Question

Write about the history and development of yoga.

Answer 1

1. Indus Valley Civilisation: Yoga had a place in the Indus Valley Civilisation, around 2000 B.C. Seals found at its sites are described as depicting yogic practice.
2. The Vedas: The word ‘yoga’ is referred to in the four Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda.
3. The Upanishads: They explain moksha as the ultimate goal of yoga and describe yoga as a higher state of consciousness and a way to calm the mind and manifest wisdom.
4. Buddhist and Jain traditions: Buddha’s Arya Ashtangic Marga and the Jain five great vows contributed to the development of the yoga tradition.
5. Epics and philosophical schools: The Ramayana and Mahabharata contain references to yoga; the Bhagavad Gita is regarded as a classical treatise on yoga. Yoga is also described in the Shad Darshans.
6. Patanjali and Ashtanga Yoga: Around the second century B.C., Maharishi Sage Patanjali codified a comprehensive system of yoga. He presented the eight limbs known as Ashtanga Yoga.
7. Hatha Yoga: The Nath culture contributed to the Hatha Yoga tradition, which emphasised the body and mind and addressed day-to-day health-related concerns. Important texts include Hatha Yoga Pradeepika, Gheranda Samhita, Hatha Ratnavali and Shiva Samhita.
8. Modern teachers: In the nineteenth century, teachers such as Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, Maharishi Aurobindo and Ramana Maharishi preached yoga to the masses. Yoga later became established as a field in education.