Yoga History

On the History of Yoga there is surprisingly little known, despite the fact that many scholars have studied Yoga History, many gaps still exist.

Though Yoga's Origin is shrouded, evidence links the earliest Yoga tradition back at least 5000 years to the beginning of human civilization. Scholars believe that Yoga grew out of Stone Age Shamanism, because of the cultural similarities between Modern Hinduism and Mehrgarh, a neolithic settlement (in what is now Afghanistan). In fact, much of Hindu ideas, rituals and symbols of today appear to have their roots in this shamanistic culture of Mehrgahr.

Early Yoga and archaic shamanism had much in common as both sought to transcend the human condition. The primary goal of shamanism was to heal members of the community and act as religious mediators. Archaic Yoga was also community oriented, as it attempted to discern the cosmic order through inner vision, then to apply that order to daily living. Later, Yoga evolved into a more inward experience, and Yogis focused on their individual enlightenment and salvation.

The first archaeological evidence of Yoga's existence is found in stone seals excavated from the Indus valley. The stone seals depict figures performing Yoga postures. These artifacts officially put Yoga on the History books circa 3000 B.C., and more importantly link it to the great Indus-Sarasvati Civilization. The Indus-Sarasvati was the largest civilization in the ancient world and exceptionally modern for its time. Named after the two rivers that flowed through India, the Indus-Sarasvati was a maritime society, exporting goods throughout the Middle East and Africa. They constructed multistory buildings, a sewage system, and laid out geometrical brick roads.

The Indus-Sarasvati civilization also gave birth to the ancient texts known as the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in the world. The Vedas is a collection of hymns that praises a higher power; it contains the oldest recorded Yogic Teachings and is considered divine revelation. Thus, the wisdom of the Vedas is known as Vedic or Pre-classical Yoga. Vedic Yoga is characterized by ritualistic ceremonies from which the Yoga practice that requires Yoga practitioners to transcend the limitations of the mind originated.

Sometime between 1800 and 1500 B.C., Gnostic texts called the Upanishads appeared. The 200 or so scriptures comprising the Upanishads, explained the transcendental self; (atman) and its relation to the ultimate reality (Brahman). The Karma doctrine is believed to have originated with the Upanishads as well. Just as the New Testament rests upon but furthers the Old Testament, so too, the Upanishads further expounds upon the scriptures of the Vedas. The teaching of the Upanishads dawned the era of Pre-classical Yoga.

After the turn of the millennium, the spread of Yoga in its different forms gave rise to the need for standardization. Thus in the second century C.E., Patanjali composed a seminal text, Yoga-Sutra and defined Classical Yoga. The 195 aphorisms or sutras that comprise the Yoga Sutra, expound upon Raja-Yoga (the eightfold Yoga path). The Yoga Sutra is meant to be memorized as a means of internalizing its wisdom. The Eight Limbs of Classical Yoga are: 1) yama, or restraint, 2) niyama, or observance of purity, tolerance and study, 3) Asana, or Physical Exercises, 4) Pranayama or Breath control, 5) pratyahara, or preparation for Meditation 6) dharana, or concentration, 7) dhyana or Meditation and 8) samadhi or absorption in the sublime. Patanjali advocates studying the sacred scriptures as part of the Yoga practice, which becomes Classical Yoga's distinct feature.

The era of Postclassical Yoga gave rise to prolific literature, the different branches of Yoga which includes the Hatha and the Tantra, and to many holistic schools for Yoga. Postclassical Yoga can best be defined as an appreciation of the present moment. Practitioners no longer aspired to liberation from this reality, rather to accept it and live at the moment. Modern Yoga arrived in the United States during the late 1800's. It can be attributed to many gurus, including Swami Vivekanada, and their apostolic works. Vivekanada was a student of Ramakrishna, and was commissioned by his teacher to attend the Parliament of Religions in Chicago of 1893. Vivekanada was well accepted and later traveled all around the U.S. to spread the Yoga tradition.

One of the most prominent Yoga guru is Himalayan Swami Sivananda. Swami Sivananda served as a doctor in Malaysia and opened schools in America and Europe in the 1960s and 1970s. Among Sivanandi's works is the modified Five Principles of Yoga: 1. proper relaxation (savasana); 2. proper exercise (Asanas); 3. proper breathing (pranayama); 4. proper diet (vegetarian), and; 5. positive thinking and Meditation (dhyana). He also wrote more than two hundred books about Yoga and Philosophy. Swami Sivananda is the founder of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers through his disciple, Swami Vishnu-devananada. Swami Vishnu-devananada also wrote the Illustrated book of Yoga.

Yoga is the most diversified spiritual practice in the world. Crossing over many cultures (including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and the West), Yoga also extends over multiple languages such as Hindi, Tibetan, Bengali, Sanskrit, Tamil, Prakit, Marathi and Pali. The Yogic tradition continues to proliferate and spread its message of peace to this very day.