History of Yoga- an Overview

The history of yoga is believed to be as old as(oldest Yoga scripture) shows the yoga history in 500
civilization. The prehistoric roots and its gradualBC and 200 BC resp. Even in Buddhism, the
evolution and development are testimony to this fact.importance of yoga meditation and various yoga
Ancient yoga derived from Indian asceticism to unitingpostures have been mentioned. 
in the “cosmic one.” Yoga history could be 
traced in the Upanishads, Vedas and even inHistory of yoga in the Patanjali “Yoga
Brahmanas. The yoga history was also illustrated in theSutra’s”-
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.This period is also known as the Classical period of
 yoga. The main attempt of Patanjali was to define and
How yoga derived its name?normalize classical yoga form and is known as
The history of yoga is recorded in our scriptures andPatanjali eight fold path of yoga (Eight Limbs of
it’s continuously evolving in recent times. ThoughClassical Yoga).
yoga has evolved with changes in techniques and 
methods but the essence and goal remains the same.Post classical yoga-
The word yoga derived from Sanskrit wordNumerous sovereign yoga schools were developed
“Yuj”, meaning to “unite”.during this period after the Yoga sutra period, hence
 the name Post classical yoga. The human body
History of yoga in Indus valley civilization-became filed of study along with the meditation which
The archeological excavations of ancient civilizationwas missing is the previous years. A new system with
shows that even before 3000 BC yoga had evolved.numerous yoga exercises was developed. And thus
The artifacts and the “Yogi glyptic” areHatha yoga, Raj yoga and other branches emerged. 
testimony to the fact. The various yoga postured 
relic’s depicts, some of the noteworthy yogaModern yoga and its history-
postures in them. The Chicago summit and the famous lecture of
 Swami Vivekananda became a turning point with the
History of yoga in Vedic period –introduction of Yoga to the Western world. Thus
With evolution of Vedas the foundation of Hinduismvarious yoga schools emerged and more and more
was laid. The Vedas hold the ancient yogic teachingspeople learnt this yogic form of exercise. 
and hence is known as Vedic yoga. While some 
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 a
dates back to 900 BC.lot. Yoga’s has become a mandatory fitness
 regime. Yoga has evolved into more modern form like
History of yoga in the Upanishads-power yoga or Zen yoga.
This period is also knows as pre-classical yoga period.Yoga has revealed through its long history. The vast
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad makes the referenceoceans of Yogic literature and the motivation and drive
of yoga meditation and is clearly reflected in 900 BCmakes all follow the true Yogic path.
to 400 BC. The Mahabharata and the Bhagavad-Gita