the god Shiva taught his wife Parvati the yogic art of breathing and postures, which she then passed on to humans. This knowledge was recorded in the Upanishads, a collection of Hindu philosophical-religious sacred scriptures. Sage Patanjali organized this knowledge in his classical yoga text, the Yoga Sutras, and it became the basis for yoga’s current practice.

Vivekananda’s disciple, Swami Abhedananda, helped spread yoga in the West, but he deviated from his teacher’s teachings and developed hatha yoga. This style is focused on postural poses, breathing techniques and meditation.

Modern yogis

Yoga emerged as a philosophical and spiritual practice in India more than 5,000 years ago, becoming an important aspect of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist philosophy. It experienced a decline during the British colonial era, but saw a re-emergence in the 19th century led by figures like Swami Vivekananda and Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.

Modern yoga teachers have a variety of approaches to the practice, with some stressing physical alignment and others offering meditation and breathing techniques. Many teach a combination of these and also emphasize yoga as a form of exercise.

Some yoga instructors make their students recite tongue-twisting Sanskrit mantras to help them differentiate themselves, while others play new age music on their studio’s Bose system. Some instructors even use sexual innuendoes to create a sense of fun and light-heartedness in class.