History of Yoga

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Yoga Intro/History

Yoga

The Vedic system considers the confluence of body, mind and soul as the tripod of existence. While the body and mind can fall under the domains of health and disease, the soul or the all-energetic and eternal Aatman is beyond any flaw. The sister sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga attend to the healing of the sick body and mind and propel the purpose of life beyond just biological existence towards the ultimate self realization which marks the union of the Jeeva with the Paramatman.

Yoga achieves the purpose through a very well organized eight-fold sequential process known as the Ashtaanga Maarga consisting of Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyaahara, Dhaarana, Dhyaana and Samaadhi. These yogic processes gradually take us from the simplest to the most complex and finally onto the ultimate destination of self-realization.

Sri Yantra

Sri Yantra is one of the most auspicious, important and powerful Yantras, which not only gives the maximum benefit, but also proves beneficial for almost everybody. It is the source of attaining all worldly desires & fulfilling all wishes through inner cosmic power & mental strength. "Shree Yantra" - Shree meaning wealth and Yantra - Meaning "Instrument" - The Instrument for Wealth.

The Shree Yantra brings about material and spiritual wealth. Sri Yantra has that unexplained power to fulfill all our wishes and change our life for the better.

History of Yoga

The eternal principles of Yoga are of divine origin and the practice of the same falls in line with the evolutionary progress of the human civilization when man first realized his spiritual potential and began to develop techniques to enrich it. The yogic science was slowly elaborated and developed by ancient Rishi scientists from all over the world. The essence of yoga has often been shrouded in or explained by different symbols, analogies and languages.

The yoga we know today was developed as a part of the tantric civilisation which existed in India and all parts of the world more than ten thousand years ago. In archaeological excavations made in the Indus Valley at Harappa and Mohenjodaro, now in modern Pakistan, many statues have been found depicting deities resembling Lord Shiva and Parvati performing various asanas and practising meditation. These ruins were once the dwelling place of the Indus-Saraswati civilisation that started to flourish in the Indus subcontinent. According to tradition, Shiva is said to be the founder of yoga and Parvati, his first disciple.

In ancient times, yoga techniques were kept secret and were never written down or exposed to public view. They were passed on from teacher or guru to disciple by word of mouth. In this way there was a clear understanding of their meaning and aim. Through personal experience, realised yogis and sages were able to guide sincere aspirants along the correct path, removing any confusion, misunderstanding and excessive intellectual contemplation.

Yoga - being an integral part of the Vedic thought, it would be superfluous to trace its origins with the yardstick of recorded human history. The first books to refer to yoga were the ancient Tantras and Vedas that were put down into written form at about the time the Indus Valley culture was flourishing. Although they do not give specific practices, they allude to yoga symbolically. In fact, the verses of the Vedas were heard by the rishis, seers, in states of deep, yogic meditation or samadhi, and are regarded as revealed scriptures. It is, however, in the Upanishads that yoga begins to take a more definable shape. These Upanishads collectively form Vedanta, the culmination of the Vedas, and are said to contain the essence of the Vedas.

Sage Patanjali's treatise on Raja yoga, the Yoga Sutras, codified the first definitive, unified and comprehensive system of yoga. Often called the eight-fold path, it is comprised of yama - self-restraints, niyama - self-observances, asana, pranayama, pratyahara - disassociation of consciousness from the outside environment, dharana - concentration, dhyana - meditation and Samadhi - identification with pure consciousness.