The Basis of Modern Yoga

The trouble with studying the history of yoga is that there are many periods where the thread is broken due to the very nature of recording how yoga was practiced. Because of oral transmissions pertaining to sacred texts as well as the inherent secrecy contained in early teachings, the history of yoga from ancient times is somewhat unclear. Nevertheless, there are known to have been early recordings of yoga that date back more than 5000 years.

Four Periods

There is no doubting the fact that the history of yoga is rich, and it has four main periods in which it has developed as well as innovated.

1 The earliest known beginnings of yoga can be traced to the Pre-Classical Period that goes back more than 5000 years.

 2 The Classical Period of yoga began when was systemized and written down in ancient India about the time of the second century. The noted sage named Patanjali organized yoga practice into the “eight limbed path” (Ashtanga) in the Yoga Sutras.

3 The history of yoga progressed further into the Post-Classical Period in the 15 century. It was a time when the masters of yoga created many different practices that were meant to rejuvenate the body and help a person to live longer. In fact, this was a time when the teachings of the sages that preceded them were rejected and the physical body became the focus of attention in order to gain enlightenment. Hatha yoga evolved out of the practice of Tantra yoga.

4 Yoga as we know it today is that part of the history of yoga that is referred to as the Modern Period and dates to about the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. The early 20th century saw a transformation in the history of yoga when hatha yoga began to find prominence in India and it was embodied most noticeably in the works of T. Krishnamacharya. Iyengar Yoga is a prime example of Modern Postural Yoga, with its emphasis on the practice of poses to improve health. B.K.S. Iyengar's work (drawing on that of his teacher, T. Krishnamacharya) is famous for its application of yoga as a kind of therapy for various physical conditions. It then saw another change with the opening of the yoga studio in Hollywood in 1947 by a woman named Indra Devi and the story goes on to where we see yoga today.