The Origins of Yoga
The Indus-Sarasvati civilisation
India can claim today to be descended from one of the oldest civilisations known. The ancient Indus civilisation flourishing in the Sarasvati valley was eminent as far back as the seventh millennium B.C.
One of the oldest sacred texts of Yoga is the Rig-Veda, a collection of some 1028 hymns, that can also be traced to roughly the same period and area : 7000 – 1900 B.C. Originally the Rig-Veda was transmitted orally from generation to generation, so it’s actual time of development is lost to scholars. The first Sanskrit codices date to approx. 3000 -2000 B.C.
Yoga is most likely to have been the collective product of this ancient and highly sophisticated civilisation.
It is safe to date the origins of Yoga then to at least 5000 years ago and probably a lot older.
History
The history of Yoga is a vast and convoluted subject that many scholars have done great justice too, so I will just give the briefest of outlines here.
Historically Yoga can be divided roughly up into four periods:
· Vedic Yoga – to approx. 1800 B.C.
· Pre-Classical Yoga – approx. 1800 B.C. – 200 A.D.
· Classical Yoga – approx. 200 A. D. -
· Post Classical Yoga
Vedic yoga
This period is the original time and the era of the classical sacred Vedic texts. Veda means ‘knowledge’ and there are four important codices:
· Rig-Veda (praise knowledge)
· Yajur-Veda (sacrificial knowledge)
· Sama-Veda (chanting)
· Arthava-Veda (arthava knowledge) – Arthava was a venerated fire priest and master of magical rituals, and so this book is related to his teachings.
Georg Feuerstein puts the Vedic Yoga era in a nutshell: “When successful, the Vedic yogi was graced with a “vision” or experience of the transcendental reality. A great master of Vedic Yoga was called a “seer”—in Sanskrit, a rishi. The Vedic seers were able to see the very fabric of existence, and their hymns speak of their marvelous intuitions, which can still inspire us today”.
Pre-Classical Yoga
Dating from around 200 A.D. this period still reflected much of the Vedic sacrificial cultureThe principle texts were the
· Brahmanas – explanations of the old Vedic texts
· Aranyakas – ritual texts specific to adepts who chose monkhood or forest seclusion lifestyle.
· Upanishads – gnostic texts dealing with life the universe and everything and comprising some 200 texts, the most famous of which is the Bhagavad-Gita. Itself a subsection of the huge epic Mahabarata.
· Mahabarata – a national spiritual treasure of Indian culture
· Ramayana – another national spiritual treasure of India.
Gain Georg Feuerstein: “These various pre-classical schools developed all kinds of techniques for achieving deep meditation through which yogis and yoginis can transcend the body and mind and discover their true nature”.
Classical Yoga
This refers to Patanjali’s Astanga , or eight-limb path. Patanjali was active around 200 A.D. and authored important texts on Medicine, Grammer and Yoga among others. His 196 verse Yoga Sutras is possibly one of the most famous of all texts and widely studied.
Georg Feuerstein: “Patanjali, who is by the way often wrongly called the “father of Yoga,” believed that each individual is a composite of matter (prakriti) and spirit (purusha). He understood the process of Yoga to bring about their separation, thereby restoring the spirit in its absolute purity. His formulation is generally characterized as philosophical dualism. This is an important point, because most of India’s philosophical systems favor one or the other kind of nondualism: The countless aspects or forms of the empirical world are in the last analysis the same “thing”—pure formless but conscious existence”.
POSTCLASSICAL YOGA
The core teachings of this period, which takes up after Patanjali, lie in the Upanishads of the pre-classical era. While Patanjali sought to deliver knowledge of the separation of spirit and matter, known as dualisim, Vedanata (teachings based on the Upanishads) seeks to bring knowledge of the unity of all life, the inseperable condition of spirit and matter.
Feuerstein: “A few centuries after Patanjali, the evolution of Yoga took an interesting turn. Now some great adepts were beginning to probe the hidden potential of the body. Previous generations of yogis and yoginis had paid no particular attention to the body. They had been more interested in contemplation to the point where they could exit the body consciously. Their goal had been to leave the world behind and merge with the formless reality, the spirit.
Under the influence of alchemy—the spiritual forerunner of chemistry—the new breed of Yoga masters created a system of practices designed to rejuvenate the body and prolong its life. They regarded the body as a temple of the immortal spirit, not merely as a container to be discarded at the first opportunity. They even explored through advanced yogic techniques the possibility of energizing the physical body to such a degree that its biochemistry is changed and even its basic matter is reorganized to render it immortal.
This preoccupation of theirs led to the creation of Hatha-Yoga, an amateur version of which is today widely practiced throughout the world. It also led to the various branches and schools of Tantra-Yoga, of which Hatha-Yoga is just one approach”.
Modern Yoga
The world parliament of religions held in 1893 in America, is thought by many to have marked the latest era of Yoga. This period now saw the arrival in western countries of various Indian Gurus and masters, of whom Swami Vivekananda was the first, that could be said to have shortly opened a floodgate of yogic lore culminating in today’s heavy accent on commercialism and popularity. Thankfully the sight of the soul as a spiritual subject will never become obsolete (so long as we all still have a soul) and the topic of Yoga will endure. As teachers we can look forward to cultivating within our own knowledge and understanding, a sense of depth now, a maturing of wisdom and experience in the field of Yoga.
Perhaps just to close this section it should be mentioned that ‘Yoga’ is a condition of mind, body and spirit, a state of awareness, and although undoubtedly birthed in Hindu philosophy, it is not a religion at all and is not limited even to India. Buddhism, specifically Tibetan Buddhism, is a form of Tantric Yoga as is Chinese Taoism and others. Culture and existing religious and philosophical influences always play a large role in the development and unfolding of spirituality and Yoga is no exception.
It is my personal sentiment (and experience) that anyone, from any walk of life can attain Yoga, perhaps without even knowing it. Attaining the state of yoga is not a permanent condition, but rather the temporary alignment of a state of awareness. With time, effort and experience, perhaps we can move into this state at will and even begin to dwell here more and more often.
I would encourage us all to undertake research and foster inquiry. The forays of other exponents and their writings can potentially greatly illuminate our own path. While I believe we all have a more or less unique road to travel, the insights and enlightenment of genuine masters are always invaluable.
Namaste
Tat Nam Sat!
Postscript: Notable adepts of ‘modern Yoga’ include:
- Swami Vivekenanda
- Swami Ramakrishna
- Paramahansa Yoganana
- Yogendra Mastamani (hatha Yoga exponent)
- Swami Kuvalayananda
- Swami Ramacharaka (a duo of pupil & master – William Atkinson & Baba Bharata)
- Paul Brunton
- Ramana Maharshi
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
- Indra Devi (prominent Yogini in a mostly male dominated field)
- Selvaradjan Yesudian (sport & Yoga)
- Richard Hittleman
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (TM)
- Shrila Prabhupada (Krishna consciousness)
- Swami Sivananda
- Swami Vishnudevananda
- Swami Satchitananda
- Swami Sivananda Rhada
- Swami satyananda
- Yogi Bhajan (kundalini yoga)
- Bhagavan Rajneesh (Osho)
- Sri Aurobindo (Integral Yoga)
- Ramana Maharshi (advaita Vedanata)
- Swami Nityananda (a great master of siddha Yoga)
- Swami Muktananda
- Sri Krishnamachara (teacher of Iyengar and Patabi Jois)
- Sri Chinmoy
- Meera Ma (fascinating Yogini who teaches through silence)
The Indus-Sarasvati civilisation
India can claim today to be descended from one of the oldest civilisations known. The ancient Indus civilisation flourishing in the Sarasvati valley was eminent as far back as the seventh millennium B.C.
One of the oldest sacred texts of Yoga is the Rig-Veda, a collection of some 1028 hymns, that can also be traced to roughly the same period and area : 7000 – 1900 B.C. Originally the Rig-Veda was transmitted orally from generation to generation, so it’s actual time of development is lost to scholars. The first Sanskrit codices date to approx. 3000 -2000 B.C.
Yoga is most likely to have been the collective product of this ancient and highly sophisticated civilisation.
It is safe to date the origins of Yoga then to at least 5000 years ago and probably a lot older.
History
The history of Yoga is a vast and convoluted subject that many scholars have done great justice too, so I will just give the briefest of outlines here.
Historically Yoga can be divided roughly up into four periods:
· Vedic Yoga – to approx. 1800 B.C.
· Pre-Classical Yoga – approx. 1800 B.C. – 200 A.D.
· Classical Yoga – approx. 200 A. D. -
· Post Classical Yoga
Vedic yoga
This period is the original time and the era of the classical sacred Vedic texts. Veda means ‘knowledge’ and there are four important codices:
· Rig-Veda (praise knowledge)
· Yajur-Veda (sacrificial knowledge)
· Sama-Veda (chanting)
· Arthava-Veda (arthava knowledge) – Arthava was a venerated fire priest and master of magical rituals, and so this book is related to his teachings.
Georg Feuerstein puts the Vedic Yoga era in a nutshell: “When successful, the Vedic yogi was graced with a “vision” or experience of the transcendental reality. A great master of Vedic Yoga was called a “seer”—in Sanskrit, a rishi. The Vedic seers were able to see the very fabric of existence, and their hymns speak of their marvelous intuitions, which can still inspire us today”.
Pre-Classical Yoga
Dating from around 200 A.D. this period still reflected much of the Vedic sacrificial cultureThe principle texts were the
· Brahmanas – explanations of the old Vedic texts
· Aranyakas – ritual texts specific to adepts who chose monkhood or forest seclusion lifestyle.
· Upanishads – gnostic texts dealing with life the universe and everything and comprising some 200 texts, the most famous of which is the Bhagavad-Gita. Itself a subsection of the huge epic Mahabarata.
· Mahabarata – a national spiritual treasure of Indian culture
· Ramayana – another national spiritual treasure of India.
Gain Georg Feuerstein: “These various pre-classical schools developed all kinds of techniques for achieving deep meditation through which yogis and yoginis can transcend the body and mind and discover their true nature”.
Classical Yoga
This refers to Patanjali’s Astanga , or eight-limb path. Patanjali was active around 200 A.D. and authored important texts on Medicine, Grammer and Yoga among others. His 196 verse Yoga Sutras is possibly one of the most famous of all texts and widely studied.
Georg Feuerstein: “Patanjali, who is by the way often wrongly called the “father of Yoga,” believed that each individual is a composite of matter (prakriti) and spirit (purusha). He understood the process of Yoga to bring about their separation, thereby restoring the spirit in its absolute purity. His formulation is generally characterized as philosophical dualism. This is an important point, because most of India’s philosophical systems favor one or the other kind of nondualism: The countless aspects or forms of the empirical world are in the last analysis the same “thing”—pure formless but conscious existence”.
POSTCLASSICAL YOGA
The core teachings of this period, which takes up after Patanjali, lie in the Upanishads of the pre-classical era. While Patanjali sought to deliver knowledge of the separation of spirit and matter, known as dualisim, Vedanata (teachings based on the Upanishads) seeks to bring knowledge of the unity of all life, the inseperable condition of spirit and matter.
Feuerstein: “A few centuries after Patanjali, the evolution of Yoga took an interesting turn. Now some great adepts were beginning to probe the hidden potential of the body. Previous generations of yogis and yoginis had paid no particular attention to the body. They had been more interested in contemplation to the point where they could exit the body consciously. Their goal had been to leave the world behind and merge with the formless reality, the spirit.
Under the influence of alchemy—the spiritual forerunner of chemistry—the new breed of Yoga masters created a system of practices designed to rejuvenate the body and prolong its life. They regarded the body as a temple of the immortal spirit, not merely as a container to be discarded at the first opportunity. They even explored through advanced yogic techniques the possibility of energizing the physical body to such a degree that its biochemistry is changed and even its basic matter is reorganized to render it immortal.
This preoccupation of theirs led to the creation of Hatha-Yoga, an amateur version of which is today widely practiced throughout the world. It also led to the various branches and schools of Tantra-Yoga, of which Hatha-Yoga is just one approach”.
Modern Yoga
The world parliament of religions held in 1893 in America, is thought by many to have marked the latest era of Yoga. This period now saw the arrival in western countries of various Indian Gurus and masters, of whom Swami Vivekananda was the first, that could be said to have shortly opened a floodgate of yogic lore culminating in today’s heavy accent on commercialism and popularity. Thankfully the sight of the soul as a spiritual subject will never become obsolete (so long as we all still have a soul) and the topic of Yoga will endure. As teachers we can look forward to cultivating within our own knowledge and understanding, a sense of depth now, a maturing of wisdom and experience in the field of Yoga.
Perhaps just to close this section it should be mentioned that ‘Yoga’ is a condition of mind, body and spirit, a state of awareness, and although undoubtedly birthed in Hindu philosophy, it is not a religion at all and is not limited even to India. Buddhism, specifically Tibetan Buddhism, is a form of Tantric Yoga as is Chinese Taoism and others. Culture and existing religious and philosophical influences always play a large role in the development and unfolding of spirituality and Yoga is no exception.
It is my personal sentiment (and experience) that anyone, from any walk of life can attain Yoga, perhaps without even knowing it. Attaining the state of yoga is not a permanent condition, but rather the temporary alignment of a state of awareness. With time, effort and experience, perhaps we can move into this state at will and even begin to dwell here more and more often.
I would encourage us all to undertake research and foster inquiry. The forays of other exponents and their writings can potentially greatly illuminate our own path. While I believe we all have a more or less unique road to travel, the insights and enlightenment of genuine masters are always invaluable.
Namaste
Tat Nam Sat!
Postscript: Notable adepts of ‘modern Yoga’ include:
- Swami Vivekenanda
- Swami Ramakrishna
- Paramahansa Yoganana
- Yogendra Mastamani (hatha Yoga exponent)
- Swami Kuvalayananda
- Swami Ramacharaka (a duo of pupil & master – William Atkinson & Baba Bharata)
- Paul Brunton
- Ramana Maharshi
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
- Indra Devi (prominent Yogini in a mostly male dominated field)
- Selvaradjan Yesudian (sport & Yoga)
- Richard Hittleman
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (TM)
- Shrila Prabhupada (Krishna consciousness)
- Swami Sivananda
- Swami Vishnudevananda
- Swami Satchitananda
- Swami Sivananda Rhada
- Swami satyananda
- Yogi Bhajan (kundalini yoga)
- Bhagavan Rajneesh (Osho)
- Sri Aurobindo (Integral Yoga)
- Ramana Maharshi (advaita Vedanata)
- Swami Nityananda (a great master of siddha Yoga)
- Swami Muktananda
- Sri Krishnamachara (teacher of Iyengar and Patabi Jois)
- Sri Chinmoy
- Meera Ma (fascinating Yogini who teaches through silence)