Origin, history & essence of yoga.

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Origin of Yoga http://www.medindia.com/yoga-lifestyle/yoga-orgin.htm The word Yoga has been derived from the Sanskrit word 'Yuj' which essentially means to join or unite. Yoga was born in India eons ago, almost 26,000 years back, during the

period of the ‘Sat Yuga’, also called the Golden age. This period became known for a time of everlasting peace and abundant blessings amongst the people, who could afford all the time to seek the truth and search within.Research says that yoga’s origin dates back to more than 5,000 years ago. The discovery of the Indus- valley civilization, which is the largest civilization, opened the channels of knowledge about the origin of Yoga. Indus valley civilization is often referred to as the Indus Sarasvati Civilization. Indus Sarasvati civilization that dates to 3000 B.C, has played an important part in the history of yoga. Aryans, who came from the north- west, were instrumental in discovering yoga. Rig Veda:Rig Veda is the oldest known text in any Indo European Language. We owe the Rig Veda to the Sanskrit speaking Aryans. The yogic scriptures are written in Sanskrit. Indus- Sarasvati civilization is named

after two great rivers that once flowed in northern India. Since River Sarasvati dried up around 1900 B.C, only the Indus River flows through Pakistan. Excavations from the Indus-Valley civilization show us the evidence of yoga’s existence even during that period. Excavators found depictions engraved on soapstone seals that resemble yogi like figures. Yoga History The history of yoga is divided into four broad categories:1. Vedic Yoga2. Preclassical Yoga3. Classical Yoga 4. Postclassical Yoga VEDIC YOGAThe ancient texts of Vedas are the oldest scriptures in the world. The Sanskrit word Veda means “knowledge” and rig means“praise”. Thus the Rig Vedas are a collection of hymns that are in praise of a higher power. Other three Vedas are Yajur Veda (knowledge of sacrifice), Sama Veda (Knowledge of chants), and Atharvana Veda (knowledge of Atharvana).Vedic Yoga can also be called Archaic Yoga, as people believed in a ritualistic way of life.

Rituals, sacrifices, and ceremonies existed as it was considered a means to connect them to the world of the spirit. They turned to rishis or Vedic yogis for illumination. Vedic masters were blessed with a vision of the supreme reality and their hymns speak of their marvelous intuitions. PRE CLASSICAL YOGA This covers an extensive period of approximately 2,000 years until the second century. Gnostic texts, called the Upanishads, that spoke in detail about the self and ultimate reality appeared. The Upanishads total to nearly 200 in number. One of the most remarkable yoga scriptures is the Bhagavad-Gita, which was composed around 500 B.C. The central teaching of the Gita is, to do your duty and not expect the fruit of action. In 1200 BC the great teacher Rishaba, who was the exponent of the tradition of Jainism, is also an effort dedicated to liberation of spirit. It was only in the sixth century B.C, that Lord Buddha spread the teachings of Buddhism. CLASSICAL YOGA In the second century C.E, Patanjali composed the yoga sutras, which is composed of 195 aphorisms. They expound the Raja yoga or the eight-fold path, which are meant to be memorized,

as it was not in written form. The earliest known Sanskrit commentary on the sutras are Yoga- Bhashya (speech on Yoga), by Vyasa in the fifth century. Patanjali believed that each individual is made up of matter (prakriti) and spirit (purusha) .He advocated that yoga would restore the spirit to its absolute reality, a teaching that saw a shift from non dualism to dualism. POSTCLASSICAL YOGA The post classical yoga affirms the teachings of Vedanta, that there is ultimate unity of everything in the cosmos. Vedanta is the philosophical system based on the teachings of the Upanishads. In the Postclassical yoga period, yogis began to probe into the hidden powers of the body.The Previous eras saw yogis laying

emphasis only on meditation and contemplation. Their goal was to shed their mortal coils and merge with the infinite. But during this period, yoga masters designed advanced yogic practices that would rejuvenate the body and prolong its life. This led to Hatha Yoga, which is presently practiced throughout the world.What is Hatha Yoga?The yoga of postures or asanas is called Hatha Yoga. It broadly consists of asanas (body postures), pranayama (body techniques) relaxation and cleansing techniques. The main goal of Hatha yoga is to facilitate concentration and meditation, which is actually a preparation for achieving the final stage of yoga, called the Samadhi.Along with Hatha yoga, Tantra yoga also developed in this period. Tantra yoga is the path of the rituals and it is the knowledge concerning truth or Brahman, and mantra or mystic syllables. MODERN YOGA The history of the modern yoga began with the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. Modern yoga arrived in the United States during the late 1800”s. It was at this congress that Swami Vivekananda, a disciple of saint Ramakrishna, made a lasting impression on the American public. He addressed the gathering as, ‘Brothers and Sisters of America “. Through these words he captured millions of hearts in the United States and attracted many students on yoga and Vedanta.After Swami Vivekananda, the next popular teacher in the west was Paramahansa Yogananda, who arrived in Boston in 1920. He established the self-realization fellowship in Los Angeles. He left his mortal

frame in 1952 but still he continues to have a world wide following. He wrote the famous “Autobiography of a Yogi”. His teachings are called the yogoda teachings. Paul Brunton introduced Ramana Maharishi to western seekers, a former journalist and editor .He wrote a book called “A Search in Secret India’.Since the early 1930”s and till his death in 1986, Jiddu Krishnamurthy Attracted the western minds with his philosophical thoughts. He expounded the wisdom of Jnana yoga and drew large gathering. He has followers all over the world. In the mid_1960”s, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced the Transcendental Meditation to the west. He was associated with the Beatles.In 1965, Shrila Prabhupada came to the United States and founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON). He spread a movement based on Bhakthi Yoga (yoga of devotion) One of the most prominent yoga gurus was the Himalayan master, Swami Sivananda. He served as a doctor in Malaysia and opened yoga centers in Europe and America. He wrote more than 200 books on yoga and philosophy. His famous disciple was Swami Vishnudevananda, who wrote the book, “Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga”. Other masters are Swami Satchitanandaa, Swami Sivananda Radha, Swami Satyananda and Swami Chidananda. Bhagawan Rajneesh also known as Osho was widely popular guru in the 1970”s and 1980”s. The great Sri Krishnamacharya taught the Viniyoga Hatha Yoga. This tradition of Viniyoga Hatha yoga is continued by his son, Desikar and Desikar’s brother-in-law, B.K.S.Iyengar. Sathya Sai Baba is the living yoga master of today whom millions of people all over the world throng. He is called the man of miracles. Land of Yoga -IndiaIndia is rightly called the land of yoga. All systems of yoga developed from this ancient land. We came to know of yoga from Saint Patanjali who gave `yoga-sutras` in 2nd century. The yoga sutras were not in written form and it was meant to be memorized. Sage Patanjali defined yoga as ‘’ chitta-vritti-nirodh’’. Some define yoga as union of individual consciousness to cosmic consciousness. Swami Sivananda says, ‘Yoga is a way of life’. This means any individual can benefit from practice of yoga, to achieve physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Yogic practices confer on the practitioner, immense mind and body control. Systems of Yoga here are four systems of Yoga. They are 1. Jnana yoga2. Karma yoga3. Raja yoga4. Bhakthi yoga There are eight principles to be followed in the system of yoga according to Saint Patanjali.1. Yama: anyone practicing yoga should adhere to the values of non-violence, truth, honesty, celibacy and show restraint. 2. Niyama: they

are the observances to be followed by the yoga practitioner like contemplation, contentment, penance, study of scriptures. 3. Asanas: they are physical exercises that help in concentration of the mind. 4. Pranayama: they are breathing exercises which help the aspirant to gain control of prana or life energy. 5. Pratyahara: it is a stage

of sense withdrawal. The aspirant`s mind is focused on the internal object of concentration and has a feeling of detachment from the outside world. 6. Dharana: at this stage the aspirant is able to concentrate on one subject or an idea. 7. Dhyana: it is the stage of steady concentration on one subject or an idea. 8. Samadhi: it is

the stage where the individual consciousness merges with the divine consciousness. The Essence of Yoga The Essence of Yoga Yoga is a scientific exploration of the inner self that eventually brings about a metamorphosis in the seeker and leads to self realization. The true essence of Yoga revolves around elevating the life force or ‘Kundalini’ at the base of the spine. Yoga is a leading light for a practitioner into gaining mastery over the self, and comprehending the purpose of birth.To quote the Bhagavad-Gita, “A person is said to have achieved yoga, the union with the Self, when the perfectly disciplined mind gets freedom from all desires, and becomes absorbed in the Self alone” Importance Of Doing Yoga As man

is a physical, mental and spiritual being, yoga helps to promote a balanced development of all the three stated above. Physical exercises, aerobics and other forms of exercises assure welfare only to the physical body. It has little to do with the development of the spiritual body or the astral body.Yogic exercises help to promote an all- round well being in an individual. They help to recharge the body with cosmic energy. This helps to attain perfect equilibrium And harmony. Yoga helps the aspirant to channelize and harness the cosmic energy for self- Healing. Consequently, it produces peace and positive feelings in the mind of the aspirant. It rejuvenates and energizes the body. Development and healing is brought about from within.In daily life, yoga helps the person to attain a relaxed state of mind. It provides him with vitality, vigor and zest to carry out his life. All negative blocks in the mind are removed. The body is cleansed of all the

impurities and toxins. Personal power is enhanced by the practice of yoga. One learns to identify their own inner resources and draw upon the energy needed from their own inner sources. It helps one to increase his or her awareness, i.e. self-awareness. It helps in attention focus and concentration. Children do better in their studies, if yoga practice is inculcated into their daily routine. The whole science of yoga has one view in common-to gain health, personal power, to develop knowledge and attain peace of mind. It also reduces stress, tension in the physical body, activates the parasympathetic nervous system. "We have allowed (the drugs) industry to subvert the rules of science. We have watched quietly as governments and academics have colluded with industry to hide information critical to our patients. We have remained silent as our medical schools have churned out graduates who have no knowledge of the dilemmas and scandals of medicine. We have allowed many of our medical journals to become corrupted and timid," - Dr Aubrey Blumsohn