History of Yoga
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Yoga
dates back 5,000 years, between 2700 and 1750 BC, to the Indus Valley on
the Indian subcontinent when a highly organized civilization flourished.
Although very little documentary evidence exists of the early history,
there are a few ancient archeological artifacts found in caves. 5,000
year old ceramics from the ancient cities of Mojendro-Daro and Harappa
depict yoga positions. The dark-skinned Dravidians of this area
worshipped many nature-based Gods and celebrated fertility. The survival
and evolution from this animist religion is depicted in the many yoga
asanas named after animals and nature: cobra, tree, mountain, dog,
camel, crocodile and peacock |
There are 2 theories for the origin of the Vedas, the spiritual writings revered by Hindu philosophical schools meaning ‘knowledge’. According to the first, the current historical model, the many invasions of the nomadic Indo-European peoples (called Aryans) between 1800 and 1200 BC, coincided with the decline of the Indus civilization. ‘Indo-European’ refers to the the ancient culture and language that evolved into European and Indian civilization. According to this view, the Vedas were recorded in Sanskrit, an Indo-European language, at about 1500-1000 BC by the Aryan tribes.
According to another yet to be acknowledged view, the Vedas were compiled more than 5,000 years ago by rishis (seers) and yogis - hence pre-Aryan invasion era. The Indian civilization did not derive from the Indo-European invaders since it existed before their arrival. This theory also locates the Indus civilization around the vanished Sarasvati valley not the Indus valley. The so-called Indus civilization continued in a modified form after the drying-up of the Sarasvati.
Apart from their origins, the Vedas - Rig Veda, Sama Veda and Yajur Veda - were a collection of 1008 hymns on theology, social institutions, legal systems, ethics, cosmology, philosophy and science. The Rig Veda is considered an authoritative sacred work by the Hindu faith. In its elaborate myths, male and female Vedic Gods such as Ganesha, Krishna, Indra, Shiva, Vivasvat, Agni, Shakti and Parvati personified the forces of nature. Hindu myths, recorded in many texts, are complex; there are as many variations as there are Hindu sects, often contradictory and inconsistent. Some sects have incorporated these mystical beliefs and mythologies to this day. The Atharva Veda is largley ritualistic with mantras (incantations) and hymns to Gods and Goddesses.
Other ancient spiritual texts include the Brahmins and the Upanishads. The Brahmins (Brahmanas), written about 800-600BC, are written in prose and deal with the rules and regulations for rituals performed by the Brahmin priests. The closing passages to the Brahmins, the Upanishads, are also called Vedanta - meaning ‘the end of the veda’. ‘Upanishad’ means ‘teachings received by a pupil sitting before a sage via a lineage of Masters’ and is still a popular means for transmitting yogic knowledge. In the rather philosophical Upanishads there is a search for the spiritual Truth, a supreme being, as the philosopy becomes monotheistic - worship of one god. Also here are the first written references to yoga and meditation. There are over 200 Upanishads but only 10-12 are considered the most authoritative.
Between 500BC and the early Christian era, Jainism and Buddhism became more popular in the East. While they contained elements of yoga in them, both rejected the Vedas. Worship of Buddhism was strong in the 3rd century BC, but Orthodox Hinduism which evolved from the Vedas, overtook its popularity. Eventually around the 7th century Buddhism left for other lands.
The Bhagavad Gita (the Song of the Blessed Lord), written around 300BC, is a spiritual poem and a treatise on yoga, especially Bhakti, Jnana are Karma. The ‘Gita’ is part of the great 8-chapter epic called the Mahabharata compiled by many authors over 100s of years; the latter takes the form of a discourse delivered by Krishna (the Lord) to Arjuna (the hero) expounding on the ultimate goal of life.
Between 200-800BC Patanjali detailed the entire sum of knowledge about Yoga in 196 aphorisms (sutras), referred to also as Raja Yoga. Patanjali is part of the classical yoga era, when thousands of yoga asanas were still being practised. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is considered the authoritative text on classical yoga by all yoga schools and used by many contemporary yoga styles.
From 600-1200AD Tantrism developed in India from the esoteric teachings of sects and brotherhoods. It is reflected in countless images of Mithuna - embracing couples - which adorn Hindu temples. The Tantras, written in the Middle Ages, were religious poems including instruction on ceremonies.
The 6 philosophical systems in Hinduism, were formulated by the early Christian era. These include: Yoga, Samkhya (or Sankhya), Mimansa, Vedanta, Nyaya, Vaisesika. They originate in the Vedas; each tradition has a different approach to metaphysical knowledge which complements the others.
The main branches of yoga were also established by the early Christian era. The sacred writings such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Yogatattva, Yoga Yajnavalkya, Puranas, Shrimad Bhagavatam, Gherunda Samhita and Siva Samhita and their interpretations detail the practices for each path and the rest was and continues to a certain extent to be passed on by word of mouth from the yogis. The yogic paths include:Jnana (union by knowledge), Karma (by action), Bhakti (by devotion), Raja (by mind mastery), Tantra (by sexual energy), Kundalini (by serpent power), Yantra (by symbols), Mantra (by sound) and Kriya (by several practices).
By the late 19th century a large interest in India ensued. Vivekenanda, a famous Indian teacher, traveled abroad and westerners went east to India. In the 1960s eastern philosophy became fashionable and popularized by pop stars (The Beatles) and charismatic yogis (Bagwan Rajneesh and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi).
There has been a surge in yoga’s popularity in recent years in Western countries, due in part perhaps to increased acceptance of alternative therapies, desire for relaxation and desire to connect with God on a personal level as supported by yoga philosophy. Many yogis in India, called saddus, still walk naked and smear the ashes of the dead on their skin as they did 5,000 years ago, but the norm in the West is ‘tights and tees’. Many yoga styles have derived from classical yoga to suit all preferences. Yoga’s tendency to integrate and accommodate all experiences, contradictions and cultures is very much like the spiritual nation where it initially took root. This living tradition of yoga now recognizes no borders as it continues to spread globally.