History of Yoga

The origins of yoga is shrouded in mystery. Some believe yoga to be around 5000 years old, around the vedic time; whereas some believe it is started with the dawn of civilisation. In Hindu mythology, it is believed that Shiva, regarded as Adiyogi or the first yogi, gave the knowledge of Yoga to the seven Saptarishis or the Seven Sages, who travelled across the globe to disseminate this knowledge. This cannot be dismissed as a far-fetched claim, as there is a distinct similarity between the wisdom of all the ancient civilisations of the world. We will come back to this later, as it merits an elaborate discussion, not just a paragraph. For now, let us look at the timeline of yoga.

The Pre-Vedic and Vedic Period (5000-500 BC)

The earliest mention of Yoga, it can be found in Rigveda, one of the four canonical texts of ancient Indian literature, others being Yajurveda, Samveda, and Atharvaveda. Rigveda is a massive collection of 1028 hymns and 10,600 verses, organised into 10 books, called Mandalas. The Rigvedas were initially passed on from one generation to the other orally, approximately around 3000-4000 BC; and later codified around 1200 - 900 BC during the time of the Kuru kingdom. But what mention does Rigveda have of Yoga? To answer this question we must pause and look at what Yoga truly means.

Yoga is derived from Sanskrit root word Yuj(1), meaning concentration, focus. So, it is not a series of asanas, as we widely understand today. The ultimate aim of yoga is to attain Samadhi, a state of meditative consciousness by stilling the mind, through intense one-pointed concentration. This is possible only if the body is strong enough to undergo deep meditation, which can only be achieved through practice of asanas. 

The Rigveda is all about attaining spiritual knowledge emerging out of meditation, involving yogic techniques. So, we see how intricately yoga is related to Rigveda, even when it was passed on orally from one generation to the other. The excavations of Indus Valley Civilisation (3300- 1700 BC) also has evidence of yoga in the form of Pashupati seal, of a man sitting in perfect yogic posture.

The Pre-Classical Period (500-200 BC)

The pre-classical period witnessed the emergence of various important texts Bhagwad Gita, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, etc. Ramayana is the epic of King Rama of Ayodhya, who leads a life of tests and hardships, but nothing can shake his balance and his commitment to the path of Dharma. The epic Mahabharata, which contains the Bhagwad Gita, is still the most revered treatise on life itself. Lord Krishna answers Arjuna’s questions in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, and helps him realise the true purpose of life and explains the concepts of Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jyana Yoga and Dharma. The Katha Upanishad mentions yoga in the same sense as we know today, the Shvetashvatara Upanishad mentions about meditation. The Maitrayaniya Upanishad mentions a six-fold yoga method. 

Yoga developed a great deal under various schools and branches, but the purpose remained the same - to reach a state of meditative consciousness to know the ultimate truth of our being. 

The Classical Period (200 BC-500AD)

Maharishi Patanjali assimilated all yoga philosophy and knowledge, and codified it into the Yoga Sutra, consisting of 196 sutras, somewhere around 400-500 BC. He provides a systematic approach to yoga, dividing it into eight steps  or Ashtanga, for attaining the ultimate truth, and in the process, a healthy body and an alert mind. The eight limbs of the Yoga Sutra are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dhyana, Dharana, and finally Samadhi. 

Yoga Sutra also draws heavily from the Samkhya philosophy with the main difference being that yoga accepts the notion of a personal God, whereas Samkhya is atheistic in its approach.

The Post-Classical Period (500-1500AD)

There were many kinds of distinct yoga practice and philosophy during this time. Some of them are Bhakti Yoga - devotion to a personal God for attaining spirituality, Tantra Yoga - focussing on our energies to attain a spiritual state, Hatha Yoga - using the mechanics of the body to attain a higher state of consciousness; and many more.

The Modern Period (1800-present)

The modern period of Yoga begins in the year 1893 with the Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago where Swami Vivekananda vowed the audience with his knowledge. Apart from him, NC Paul, Major D Basu, and Sri Yogendra, Sivananda Saraswati, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, BKS Iyengar, K Pattabhi Jois, contributed greatly to the spread and popularisation of yoga. BKS Iyengar laid emphasis on Atma Darshan through asanas while K Pattabhi Jois made famous the Vinyasa style of yoga, both contributing enormously to the spread of yoga in the west. In present day India, mention must be made of Baba Ramdev, who popularised Yoga and literally took it to the masses through his programs on television. 

Yoga reflects the vast reservoir of ancient Indian knowledge. This knowledge that has been lived by the sages, is still enriching our lives. It has stood the test of time through the millennia, and it is about time we realise that to ‘do yoga’, is essentially to go beyond the physical and live its philosophy. 

1. Vacaspati Misra in his bhasya on Yoga, Tattvavaisaradi states that Yoga has been derived from Yuj meaning concentration and not Yujiv, meaning joining.