Brief History Of Yoga

of yoga- an overviewof yoga meditation and is clearly reflected in 900 BC
The history of yoga is believed to be as old asto 400 BC. The Mahabharata and the Bhagavad-Gita
civilization. The prehistoric roots and its gradual(oldest Yoga scripture) shows the yoga history in 500
evolution and development are testimony to this fact.BC and 200 BC resp. Even in Buddhism, the
Ancient yoga derived from Indian asceticism to unitingimportance of yoga meditation and various yoga
in the “cosmic one.” Yoga history could be tracedpostures have been mentioned.
in the Upanishads, Vedas and even in Brahmanas. TheHistory of yoga in the Patanjali “Yoga
yoga history was also illustrated in the Yoga Sutras ofSutra’s”-
Patanjali.This period is also known as the Classical period of
How yoga derived its name?yoga. The main attempt of Patanjali was to define and
The history of yoga is recorded in our scriptures andnormalize classical yoga form and is known as
it’s continuously evolving in recent times. ThoughPatanjali eight fold path of yoga (Eight Limbs of
yoga has evolved with changes in techniques andClassical Yoga).
methods but the essence and goal remains the same.Post classical yoga-
The word yoga derived from Sanskrit word “Yuj”,Numerous sovereign yoga schools were developed
meaning to “unite”.during this period after the Yoga sutra period, hence
History of yoga in Indus valley civilization-the name Post classical yoga. The human body
The archeological excavations of ancient civilizationbecame filed of study along with the meditation which
shows that even before 3000 BC yoga had evolved.was missing is the previous years. A new system with
The artifacts and the “Yogi glyptic” are testimonynumerous yoga exercises was developed. And thus
to the fact. The various yoga postured relic’sHatha yoga, Raj yoga and other branches emerged.
depicts, some of the noteworthy yoga postures inModern yoga and its history-
them.The Chicago summit and the famous lecture of
History of yoga in Vedic period —Swami Vivekananda became a turning point with the
With evolution of Vedas the foundation of Hinduismintroduction of Yoga to the Western world. Thus
was laid. The Vedas hold the ancient yogic teachingsvarious yoga schools emerged and more and more
and hence is known as Vedic yoga. While somepeople learnt this yogic form of exercise.
vague references of history of yoga could be found inYoga today in modern world-
the Vedas but practices could be found in theYoga has gained immense popularity in recent years.
Brahmanas. The Rig Veda mentions yoga’sYoga has become a health movement. The
practice as yoga was essential with Vedic ritual. Thiswesterner’s views and spirituality has changed
dates back to 900 BC.a lot. Yoga’s has become a mandatory fitness
History of yoga in the Upanishads-regime. Yoga has evolved into more modern form like
This period is also knows as pre-classical yoga period.power yoga or Zen yoga.
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad makes the referenceYoga has revealed through its long history.