A Brief Overview of the History of Yoga
Posted On Saturday, November 14, 2009 at
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The exact date and circumstances of the origin of yoga are unknown. This is because
the practice of yoga is so ancient that it is believed to predate the written texts and visual
images that depict it. Most scholars trace the origins of yoga to at least 5,000 years ago.
Yoga is believed to have originated through the insights and experiments of ancient seekers
of wisdom, mystics, and visionaries on the Indian subcontinent. Through intense inner
searching, they developed practices that were passed down orally and eventually recorded
in a body of text that is considered sacred in the Hindu and other spiritual traditions.
The earliest known writings on yoga are contained in the Vedas (Sanskrit for
“knowledges”), the most ancient extant Hindu texts. The oldest of these, the Rig-Veda
(“Knowledge of Praise”), believed by some scholars to date as far back as 3000 B.C.E.,
contains plentiful references to yoga.2 Other ancient sacred Hindu writings, including the
Upanishads (“to sit down close to one’s teacher”), helped to codify the oral tradition that
formed the basis of yoga.
Some of the earliest and most influential writings on yoga are the Bhagavad Gita and
the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The Bhagavad Gita (“Lord’s Song”), which forms a part of the
epic Mahabharata (“Great Story of the Bharatas”), is believed to have been composed between
the third and fifth centuries B.C.E. Consisting of approximately 700 stanzas, the
Bhagavad Gita contains crucial instruction by the Hindu god Krishna to the warrior Arjuna
on the principles of yoga. The precepts he presents continue to guide the practice of yoga
today.
The Yoga Sutras (sutra means “thread” in Sanskrit and is related to the English word
suture) is a series of terse aphorisms or maxims that distill the essence of yoga thought.
These aphorisms total 195 or 196, depending upon the source text. The Yoga Sutras are
ascribed to the yoga authority Patanjali, who is believed to have lived between the second
and the fifth century C.E. Patanjali is often called the “father of yoga,” although his real
contribution was to codify existing knowledge of yoga and help provide it a place within
classical Hindu philosophy.
One of the most seminal and well-known texts on hatha yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
(“Light on the Forceful Yoga” in Sanskrit), written in the 14th century C.E. by Svatmarama
Yogin. This text is considered by some scholars to be the most influential text on hatha
yoga, the branch of yoga that deals most specifically with the physical discipline of yoga.
Yoga is much more than an archaic codification of information, however. It is a living
system of knowledge. Since its inception millennia ago, yoga has continued to grow and evolve. From its origins in prehistoric India, it has been embraced by many systems of
thought, including Buddhism, and has become an integral part of the cultures of a number
of other countries, including Tibet, Pakistan, and many other Asian civilizations.
the practice of yoga is so ancient that it is believed to predate the written texts and visual
images that depict it. Most scholars trace the origins of yoga to at least 5,000 years ago.
Yoga is believed to have originated through the insights and experiments of ancient seekers
of wisdom, mystics, and visionaries on the Indian subcontinent. Through intense inner
searching, they developed practices that were passed down orally and eventually recorded
in a body of text that is considered sacred in the Hindu and other spiritual traditions.
The earliest known writings on yoga are contained in the Vedas (Sanskrit for
“knowledges”), the most ancient extant Hindu texts. The oldest of these, the Rig-Veda
(“Knowledge of Praise”), believed by some scholars to date as far back as 3000 B.C.E.,
contains plentiful references to yoga.2 Other ancient sacred Hindu writings, including the
Upanishads (“to sit down close to one’s teacher”), helped to codify the oral tradition that
formed the basis of yoga.
Some of the earliest and most influential writings on yoga are the Bhagavad Gita and
the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The Bhagavad Gita (“Lord’s Song”), which forms a part of the
epic Mahabharata (“Great Story of the Bharatas”), is believed to have been composed between
the third and fifth centuries B.C.E. Consisting of approximately 700 stanzas, the
Bhagavad Gita contains crucial instruction by the Hindu god Krishna to the warrior Arjuna
on the principles of yoga. The precepts he presents continue to guide the practice of yoga
today.
The Yoga Sutras (sutra means “thread” in Sanskrit and is related to the English word
suture) is a series of terse aphorisms or maxims that distill the essence of yoga thought.
These aphorisms total 195 or 196, depending upon the source text. The Yoga Sutras are
ascribed to the yoga authority Patanjali, who is believed to have lived between the second
and the fifth century C.E. Patanjali is often called the “father of yoga,” although his real
contribution was to codify existing knowledge of yoga and help provide it a place within
classical Hindu philosophy.
One of the most seminal and well-known texts on hatha yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
(“Light on the Forceful Yoga” in Sanskrit), written in the 14th century C.E. by Svatmarama
Yogin. This text is considered by some scholars to be the most influential text on hatha
yoga, the branch of yoga that deals most specifically with the physical discipline of yoga.
Yoga is much more than an archaic codification of information, however. It is a living
system of knowledge. Since its inception millennia ago, yoga has continued to grow and evolve. From its origins in prehistoric India, it has been embraced by many systems of
thought, including Buddhism, and has become an integral part of the cultures of a number
of other countries, including Tibet, Pakistan, and many other Asian civilizations.
