Yoga was first developed about 5000 years ago in India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means union. By practicing yoga, one’s body, mind and spirit are united and you become one with the supreme power.
There have been many findings in the excavations of the Indus Valley civilization in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, which are now parts of Pakistan. The portraits of Lord Shiva and his wife Goddess Parvati performing asanas and meditation have been found there. This is before the Aryan civilization and hence, proves that this is an age old practice.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva is believed to have founded Yoga and Goddess Parvati is his first devotee. The Rig Veda, which is the oldest sacred books of Hinduism, has a mention of Yoga in its pages. The book can be dated to 3000 to 500 B.C. However, it has been explained in detail in the Patanjali Yoga sutras and has come to be known as Raja Yoga over the years, only to distinguish it from the other schools formed after this.
To understand the history better, it may be divided into 4 periods:
Vedic period
This is the period when the Vedas were being composed. These books form the foundation of Hindu religion and have a collection of chants which praise a divine power.
In these books, the oldest teachings of Yoga can be found, which are also known as Vedic Yoga. These were taught to the people by rishis or devoted Vedic Yogis to help them lead a life of divinity.
These Yogis were believed to live in seclusion, mainly in forests. Apart from the 4 Vedas which are Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, other important writings like Brahmanas and Aranyakas are also said to be from this period. It is believed to have stretched from the mid second to the mid first millennium B.C.
Pre – classical period
It was during this period that the Upanishads were created. More than 200 of these writings have been known to man. Amongst them, the oldest and the most significant is the Mukhya (prinicipal) Upanishad.
These books are based on inner realization with the help of devotion to Brahman. They explain the connection between the Brahman (the ultimate being) and the Atma (the transcendental self). The Upanishads also explain the Vedas in detail.
Yoga finds its presence even in the teachings of Buddhism. It was during the sixth century B.C that Gautam Buddha started to preach Buddhism and his teachings included meditation and practice of physical postures. The pre – classic era is also famous for the compilation of Bhagavadgita around 500 B.C, which has become one of the most important scriptures in Hinduism.
Upanishads follow Vedas and similarly, the Gita promotes the Upanishads. In the Gita, three components have been give prime importance – Bhakti or devotion, Jnana or knowledge and Karma or selfless actions. The Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga have been connected in the Gita and hence its importance. The Gita is a dialogue between Arjuna and Lord Krishna during the Kurukshetra war.
Classical period
The classic period saw the compilation of Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. This book defines and regulates the Classic Yoga and consists of 195 sutras (sayings). This book develops the Raja Yoga and its theory with the help of the eight limbs of Yoga. These are:
Yama – Discipline
Niyama – Observances
Asanas – Physical Postures
Pranayamas – Control and regulation of breath
Pratyahara – Withdrawal
Dharana – Concentration of attention in one direction
Dhyana – Meditation
Samadhi – Ecstacy or to bring together
According to Patanjali, man is a composition of substance (prakriti) and spirit (purusha). His book gave importance to the separation of these two to attain oneness with the supreme power. This contradicts the Vedic and Pre – classical teachings. Because of this, many Yogis did not follow the physical postures and gave importance only to meditation.
After a certain period, the asanas were again brought back and Yoga was practiced to improve the mental, physical and spiritual health. However, Patanjali is still known as the founder of Yoga and all the modern branches of Yoga have his influence in their teachings.
Post – classical period
During this period, the age old practices were discarded and new techniques were followed by gurus to revitalize the body and life as a whole.
It is during this time that the Tantra Yoga gained prominence which helped in the purification of body and mind. These gave rise to the Hatha Yoga, which gives importance to the physical well being.
Hatha Yoga and its importance were preached by Sri T Krishnamacharya in India. He is the pioneer of the Hatha Yoga School. B.K.S. Iyenger, T.K.V Desikachar and Pattabhi Jois were his disciples who kept his teachings alive in the later part of the century.
Yoga was first introduced in the west in the 19th century. One other name worth mentioning is Yoga Guru Swami Sivananda. A doctor by profession, he practiced in Malaysia and later opened centers in America and Europe.
He followed the five principles of Yoga which are:
Savasana – Appropriate relaxation
Asanas – Physical postures
Pranayam – Effective breathing techniques Proper diet
Dhyana – Meditation
There are more than 200 books compiled by Swami Sivananda, which are being followed worldwide.
Modern day Yoga
As mentioned earlier, the 19th century was when Yoga was introduced in the west by Swami Vivekananda. He visited many places in the US and propagated the many benefits of Yoga.
During this time, many schools were formed to teach this to the people there. The spiritual aspect is not given as much importance as the physical aspect in the West and Yoga is seen as an effective form of exercise rather than a means to bringing the mind and body together.
In the middle of the 20th century, Indra Devi, also called the ‘first lady of Yoga’ opened a school in Hollywood and went on to teach many famous personalities about it. Based on Hatha Yoga, her teachings have been followed by many Yoga teachers.
Yoga of today In today’s world, people are always in the lookout of finding out answers about their existence and Yoga being the oldest form of meditation coupled with physical postures, it is being followed by millions worldwide.
Yoga is becoming preferred to many other exercises as it has numerous benefits for one’s physical, mental and spiritual health. People from different countries following varied cultures have been brought together with this special creation, ‘Yoga’.
