Whether you are new to Yoga or a seasoned practitioner, you will benefit from knowing about the history of the practice. Learn about the practice’s origins in India and how it spread to America. Discover the people who have shaped the practice. In addition, you will be able to learn more about the practice’s teachers.
YOGA’s origins
The history of Yoga dates back thousands of years to the Indus Valley Civilization. The ancient Mohenjodaro seal depicts Shiva in a meditative pose. It is believed that the Indus people practiced Yoga, and Yoga is mentioned in the oldest literature, the Vedas. The four Vedas list the principles of Yoga, an ancient spiritual practice.
Yoga practice started in India, becoming a part of daily life. However, only a few people were aware of its secret system. The authentic yogis were afraid of being harmed or misunderstood and kept their practice a secret. Yoga began as a method of tempering the body to ward off the forces of nature.
Its origins in India
The ancient art of Yoga dates back thousands of years to prehistoric times in India. Practitioners sought enlightenment by controlling their bodies and mortifying them as a form of meditation. These exercises grew in popularity over time and eventually developed into the yoga postures we know today. In the late 19th century, the rise of eastern philosophy sparked a resurgence of interest in India’s ancient traditions.
There is some evidence that warriors and aristocrats in India practiced Yoga. These warriors sat on chariots known as “yoga’s.” Some of these warriors shuttled between the earth and heaven, and their yoga’s were said to be the vehicles of the gods. The ancient Vedic priests attributed the practice to the warrior aristocracy, describing it as a method of “yoking” the mind to poetic inspiration and travelling the metaphorical distance between worlds.
Its spread in America
Yoga had spread from India to the United States since the 1890s when swami Vivekananda brought it to the West. In 1893, he visited the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, and in 1896, he wrote his first book, Raja Yoga. Although he endorsed a more traditional form of Yoga, he also criticized the spread of Yoga in the United States and criticized wandering yogins. In the 1920s, a student of Vivekananda brought Yoga to the United States by founding The Yoga Institute, which opened in New York State. Vivekananda would have been shocked to see women in leadership positions and equality in the country he founded.
Yoga is widely practiced in the U.S., with approximately 37 million practitioners. This is an increase from the 20 million practitioners three years ago. That means that one in ten Americans is practicing Yoga.
Its teachers
When the Yoga background began, most people assumed that yogis had some supernatural power, much like stage magicians who donned turbans and performed tricks. But as time went on, more practitioners of the ancient Indian tradition began to come to the West. Hatha yoga developed as a combination of Indian spiritual traditions and Western physical culture, and teachers such as Swami Kuvalayananda were able to integrate their knowledge into Western medical practice.
As Yoga has become more popular, it has evolved into different forms, including Yoga for all ages and abilities. Today, Yoga is a worldwide practice, and social media has given yogis a platform to share their knowledge and expertise.
Its practitioners
Yoga is a centuries-old practice that has been around for thousands of years. Its roots can be traced back to the ancient Indus-Sarasvati civilization, a great cultural and religious centre in the eastern Gangetic basin around the seventh millennium BCE. The oldest known written reference to Yoga is in the Rig Veda, considered the oldest sacred text in the world. It was written by Brahmans, or Vedic priests, who refined and enriched Yoga practices. Their work is documented in the Upanishads, over two hundred ancient scriptures, such as the Bhagavad-Gita, a text written in the eighth millennium BCE.
Traditionally, Yoga was practiced primarily in India. However, during times of conflict, such as the Islamic invasion and the British Raj, Yoga quickly spread abroad. The Story of Yoga explores the traditional and modern understanding of the practice, examining the earliest practitioners of Yoga and its widespread practice in other cultures. In the end, Yoga is a practice geared toward uniting the material and divine aspects of the self.
Originally posted 2022-09-26 10:09:43.