Yoga is an essential spiritual discipline which focuses on the harmony between the mind and the body. Yoga is a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices. Such practices are believed to have found their existence in Ancient India. The word, “Yoga” is derived from a Sanskrit word “Yuj” which literally means ‘to unite’. Therefore Yoga means to bring together the mind and body together in harmony. Yoga as we know it today involves a group of physical poses, concentration and focused breathing.

Yoga: A Brief History

Yoga is believed to have started with the very dawn of civilization. Yoga as a science finds its origin thousands of years ago even before religious beliefs came into being.  Interestingly enough, in yoga, Lord Shiva is believed to be the first yogi. Hence he is also called as the first guru or ‘Adi Yogi’.

Conclusive historic evidence is the seals found from many sites of the Indus Valley Civilization. Such seals show the Yogic postures and figures performing yoga. These seals established the presence of yoga in the Indian Subcontinent in ancient times. Yoga is present in folk traditions, Buddhist and Jain Literature, epics of Mahabharat and Ramayan, theatrics of Shiva and Vishnu and even in ancient tantric traditions. The explicit explanation of Yoga is found in Bhagavad Gita which has presented the concepts of Jnana yoga, Bhakti yoga and Karma yoga.

Yoga as a way of life finds its mention in the accounts of foreign travelers to India such as FaHein and others. Though Yoga was practiced in pre-vedic period, it was Maharishi Patanjali who codified all the practices related to Yoga. He compiled the existing knowledge about Yoga into a single place. Therefore he became a prominent figure in the Yogic knowledge. There are other sources from which we know about yoga, which are Vedas, Upanishads, Smritis, Teachings of Buddha, Jain, Panini, Epics and Puranas.

Yoga in Contemporary Times

Yoga in contemporary times has found its way across multiple International Borders and now canvasses the entire globe. India as a country too has always been eager to share its learning in yoga to benefit humanity and to achieve a greater good. Keeping in tune of such intent, India began celebrating International Yoga Day in the year 2015. 21st of June, every year, is now earmarked as the International Yoga Day. Yoga is also a part of cultural export of India and a great soft power tool for Indian foreign policy.

Nowadays Yoga is practiced worldwide. Yoga has now evolved to a practice where people use it for their regular well-being. The modern day Yogis now develop agility, mindfulness and resilience. There are elements of deep rest, mindfulness, and meditation in the modern day practice of Yoga. It is now a part of self-development also.  With evolution and intermingling of cultures yoga is now used with other fitness practices and combination of techniques for numerous purposes. Get in touch with a Yoga coach and take your wellness and health to the next level.

Today Yoga has become a globalized phenomenon. Yoga has taken the world by storm now that it finds renewed popularity in India. It is fair to assess that both in India and Abroad children, adults, older aged people and teenagers are now practicing yoga in multiple settings, in the gym, in schools, in college, in offices to foster their fitness and well-being. Yoga has now become a novel approach to understand, mitigate stresses and traumas. It has become a tool which helps people navigate the modern world a little better.

Now with the advent of neo-diseases such as Coronaviruses, NCDs (Non-Communicable Diseases), Stress Disorders etc. People now are thrusting towards Yoga to help them manage these diseases and overall well-being. We had an honour to welcome one passionate yoga coach to our podcast. Radha Rani is a fully qualified yoga teacher for over 10 years, Radha has been working and teaching in America, Australia, around Europe, and in the UK.