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Monday, November 26, 2007
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History of Yoga |
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Yoga's history has many places of obscurity and uncertainty due to its oral transmission of sacred texts and the secretive nature of its teachings. The early writings on yoga were transcribed on fragile palm leaves that were easily damaged, destroyed or lost. The development of yoga can be traced back to over 5,000 years ago, but some researchers think that yoga may be up to 10,000 years old old. Yoga's long rich history can be divided into four main periods of innovation, practice and development.
Pre-Classical Yoga The beginnings of Yoga were developed by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Northern India over 5,000 years ago. The word yoga was first mentioned in the oldest sacred texts, the Rig Veda. The Vedas were a collection of texts containing songs, mantras and rituals to be used by Brahmans, the Vedic priests. Yoga was slowly refined and developed by the Brahmans and Rishis (mystic seers) who documented their practices and beliefs in the Upanishads, a huge work containing over 200 scriptures. The most renowned of the Yogic scriptures is the Bhagavad-Gîtâ, composed around 500 B.C.E. The Upanishads took the idea of ritual sacrifice from the Vedas and internalized it, teaching the sacrifice of the ego through self-knowledge, action (karma yoga) and wisdom (jnana yoga). Classical Yoga In the pre-classical stage, yoga was a mishmash of various ideas, beliefs and techniques that often conflicted and contradicted each other. The Classical period is defined by Patanjali's Yoga-Sûtras, the first systematic presentation of yoga. Written some time in the second century, this text describes the path of Raja Yoga, often called "classical yoga". Patanjali organized the practice of yoga into an "eight limbed path" containing the steps and stages towards obtaining Samadhi or enlightenment. Patanjali is often considered the father of yoga and his Yoga-Sûtras still strongly influence most styles of modern yoga. Post-Classical Yoga A few centuries after Patanjali, yoga masters created a system of practices designed to rejuvenate the body and prolong life. They rejected the teachings of the ancient Vedas and embraced the physical body as the means to achieve enlightenment. They developed Tantra Yoga, with radical techniques to cleanse the body and mind to break the knots that bind us to our physical existence. This exploration of these physical-spiritual connections and body centered practices led to the creation of what we primarily think of yoga in the West: Hatha Yoga. Modern Period In the late 1800s and early 1900s, yoga masters began to travel to the West, attracting attention and followers. This began at the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago, when Swami Vivekananda wowed the attendees with his lectures on yoga and the universality of the world’s religions. In the 1920s and 30s, Hatha Yoga was strongly promoted in India with the work of T. Krishnamacharya, Swami Sivananda and other yogis practicing Hatha Yoga. Krishnamacharya opened the first Hatha Yoga school in Mysore in 1924 and in 1936 Sivananda founded the Divine Life Society on the banks of the holy Ganges River. Krishnamacharya produced three students that would continue his legacy and increase the popularity of Hatha Yoga: B.K.S. Iyengar, T.K.V. Desikachar and Pattabhi Jois. Sivananda was a prolific author, writing over 200 books on yoga, and established nine ashrams and numerous yoga centers located around the world. The importation of yoga to the West still continued at a trickle until Indra Devi opened her yoga studio in Hollywood in 1947. Since then, many more western and Indian teachers have become pioneers, popularizing hatha yoga and gaining millions of followers. Hatha Yoga now has many different schools or styles, all emphasizing the many different aspects of the practice. 11 Comments
I didn't realize how long yoga has really been around. It's really cool, almost inspiring.
1
October 26, 2011
Amazing how you can talk about honey and not mention the beehive or the bees. Yoga is a Sanskirt word, correctly pronounced as Yog. Yoga is a Hindu practice, or a practice of "Sanatan Dharma", to be more precise.
Not to say that anybody who wants to benefit from the practice needs to acknolwedge or even be bothered about the the religious affiliation, but when you write hundreds of words on its history without mentioning the connection, it smacks of disingenuity, something decidedly non-Yogic. And no, mention of India doesn't count. It only serves as a calculated deception, because there is more to India than Hinduism, even if yoiu're talking just religion. If you're going to be a Yogi, a good place to start is by being honest and open minded. Else it's just a lot of twisting and turning of your muscles and joints. Peace. 2
December 07, 2011
rabi - Our history of yoga is drawn from the ancient scriptures of India, and none of these texts mention the words Hindu or Hinduism. That is because the Vedas and Upanishads are the foundation for both yoga and Hinduism. They are linked and share a common history and culture, but they are not part of each other.
I'm saddened to read that you think we are intentionally being deceptive and dishonest with what we write here. We respect your opinion, but please take your judgements somewhere else. 3
December 08, 2011
Timothy,
A history of...lets just say gospels...without mentioning Christianity? Vedas and Upanishads are more central to Hinduism than gospels are to Christianity. I grew up chanting Vedas and reading Vagvat Geeta (Upanishad) to my blind grandfather . Hinduism *is* Vedas+Upanishads and then a few other things. Anyway, you've settled on a narrative common in this part of the world that I dare not attempt to alter, so enough on this. Yoga is a gift that anybody can enjoy with a dose of any narrative that makes it palatable. I may be an anomaly, because I have shamelessly adopted many western and even christian views/traditions that I like. My family celebrates the spirit of Christmas, enjoys good gospel singing, and hunts for eggs during Easter. Good site. 4
December 16, 2011
Yoga is as old as the God's themselves. It is a knowledge which was given by Lord Shiva himself to Parvati when she asked him how would humans find liberation from the cycle of birth & death. Siva Samhita is a treatise of his answer in dialogue form between Shiva & Parvati.
Hence, I humbly submit that dating Yoga according to our prsent day Calender may be futile. Please add to my knowledge if what I have said is not correct or erroneous. In quest of the Truth, Kamini, 5
January 06, 2012
Kamini,
The date of origin is not what's being discussed here, but the roots. However, if you are willing to consider that religious texts (in written form) have author(s) that conceived (or collected) them at some point, you will find that there are various estimates of Shiva Samhita's date of writing, none going back further than 1500 BCE. You do, curiously, illustrate my point, by mentioning Shiva and Parvati. Shiva makes up the trio of divinity in Hinduism. The point of my comments is the fact that Yoga is entirely a Hindu pratice (by origin), in that it is a tradition inspired by and contained in Hindu philosopy...and carried forward by Hindus alone until recent times. Sure, the exact label "Hinduism" is of more recent origin, but it is the term available to us today to describes the same old belief system in which Yoga originated. Therefore, to say Yoga did not originate in Hinduism is a feeble play on words. To fail to mention its Hindu origin while telling its history is to start new yogis on an ignorant path. I will have a lot of respect for anyboy or any publication that is honest and open-minded enough to use Shiva or any other Hindu symbol as an icon next to a discussion of yoga, instead of having a chic meditating Buddha in Lotus position, a misleading, but more tolerated symbol of eastern relgion/philosophy in the west. A truth, however unomfortable, remains the truth. By suppressing it, you only subtract from the true meaning of yoga. Om Shanti. 6
January 10, 2012
calmini - Yes, the historic dating of yoga is quite vague based on what we know, and is just an intelligent guess. The dates are given to give context and a sequence to the unfolding of the yoga tradition.
rabi - Yoga and Hinduism share the same common roots, but that does not mean that "Yoga is entirely a Hindu practice." Your analogy of the Gospels and Christianity is flawed because Christianity existed prior to the writing of the Gospels. You cannot say that Hinduism existed prior to the Vedas. Also many of the early Christian texts are also intertwined with the Jewish texts, which according to your logic would make Christianity an entirely Jewish practice. 7
January 10, 2012
Timothy, I acknowledge the depth of your belief on this topic, so I have nothing left to say.
As a testimony to the complexiity of human thought, personal as well as professional practice of Yoga can coexist with wholesale diminutive and derogatory view of the religion that originated and carried it for centuires. This is my purely personal and totally arguable explanation for the increasing necessity for distancing of Yoga from Hinduism as the practice gets to the larger masses in the West. Branding is after all not an exercise in brutal and awkward truth. If anybody is interested in learning of the roots of Yoga, I encourage them to look further than glib explanations (developed over time by many, to be fair; this is nothing recent) that serve as much to obfuscate as much to illuminate. Wikipedia is not a bad start. This is the last comment, I promise, and I end with this Sanskrit quote: विषादप्यमृतं ग्राह्यं अमेध्यादपि काञ्चनम्। अमित्रादपि सद्वृत्तं स्त्रीरत्नं दुष्कुलादपि॥ Elixir of life is to be accepted even if comes from poison, a piece of gold is to be accepted even from impurity. A good conduct is to be learnt even from an enemy and a good lady is to be accepted even from a bad community. Ha, did I just reinforce the perception I deplored? Let me try a different one (disclaimer: the crude translation is not mine): अयं निज: परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्। उदारमनसानां तु वसुधैव कुटुंबकम्॥ This is mine or (somebody) else’s (is the way) narrow minded people count. But for broad minded people, (whole) earth is (like their) family. 8
January 23, 2012
rabi - I'm glad we are agreeing to disagree here, although I would have appreciated (and enjoyed) a logical rebuttal based on facts rather than a dogmatic viewpoint.
The yoga page in Wikipedia that you referenced states "The word [yoga] is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism" which contradicts your belief that "Yoga is entirely a Hindu practice." If you are not open to discussing this topic using facts and reason then please do not continue this conversation. And if you continue to lace your posts with judgements and a patronizing tone then I'll delete them as inappropriate. 9
January 24, 2012
Timothy, Saying Buddhism and Jainism recognize/include Yoga is different than saying they originated it.
You at least seem to agree on Vedas as having the oldest claim on Yoga. Given your study of eastern philosophy/yoga, I would think you know that Buddhism and Jainisms are specifically called "non-Vedic religions." That's in essence how they differ from Hinduism, because Vedas+Upanishads *are* essentially what is today called Hinduism. You mention vedas/brahmans/rishis in your history of Yoga. Well, Hinduism is specifically called Brahmnaic/vedic religion. I don't think there is anything I can present to you here in thix box to change your position. I realize that my argument is not with you really, but with a popular western view constructed over time. So, I thank you for engaging in this conversation and wish you luck. I grew up with Yoga around me, but never got into it much. I am getting started and your site is a good resource. 10
February 02, 2012
Thimothy,
I agree with you that the principles of yoga existed in the Indian sub-continent before Vedas and Upanishads. What we call Hinduism is an amalgamation of yogic principles; (especially of Yama and Niyamas) and the other philosophies. Hinduism has many contrasting features from yogic principles. Many ayurvedic texts openly endorses practices like the consumption of meat including beef. It is not also against polygamy as well. 11
June 27, 2012
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Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment. Gandhi |
Ahimsa, the yogic practice of non violence must be adhered to when engaging in the practice of hatha yoga. Respect your body's limitations and inner wisdom, if something feels wrong or dangerous, please do not do it.
Please consult your health care practitioner before starting a yoga, pranayama or other exercise program.
All contents copyright 2001-2012 Timothy Burgin and Yogabasics.com. All rights reserved. Om shanti peace.
Please consult your health care practitioner before starting a yoga, pranayama or other exercise program.
All contents copyright 2001-2012 Timothy Burgin and Yogabasics.com. All rights reserved. Om shanti peace.
