The-Yoga-Spot.Com

The History of Yoga - 5000 Years in Synopsis

Yoga and its many paths is like a many limbed tree - different yet essentially all leading to enlightenment and God

To give a full account of the beginnings of Yoga and its subsequent history is not what I currently intend to do. In fact, for the purists among you, this synopsis wont do the history of yoga justice.

What I'd like to provide is perhaps - what you could call - an executive summary, as I see it. Just the highlights.  It may not be as complete as you would like it to be, but that is beyond the current scope of this website.

I intend to cover in brief:

Depending on the perspective of the scholar, the origins of Yoga can be seen to date from somewhere between four and eight thousand years ago.

Pre-Vedic

The practice of yoga has stood the test of time if you consider that there is evidence of a form of yoga being practiced in even Pre-Vedic times. It has also been referred to in Hindu texts and has been included in Buddhist and Jain philosophies.

A potential reference to yoga, depending on the perspective of the historian, may also be seen in the Mohenjo-Daro seals.

Mohenjo-Daro was a city located in the south of modern day Pakistan, namely in the Sind Province on the right bank of the Indus River. It was a part of the Harrapan Civilization. From archaeological diggings its been thought that the city had a population of at least 35,000.

A triangular amulet was found showing a buffalo horned deity, squatting in "Proto-Siva's" yoga posture. On either side is a fish, an alligator and a snake. (1)

So where is Yoga clearly referred to?

It's agreed that it was first clearly explained in the religious texts, the Vedic shastras. (Shastra is a sanskrit word and used to mean education or knowledge in a general sense. It is commonly used to mean a treatise or written text explaining an idea, especially in connection with religion.)

Those that believe that the origin of yoga is some 4000 years ago link it to this point.

A well know Vedic scholar, David Frawley states

"Yoga can be traced back to the Rig Veda itself, the oldest Hindu text which speaks about yoking our mind and insight to the Sun of Truth. Great teachers of early Yoga include the names of many famous Vedic sages like Vasishta, Yajnavalkya, and Jaigishavya."

However, the concept of Yoga as a unification of mind, body and soul didn't really find structure until the Upanishads or Vedanta.

The Rig Veda is a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns forming part of the four Hindu religious texts known as the Vedas. It was probably written around 1500-1400 BC.

Upanishadic Era

The Vedas are ancient Indo-Aryan religious texts and are considered by Hindus to be 'revealed knowledge namely they believe that the Vedas weren't written by anyone, not even god, but are 'eternally' existing. Many historians believe the Vedas to be some of the oldest remaining texts. They believe them to have been created around 1500 BC and 500 BC.

The main portion of the Vedas are formed by the Mantras. It is a word that the western world uses loosely, but the Mantras in this context represent, prayers, hymns, incantations, charms, magic and ritual. The hymns and prayers address a range of gods and some goddess. In addition, there are some texts which deal with the sacrificial ritual in which the mantras are to be used and their philosophical aspects.

Another interesting point is that the Vedas describe the flow of the Ganges and its tributaries. These references are consistent with the sites of ancient tributaries, now dried up. This assists in dating them.

Indisputable references to yoga can be seen in the Upanishads being the thirteen main texts of the Vedanta. The Upanishads (scriptures) are part of Hindu Scriptures and mainly discuss meditation and philosophy. They are spiritual or mystical interpretations of the Vedas, their supposed end and essence and as such named Vedanta. Anta means the culmination or essence of the Vedas. So it follows that Vedanta is - the end of the Vedas.

The date given to the Upanishads is around 700 BC.

The most famous of the Upanishads is the Bhagavad-Gita. It is the first scripture dedicated to yoga. It was written around 500 BC and is only 700 verses long.

The Bhagavad-Gita is a discussion between the god-man Krishna and Prince Arjuna. The message imparted, is that man is to oppose evil in the world.

The Bhagavad-Gita attempts to blend Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga together.

The Maitrayaniya Upanishad created around 200-300 BC refers to yoga in the following way:

"Shadanga-Yoga - The uniting discipline of the six limbs (shad-anga), as expounded in the Maitrayaniya-Upanishad: (1) breath control (pranayama), (2) sensory inhibition (pratyahara), (3) meditation (dhyana), (4) concentration (dharana), (5) examination (tarka), and (6) ecstasy (samadhi)."

It's interesting that the western world is more familiar with eight limbs as referred to in the "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali".

In the Maitrayaniya  Upanishad, the emphasis appears to be more contemplative, whereas in the "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali", there is equal emphasis on the physical side - namely - your social conduct (Yama), your individual conduct (Niyama) and postures (Asanas) whereas the sense of 'examination' (tarka) is not included by Patanjali. More about Patanjali later.

What does Vedanta refer to?

Touching again on the Vedanta -(the Upanishads are its thirteen main texts) - it is a major part of Hindu philosophy.

According to some people it is a form of Jnana Yoga, a type of yoga which involves an individual seeking "the path of intellectual analysis or the discrimination of truth and reality."  Others however, believe that the Vedanta includes all the four main yoga practices or paths.

 

The primary philosophy flowing throughout the Upanishads, is that there is one absolute reality termed Brahman. This is the main principle of Vedanta.

The sage Badarayana is believed to be one of the main advocates of this philosophy. He is the author of the Brahma Sutra which is based on the Upanishads.

The concept of Vedanta was widely preached in the West in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by Vivekananda. He was followed by others such as Yogananda. It is through these advocates and others that the popularity of the concept of Vedanta grew in North America and the West.

Classical Era

The first - dare I say - structured and systematic presentation of Yoga was "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali". In the second century, Patanjali structures "Raja Yoga" in that he explained the 195 aphorisms or sutras which are the Yoga Sutra. It's these eight limbs which show the path to enlightenment.

These limbs each support the other.

Your asana practice must be properly grounded and established in order to practice pranayama properly and this is a key to the development of the yamas and niyamas.

Once these four externally oriented limbs are firmly rooted, the last four internally oriented limbs will of themselves evolve over time.

Patanjali is considered the father of yoga and his Yoga Sutras influence all forms of yoga today.

Post Classical

After Patanjali's Yoga Sutras the emphasis of yoga evolved  primarily towards the prolongation of life and the rejuvenation of the body. The teachers of yoga began to emphasize the 'appreciation of the moment and to live in the moment.' Students no longer wished to be divorced from reality but to accept it and leave within it. They embraced the physical body as the means to achieve enlightenment

Modern

The late 1800's and early 1900's were turning points in the west as the concept of Yoga as we know it arrived in the United States. Gurus such as Swami Vivekananda were well accepted in the States and spread the Yoga tradition.

In the 1920's T Krishnamacharya travelled through India giving Viniyoga Hatha-Yoga demonstrations. He is especially well known through three of his students who have strongly influenced the practice of modern day yoga, namely B.K.S. Iyengar, T.K.V.Desikachar (who was Krishnamacharya's son) and Pattabhi Jois.

There are many other Yoga masters who have also influenced other strains of modern day yoga. Another popular name is Swami Paramashansa Yogananda, he was responsible for founding the "Self Realization Fellowship". He is perhaps best known for his 'Autobiograpy of a Yogi' and his teachings are still widely followed today. Check out the book list for this book.

Post Modern

1960's saw the rise of a Himalayan guru Swami Sivananda. He initially served as a doctor in Malaysia. He opened yoga schools in the United States and Europe in the 1960s and '70s. He is known for his modification of Yoga into the "Five Principles of Yoga"

• Savasana - proper relaxation

• Asanas - proper exercise

• Pranayama- proper breathing

• Form of diet - proper vegetarian diet

• Dhyana - positive thinking and meditation.

He also wrote many books and founded the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers through his student, Swami Vishnu-devananada.

Other students of Swami Sivananda are:

• Swami Satchitananda who is known for introducing chanting and yoga to Woodstock;

• Swami Sivananada Radha, who is famous for her work in examining the connection between psychology and yoga; and

• Yogi Bhajan who taught Kundalini yoga in the 1970's. He is also the founder of the 3HO Organization. If you have ever wondered what the 3H stood for its 'Healthy, Happy and Holy.'

Conclusion

There are many others of note as well. However in this thumbnail sketch, I have attempted to mention those that I consider to have influenced the development of present day yoga. This list is not exhaustive and if you're interested I strongly suggested that you have a look at the list of books in this area. All of them touch a different aspect of the history of yoga and depending upon where  your affiliations live the emphasis may be different.

It is such a diverse spiritual practice, crossing many cultures and languages; however it's main theme is consistent being to spread among its followers a tradition of peace and self enlightenment.

 

Further Articles of Interest on the History of Yoga

• Yoga History 101 - When you practice yoga, it is, of course, not necessary to have a full understanding of yoga history in order to fully benefit from your practice. A brief understanding of the history behind yoga, however, may increase your spiritual practice and inspire you to find out more about the tradition behind the discipline...

• Yoga Paths - Since human beings began practicing yoga thousands of years ago, the symbol of a tree has often been linked with the discipline – and for good reason! Yoga has a multitude of branches when it comes to how you choose to practice and all of them are based on the same philosophy, or trunk, of spirituality...

• Bhakti Yoga - The Science of Devotion - Bhakti means devotion to the Almighty. Bhakti yoga deals with devotion to God and achieving the union with Him. This is the easiest of all yoga types...

• Jnana Yoga – Yoga For The Intelligent - Jnana means the knowledge. This yoga is the yoga for the intelligent and selected people...

 

1. For more information about  Mohenjo-Daro and the Mohenjo-Daro seals refer direct to these web pages: http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/middle_east/mohenjo_daro.html ; http://www.harappa.com/script/parpola8.html#6 ;