History of Yoga
Submitted by admin on Tue, 2009-06-02 08:32
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Om saha navavatu saha nau bhunaktu saha viryam karavavahai |
Tejasvi navadhitamastu mavidvisavahai ||
Om shanti shanti shanti
- Katho Upanishads
Meaning: May He protect us both. May He nourish us both. May we both attain strength. May our study become luminous. Let there be no enmity between us. Om peace, peace, peace.
Historical Development of Yogic Concepts:
Krishna says, "I taught yoga to Vivasvat first, Vivasvat enlightened Manu and Manu explained it to Iksvaku. But such orally transmitted yoga tradition got lost in time".
Yoga, like an eternal river, flowing through the ages, crossing many hedges and bridges, reached its present shape.
Many religions have adopted yoga as the foundation of their internal teachings, however, traditional yoga is not a religion
Handed down through the living tradition of master and disciple, the teachings of traditional yoga have been preserved in India.
The origin of yoga pre-dates written history; therefore, it is not possible to study the historical origin of yoga in terms of chronology. However, it is possible to trace the subsequent chronological history and sources of yoga traditions.
Patanjali, the noblest of the sages, systematized the philosophy of yoga. For better understanding, the history of yoga can be divided into three periods, which are centered primarily on Patanjali.
They are:
- Pre-Classical or Pre-Patanjali period (Before 4500 BC)
- Classical or Patanjali period (500 BC to 800 AD)
- Post-Classical or Post-Patanjali period (800 AD onwards)
