History of Yoga

By: Christina Cloud

Yoga began as a spiritual practice aimed at healing community members and has since developed into the self- focused Yoga we know now. The history of Yoga can be divided into four broad categories: the Vedic Period, Pre-Classical Period, Classical Period, and Post-Classical Period.

The Vedic period is centered on the ancient texts of the Vedas. The Vedas are the sacred scripture of Brahmanism that is the basis of modern-day Hinduism. It is a collection of hymns which praises a higher power. This is characterized by rituals and ceremonies that strive to surpass mental limitations. During the Vedic period, people relied on Rishis’ to teach them how to live in divine harmony. It was also during this time that Yogis living in seclusion were recorded.

The Pre-Classical Yoga period covers an extensive period of approximately 2,000 years until the second century. Gnostic texts called the Upanishads appeared. The 200 scriptures of the Upanishads explain three subjects: the ultimate reality (Brahman), the transcendental self (atman), and the relationship between the two. The Upanishads further explain the teachings of the Vedas.

Around 500 B.C., the oldest known Yoga scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita was written. The Gita stresses the importance of opposing evil. Its main point is, “to be alive means to be active and in order to avoid difficulties in our lives and in others, our actions have to be benign and have to exceed our egos.” The Gita tried to unify the ideas and practice of Bhakti or loving devotion, Jnana or contemplation, and Karma or selfless actions; it is because of this that it has gained importance.

In the Classical period, Patanjali further defined and standardized classical Yoga. He composed the Yoga Sutras, 195 aphorisms that expound upon Raja Yoga (the Royal path of Yoga) and its underlying principles which he called the Eight-fold Path:

1. Yama, which means social restraints or ethical values;

2. Niyama, which is personal observance of purity, tolerance, and study;

3. Asanas or physical exercises;

4. Pranayama, which means breath control or regulation;

5. Pratyahara or sense withdrawal in preparation for Meditation;

6. Dharana, which is about concentration;

7. Dhyana, which means Meditation; and

8. Samadhi, which means ecstasy. (individual consciousness merges with the divine consciousness.)

It was Patanjali that believed individuals are composed of two entities: the body and the spirit. In contrast to Vedic and Pre-classical Yoga, he believed the two must be separate in order to keep the spirit pure. Patanjali's belief caused Yogis to focus on meditation, but the belief of the body as a temple later rekindled.

The growth of literature appeared in the Post-classical period. This period changed its focus more on accepting and living in the present, rather than liberating a person from reality. The literature supported the idea that there is unity in everything.

Modern Yoga arrived in the United States during the late 1800's. It is what we now know as Hatha Yoga. It broadly consists of asanas (body postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), relaxation and cleansing techniques. The main goal of Hatha Yoga is to facilitate concentration and meditation, which is actually a preparation for achieving the final stage of yoga, called Samadhi or liberation.

Hatha Yoga became recognized when Indra Devi, often called "the first lady of Yoga", opened a Yoga studio in Hollywood in 1947. She taught movie stars, as well as educated hundreds of Yoga teachers.

During the 1950s Selvarajan Yesudian, wrote the book "Sport and Yoga", which is how Yoga entered the world of sports. Today we can observe many athletes and sports teams that have incorporated Yoga into their injury- reducing, strengthening and focus- oriented training regimens.

During the 60s and 70s Yoga became a way of life for many people living on the American west coast and Maharishi Mahesh popularized Transcendental Meditation. Also Guru Swami Sivananda opened schools in America and Europe and wrote more than 200 books on Yoga.

In 1965, Shrila Prabhupada came to the United States, founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and spread a movement based on Bhakthi Yoga. Hatha masters B.K.S. Iyengar, Bikram, TKV Desikachar and Pattabhi Jois have also had a profound effect on the consciousness of Yoga in the United States.


Limbs of Yoga (AYA)

Hatha Yoga: The physical movements and postures, plus breathing techniques. This is what most people associate with Yoga practice.

Raja Yoga: Called the “royal road,” because it incorporates exercise and breathing practice with meditation and study, producing a well-rounded individual.

Jnana Yoga: The path of wisdom; considered the most difficult path.

Bhakti Yoga: The practice of extreme devotion in one-pointed concentration upon one’s concept of God.

Karma Yoga: All movement, all work of any kind is done with the mind centered on a personal concept of God.

Tantra Yoga: A way of showing the unseen consciousness in form through specific words, diagrams, and movements. One of the diagrams that is used to show the joining of the physical and spiritual bodies is two triangles superimposed upon one another. The downward-pointing triangle represents the physical body, or the female aspect having to do with work, action, and movement; the upward-pointing triangle represents the spiritual body of support, energy, and vastness.

Kashmir Shaivism: This Yoga system states that everything in the universe has both male and female qualities. In Kashmir Shaivism, these male and female principles form an equal partnership, so interdependent that they cannot be separated. The attraction between them produces the ultimate union of opposites, creating the immense complexity of the universe that we enjoy and celebrate. Unlike other philosophies, Kashmir Shaivism is based in emotion rather than intellect. In fact, Shaivism says that intellectual understanding by itself will never lead us to the realization of the summit of Yoga. The system's great exponents teach that the egotistical intellect blocks our ability to fully experience our individual power.


Works Cited:
Abc-of-yoga.com
Americanyogaassociation.org