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The interest of the West is a rather recent phenomenon in the long and rich history of Yoga. You may be surprised to know that Yoga was conceived in the Indus Valley Civilization over 5000 years ago, in 3000 B.C. One of the primary reasons it has survived into the modern age is its ability to adapt to the requirement of its audience. Knowing the history of Yoga and studying the yoga world can be of immense benefit to a student of Yoga because it enables a deeper understanding of both the science and art of it.

Here is a brief overview of Yoga history. It consists of four main periods leading up to present day.

Vedic Period

Vedas are the most sacred and important manuscripts which formed the foundation of the Hindu religion. They contain the first mention of Yoga techniques and endeavor to use Yoga to seek spiritual oneness with the universe. Yoga essentially comes from the Sanskrit term ‘yuj’ which means to yoke or to unite. Vedic Yoga attempts to unite the physical and the spiritual worlds of its followers.

Pre-Classical Period

The chief texts of this time were the Upanishads and the most important religious text of the time was the Bhagvad Gita. There are many treatises in the Upanishads regarding Yoga and the Bhagvad Gita draws from them amply. The Bhagvad Gita propounds the use of three Yogic practices- devotion, contemplation and selfless action (Bhakti, Jnana and Karma). Yoga gained a lot of prominence at this time due to the influence of the Bhagvad Gita on its religious followers.

Classical Period

The Yoga world comes of age in this period. Specific treatise regarding Yoga is written down by Patanjali in 2^nd century, called the Yoga Sutras. In an attempt to standardize Yogic practices, Patanjali created 195 sutras and the now famous Eight-fold Path of Yoga. Patanjali had a different view from the authors of the Vedas and the Upanishads and believed that man was created by matter and spirit and that the two had to be separated from each other in order to cleanse the spirit. This new view has held dominance over Yoga world for a few centuries when Yogis became concerned solely with meditation. This was followed by the belief that the body was the temple of the spirit and once again the focus was brought onto the asanas to maintain a healthy body.

Post Classical Period

In this phase of Yoga history, Yoga spread beyond geographical boundaries and found followers in the West. A lot of Yoga literature was produced and a number of Yoga schools were set up by now-famous Yoga teachers. One of the most prominent teacher was Swami Sivanand, who opened Yoga schools in the US and Europe and wrote a large number of Yoga books. He created the famous Five Principles of Yoga. The other famous teacher was Maharishi Mahesh, who is most famous for his technique called Transcendental Meditation.

Today, Yoga continues to be offered in a variety of different forms, each suited to the specific requirements of its audience.