Yoga

Yoga¹ is translated from the Sanskrit as "yoke". The yoke to which the word refers is the connection between the Atman, the conscious or personal experience of the divine nature, and Brahman, the superconscious or transpersonal experience of divinity, or the Godhead.

There are innumerable "yogas" found and practiced within the various spiritual traditions of the world, both East and West. "Yoga" has come to be typically and specifically discussed in reference to the spiritual traditions and practices associated with India, namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Vedanta.

A soapstone seal soapstone seal from the Indus Valley archeological site of Mohenjo-Daro depicting a horned figure (or, a figure wearing a headdress) surrounded by four animals, and seated on a throne in what may be interpreted as a yogic or meditative posture. (The soles of his feet are pressed together.) The figure is often identified with Shiva, perhaps in his role as Pashupati ("Lord of Animals"), and this interpretation suggests that Yoga, aswas known in the Indian subcontinent from 2600 to 1900 B.C.

Yoga in Hinduism

Upanisads

The Maitrayaniya Upanisad (2nd or 3rd century BC) defines yoga as "The oneness of the breath and mind, and likewise of the senses, and the relinquishment of all conditions of existence" for the purpose of uniting Brahman with Atman. It presents a sixfold path including

(1) pranayama ("breath control")

(2) pratyahara ("withdrawal of the senses from objects")

(3) dhyana ("meditation")

(4) dharama ("concentration")

(5) tarka ("contemplation")

(6) samadhi ("absorption")

Note the similarity to Patanjali's Yogasutras.

Yoga as exercise

In 1893, Swami Vivekananda spoke before the World Parliament of Religions, mentioning the need for a Raja Yoga (i.e. a more spiritual or universalistic) approach to religion. While Vivekananda's allegiance lay with Vedanta, Western interest in yoga soon grew.

By the twentieth century, a new (and arguably nationalistic) emphasis on sport and "fitness" led to hatha yoga being understood in these terms, both in India and in Western countries. Yogis were made objects of scientific research which showed them to be able to, inter alia, regulate supposedly involuntary activities such as heart-rate, blood pressure, or body temperature.

B.K.S. Iyengar

Sri Yogendra

Swami Kuvalayananda

See also

• Asana
• Bhagavad Gita‎
• Hatha Yoga Pradipika
• Patanjali
• Shatkarma
• Upanishads
• Vedas
• Yoga Sutras

Footnotes

¹ Yoga (योग), derived from the Sanskrit yugam, a cognate of the modern English "yoke" (iugum, Latin). Its Proto-Indo-European forebearer is speculated to be *yugom, from the root *yeug- (yuj-, Sanskrit) meaning "to join" or "unite".