From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Wellness: The Evolution of Yoga

What comes to your mind when you hear the word, – “Yoga”? Stretches, exercises or a flexible body? Well, Yoga isn’t limited to just that. It has benefits that go beyond the constraints of flexibility. It aids in strengthening physical and mental health, alike. This beautiful art has evolved over numerous centuries.

Yoga is a holistic practice that originated in ancient India and combines physical, mental and spiritual aspects. It is a systematic approach to achieve harmony and balance within oneself and with the surrounding world.

While commonly known for its physical postures, yoga extends beyond just the physical aspect and includes breathing techniques, meditation, ethical principles, and self-awareness practices.

The history of Yoga’s can be divided into 4 period

Pre-Classical

The origins of it can be tracked back over 5000 years to ancient India where it was developed as a spiritual practice by Indus-Sarasvati civilization. The earliest written records of yoga come from the ancient Indian texts called the Vedas, which date back to around 1500 BCE. The Vedas were a collection of writings containing songs, mantras and rituals to be utilized by Brahmans, the Vedic priests. 

Classical

In this era, it arrived as a combination of various ideas, beliefs and techniques that contradicted and conflicted with each other. The Classical period is defined by Patanjali’s Yoga-Sutras, the first systematic presentation.

Post Classical

A few centuries after Patanjali, the masters created a system of practices designed to rejuvenate the body and prolong life. They dismissed the lessons of the old Vedas and held onto the physical body as the way to achieve enlightenment. They created Tantra Yoga, with radical methods to purify the body and mind to break the knots that bind us to our physical existence.

Modern Period

In order to attract attention and followers, the masters began to travel to the West in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This began at the 1893, when Swami Vivekananda impressed the attendees with his lectures band the universality of the world’s religions.

Yoga evolved as a means for individuals to attain self-realization, inner harmony, and spiritual growth. Today, it has spread globally and is practiced by millions of people, embracing its physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions as a path to well-being and self-discovery.

Meaning of Yoga word

The word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit root “yuj,” which means “to join” or “to unite.” It signifies the union of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness, often referred to as self-realization or enlightenment.

Objective in Modern Times

In modern times, it has gained immense popularity and has become a significant practice worldwide.  Some of the reasons behind the popularity of yoga are as follows

Physical and Mental Well-being

One of the key reasons for popularity is the overall benefits it offers to the health and well-being of the users. It offers a wide range of physical benefits, such as improved flexibility, strength.

It also promotes mental well-being by reducing stress, anxiety and depression.

Stress Removal

In today’s fast paced world with full of technology stress has increased a lot and people are turning towards yoga as a means to find the inner peace to reduce stress. It helps to control the mind and body and add calmness.

Weight Loss

Yoga is one of the effective ways to regain fitness and lose weight.  Various yoga styles help users to burn calories and thus reduce weight to gain proper fitness.

In 2015, The United Nations General Assembly established 21 June as “International Day of Yoga”, placing it firmly upon the world stage.

An estimated 300 million people now practice it worldwide, spending around 80 billion dollars per year on classes, certification of teachers, clothing, books, videos, equipment, and holidays.

It is an effective exercise practice offering many benefits, not least among which is a gentle way to reconnect with the body as a source of wellbeing and wisdom. In our world, this is a huge gift.