The Origin And History Of Yoga

Yoga is India's unique contribution to the world. It is a more intense form of prayer and religious worship. It is a way of reaching out to God through intense personal effort. Yoga aims to build a bridge between the world in which we live and the world from which we came. It attempts to reverse the process of creation and connect us to our source. It gives us an opportunity to transcend our limitations and realize who we are and what our true potentials are.

Yoga has been the applied science of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism for the last several centuries. In this world you will come to know about the true meaning of the word yoga and how it was practiced in the ancient world. the History of yoga. Our knowledge of yoga comes to us mostly from the work of Patanjali who lived sometime in the early Christian era. The Yogasutras is the most authoritative ancient scriptures on yoga. However Patanjali did not invent the system of yoga. It was practiced in the Indian subcontinent long before him and practiced by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and many ascetic traditions that were subsequently integrated into Hinduism. the Indus people were probably familiar with some aspects of yoga.

Followers of the Samkhya school used yoga as the means to liberate themselves from the hold of Prakriti. the Samkhya philosophy was probably the oldest of the Indian traditions to practice yoga for spiritual liberation. The Jain yoga is also one of the oldest yoga systems practiced in the Indian subcontinent. It focused more on the restraint and self denial to the extent of self-mortification. the Buddha was against hurting the body for spiritual aims. He suggested a more softer middle path in which right means were employed to attain right ends. The ancient Buddhist yoga focused on dhyana and similar practices to become aware of breath and body sensations to cultivate mindfulness. The third part of the video deals with Yoga in the Vedic world and concepts of yoga mentioned in some of the earliest upanishads like the Katha Upanishad, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and Svetasvatara Upanished and also how the Vedic ritual was internalized for the purpose of self-realization.




Courtesy: Hinduwebsite