History of Yoga
Yoga is a set of specific exercises, called poses, combined with specific mental, physical, and spiritual practices like breathing techniques and meditation principles are the building blocks of a yoga class.
Yoga is one of the six Astika(orthodox) schools of Indian philosophical traditions, Astika and Nastika are the two schools in Indian philosophical traditions The terms of Astika and Nastika have been used to classify various Indian abstract traditions.
A group of six systems(Sad Darshan) that considers Vedas as an authentic source of knowledge and as a valid history. The six systems are also known as the six schools of Hinduism, and they are:
The main schools of the Indian philosophy that rejects the Vedas are:
The term “Yoga” in the Western world often denotes yoga as exercise, consisting largely of postures(asanas). Yoga is a great choice to work on your pliability and vigor. It’s not about heavy exercises, but yoga is about relaxation. Most of the varieties of yoga practices focus on poses, called asanas. Another main attention is for breathing. Yoga for flexibility deals with the stretching of muscles. As we are stronger and flexible, posture improves.
The practice of yoga has been thought to be from 3000 BCE and stated in ancient Indian philosophy, which dates back to pre-Vedic Indian traditions. An estimated 5,000 years of history references contains different forms of yoga and its practices. We can identify several mentions of yoga in early Vedic scripts like Upanishads and Rigveda. The history of yoga has many instances of anonymity and variability due to its oral conveyance of sacred textbooks of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
It is also believed that yoga is believed to have started in the very dawn of civilization. According to yogic lore, Shiva(Hindu God) is seen as the first yogi and that’s why Shiva is also termed as ‘Adiyogi’, which means the first Guru. Yogini and Yogini are interrelated terms to detail the practitioner of yoga. Yogini is the female form and yogi is the male form. Historical pieces of evidence for the existence of yoga were seen in the pre-Vedic period too.
The practice of yoga and its teachings transmitted from the very beginning of civilization and transmitted through sages and yoga masters and now in the present, it has been carried all over the world. The western world finds yoga as teaching or an idea for better health and lifestyle, but in the case of South Asian people where the followers of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism sees yoga as a part of their religious practices and the perforation of yoga helps them to attain “self-realization” and “Moksha”(a state of liberation) or Freedom.
The presence of yoga is available in the folklore traditions of India, the Indus valley civilization, and Vedic and Upanishadic heritage, along with Buddhist, Jain, and tantric traditions even in the epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Yoga and its practice gained prominence in the west during the 20thn century through Swami Vivekananda. The book written by Patanjali, titled ‘Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’ is one of the finest examples of Yoga and its practices. This very specified book mostly deals with yoga as a manner of meditation and spiritual context, rather than a physical exercise.
The word yoga is taken from the Sanskrit root “Yuj”, which means to join or unite. That is exactly the same as what is stated in the book ‘Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’. The statement goes like this “the chief aim is the unity of human spirit with the divine spirit”. According to Panini, an ancient Sanskrit philosopher the meaning of yoga is similar to the ‘yuj samadhavu’(to concrete).
In short, there isn’t any unanimity on the chronology or evidence for the particular origin of yoga and its development in ancient India. Suggested origins can be during the Indus Valley Civilization or the Vedic era
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