History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE

The history of Yoga spans from four to eight thousand years ago to the current day. From hints of it's practice in pre-vedic times, the first elucidations and detailed elaborations in Hindu texts, absorption into Buddhist and Jain philisophies, upto it's modern suffusion into secular life, it's applicability has stood the test of time. History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?]. Older findings are believed by some to show that "yoga" existed in some form well before the establishment of vedas in the India ...

Including:

• History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?]
• History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE
• History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE
• History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita
• History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE
• History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE
• History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE
• History of Yoga - Today
• History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia - History of Yoga

Yoga was first clearly expounded in the Vedic shastras (Hindu religious texts). Those that estimate Yoga's age to be four thousand years see the history of Yoga from this point. David Frawley, a Vedic scholar, writes: "Yoga can be traced back to the Rig Veda itself, the oldest Hindu text which speaks about yoking our mind and insight to the Sun of Truth. Great teachers of early Yoga include the names of many famou ...

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History of Yoga, History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?], History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE, History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE, History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE, History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE, History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE, History of Yoga - Today, History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia II - History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE

Explicit examples of the concept and terminology of yoga appear in the Upanishads (primarily thirteen principal texts of the Vedanta, that are the culmination of all Vedic philosophy). [2] In the Maitrayaniya Upanishad (ca. 200-300 BCE) yoga surfaces as: "Shadanga-Yoga - The uniting discipline of the six limbs (shad-anga), as expounded in the Maitrayaniya-Upanishad: (1) breath control (pranayama), (2) sensory inhibition (pratyahara ...

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History of Yoga, History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?], History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE, History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE, History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE, History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE, History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE, History of Yoga - Today, History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia II - History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE

In the West, hatha yoga has become wildly popular as a purely physical exercise regimen divorced of its original purpose. Currently, it is estimated that about 30 million Americans practice hatha yoga. But in the Indian subcontinent the traditional practice is still to be found. The guru-shishya (teacher-student) relationship that exists without need for sanction from non-religious institutions, and which gave rise to all the great yogins who made way into international consciousness in the 20th century, has been maintained in In ...

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History of Yoga, History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?], History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE, History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE, History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE, History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE, History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE, History of Yoga - Today, History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia II - History of Yoga - Today

Main article: Hatha Yoga Pradipika In the West, outside of Hindu culture, "yoga" is usually understood to refer to "hatha yoga." Hatha Yoga is, however, a particular system propagated by Swami Swatamarama, a yogic sage of the 15th century in India. After the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras, the most fundamental text of Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written by Swami Swatamarama, that in great detail lists all the main asanas, pranayama, mudra and bandha that are familiar to today's yoga studen ...

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History of Yoga, History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?], History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE, History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE, History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE, History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE, History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE, History of Yoga - Today, History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia II - History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE

The protracted discussions of the ultimate, infinite Self, or Atman, and realization of Brahman, are the true legacy of the Upanishads, and the first principal Yoga text is the Bhagavad Gita ("The Lord's Song"), also known as Gitopanishad. The Bhagavad Gita elaborates in detail on Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga. ...

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History of Yoga, History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?], History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE, History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE, History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE, History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE, History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE, History of Yoga - Today, History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia II - History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita

Older findings are believed by some to show that "yoga" existed in some form well before the establishment of vedas in the Indian subcontinent: A triangular amulet seal uncovered at the Mohenjo-daro archaeological excavation site depicts a male figure sitting cross-legged on a low platform, with arms outstretched. His head is crowned with the horns of a water buffalo. He is surrounded by animals (a fish, an alligator and a snake) and diverse symbols. The likeness on the seal and understandings of the surrounding culture have led ...

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History of Yoga, History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?], History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE, History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE, History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE, History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE, History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE, History of Yoga - Today, History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia II - History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?]

{main|Yoga Sutras of Patanjali} After the Bhagavad Gita, the next seminal work on Yoga is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The Yoga Sutras are a compilation of Yogic thought that is largely Raja Yogic in nature, it was codified some time between the 2nd century BC and the 3rd century by Patanjali, and prescribes adherence to "eight limbs" (the sum of which constitute "Ashtanga Yoga") to quiet one's mind and merge with the infinite. These eight limbs not only systematized conventional moral principles espoused by the Gita, but eluc ...

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History of Yoga, History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?], History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE, History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE, History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE, History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE, History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE, History of Yoga - Today, History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia II - History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE

The Yoga-bhasya, Veda Vyasa's commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali could have been written as early as 450 CE. Professor J. H. Woods, places the date of the Yoga-bhasya between 650 CE to 850 CE. Trevor Leggett places the date closer to 600 CE based on a commentary to the Yoga-bhasya published in Sanskrit in 1952 in the Madras Government Oriental Series #94 by Polakam Sri Rama Sastri and S. R. Krishnamurti Sastri. Evidence strongly suggests that this s ...

See also:

History of Yoga, History of Yoga - Pre-Vedic ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?], History of Yoga - Vedic ca. 2000-1500 BCE, History of Yoga - Upanishadic ca. 800-100 BCE, History of Yoga - Bhagavad Gita, History of Yoga - Classical - Patanjali's 'Yoga Sutras' ca. 200 CE, History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE, History of Yoga - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1350 - 1400 CE, History of Yoga - Today, History of Yoga - Modern growth of yoga in the West

Read more here: » History of Yoga: Encyclopedia II - History of Yoga - Yoga-bhasya 450 - 850 CE