Honoring Yoga’s Roots
A Brief History of Yoga
Where do you even begin with 5,000 years of history? I don’t know, but I feel it is important to try. Yoga is a mental and spiritual practice which uses asanas, pranayama, and meditation to help one master the body and mind to ultimately create unity between the Self (Atman) and Universal Consciousness (Brahman). It originated in Northern India at some point between 5 and 10,000 years ago by the large and highly advanced Indus-Sarasvati civilization. Yoga was developed to train the body and mind to reach enlightenment through unity, for health, and for self-understanding. After its introduction, yoga continued to be refined and built upon by Vedic priests and other masters. Many yogic texts were written, and the practice diffused throughout the world. Through this time, many new types and methods of yoga have developed and evolved to fit each time period and a modern audience.
Within Yoga, there are four eras:
Pre-Classical (5,000 years ago): This period is everything we have discussed thus far from the start of yoga. It is sometimes split into several categories including the pre-Vedic and Vedic eras. During this time, yoga drew on many different texts including the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita, and was not necessarily a uniform and organized system. Keep reading for a brief description of each of the sacred texts of yoga.
Classical (2nd century AD): During this period, yoga became unified as a practice and way of life under Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. These sutras outlined an 8 limb path yoga practitioners were meant to follow which includes yoga’s moral code (Yamas and Niyamas), yoga postures (asana), breath control (pranayama), sensory withdraw (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and unity (samadhi).
Post-Classical (several centuries later): During this period, the newer generation of yoga practitioners became disinterested in the classical practice of yoga, and began to focus more on the physical body. Uniting the physical body with the mental and spiritual, and cleansing the self was their path to enlightenment. This birthed tantra and hatha yoga (hatha is the type of yoga we think of today).
Modern (19th century to now): In 1893, the Parliament of Religions took place in Chicago, this is when yoga was first introduced in the west. Westerners were immediately drawn to these teachings, and continue to be today. Modern conveniences have led to a population with a lot of physical and mental health problems due to fast food, social media, and everything we could ever want at the tips of our fingers. Rarely do we ever feel bored or challenged to look within ourselves. As a result, we are riddled with stress, anxiety, obesity, and other problems. Today, yoga helps most people reconnect with their bodies, minds, and spirits, and find peace in the chaos.
Review of the Important Yoga Texts
The Vedas. These include the Rig-Veda (the oldest sacred yoga text which contained songs, mantras, and rituals), the Yajur-Veda (Knowledge of sacrifice), the Sama-Veda (Knowledge of chants), and the Atharva-Veda (Knowledge of Atharvan)
The Upanishads. These are sacred texts that transferred the wisdom of the Vedas into practical and personal teachings using stories and lessons. Directly translated, Upanishads means “sitting down beside”.
The Bhagavad Gita. Translating to “Song of the Blessed One”, The Bhagavad Gita is an ancient, sacred text fundamental to Hinduism and Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana yoga.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjalii. Living about 2,000 years ago, Patanjali was a sage in India. During his time, yoga consisted of a vast array of teachings and scriptures, so Patanjali attempted to compile them into a work called the Yoga Sutras in order to make it more digestible for people. These sutras included within them an 8-limb path for yogis.
Goraksha Paddhati. This text describes a six-step path for yogis to follow, directly including all of Patanjali’s limbs except for the first two: yamas and niyamas.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika This text was written in the 15th century to outline the practice of hatha yoga. It includes asana, pranayama, mudras, and meditation.
Gheranda Samhita This is another important text of hatha yoga which describes 30+ postures, 21 cleansing techniques, and 25 seals.
Patanjali’s 8 Limbs of Yoga
Limbs 1 and 2: The Yamas and Niyamas
The Yamas and Niyamas are essentially the moral code for yogis. They consist of ten principles each that yogis are expected to understand and adhere to (read about them below).
Limb 3: Asana
Asana is the limb of yoga that most people are familiar with: the physical postures. Originally, these postures were not meant to be exercise, as they are used today to increase strength and flexibility, nor a mode of stress reduction. Instead, they were meant to prepare the body to sit for long periods of time in meditation. By strengthening and loosening the body, we optimize the flow of energy through the body, and we are more able to sit comfortably and in correct alignment for hours at a time. Practicing asana separate from the other limbs is very common now, but this alone cannot be called yoga. Practicing asana alone, as a form of exercise, actually leads us to be more aligned with our ego, from which yoga aims to disconnect.
Limb 4: Pranayama
Pranayama directly translates to life force energy (prana) control (yama). I could spend a whole book explaining the yogic philosophy of energy in the body, nadis, and chakras. However, for the sake of a blog post, I will keep it simple. Yogis practice balancing their prana through breath control. This is something we can feel clearly by altering our breathing. When we breathe heavily and fast, we begin to feel excited and on edge from the shift of energies in our body. If we slow and deepen our breath, inhaling and exhaling with control, we feel relaxed and grounded. Proper breathing involves four parts: puraka, rechaka, and two forms of kumbaka. In ideal breathing, all four parts are done with the same speed, steadiness, depth, and control. Puraka is the inhale, kumbaka (1) is pausing with the lungs completely full of air, rechaka is complete exhalation, and kumbaka (2) is pausing with the lungs completely empty
Limb 5: Pratyahara
Pratyahara is complete mastery of the senses- being able to draw your mind inward, away from the constant buzz and distraction of our sensory stimulus. In today’s world, we are constantly surrounded by advertisements, social media, tv, news, work, and all sorts of overstimulation. We must be able to turn away from these distractions to truly be able to reach unity with the greater consciousness, and overall happiness. As we practice Pratyahara, our minds begin to get a bit quieter, our lives become a bit slower and less stressful, and we become less impulsive. We begin to watch our own thoughts to understand from where our desires and extreme emotions arise and how to stop them before they become harmful. Some yogis say that as they turn their senses inward, they experience the prana through sensory means such as sounds and colors.
Limb 6: Dharana
Once our senses have been withdrawn, we can truly begin to have a sense of concentration. This is helpful for both our meditation practice as well as our daily lives, allowing us to be fully present with our loved ones and our activities. Concentration may sound easy, but it is actually quite difficult. We may be able to draw in, away from our senses, but what exists inside our minds? Endless thoughts. We must learn to corral these thoughts and focus exclusively on our the present moment. Begin by learning to focus on just one thought, conversation, or action at a time. Eventually, all thoughts will dissolve and you will be in a state of concentration, or Dharana.
Limb 7: Dhyana
“To be a yogi is to meditate”- Jennie Lee. Indeed, all of the limbs up to this point (creating a balanced lifestyle, preparing the body, managing your energies, sensory control, and concentration) are meant to prepare us for meditation, the last major goal of the yogi before reaching unity. The idea is to sit in quiet stillness in order to transcend the ego and unite with the universal consciousness. For a beginner, this can be quite challenging and we should expect that our mind wanders a bit. The goal is to recognize your thoughts and thought patterns without judgement, and release them. Practicing this for as long as we can every day will bring us closer to a state of bliss.
Limb 8: Samadhi
Samadhi is the end result and goal of the eight limb path: a separation from the ego and unity with the divine consciousness. Once the other steps have been mastered, we reach a state of unconditional love and joy independent of what is happening in the world around us. We are now able to just BE, rather than DO.
It is important to note that this process takes a long period of devoted time and these limbs build on each other. We must take it slow and practice regularly in order to feel the benefits.
The Yamas and Niyamas
The Yamas
Ahimsa (non-violence/peacefulness)
For this Yama in particular, I really love the positive translation. My first step in becoming a yogi was reframing my life around non-violence. This may seem simple, how often are we truly violent to others? But in reality, physical violence is not the only type. Once I began to truly think about the meaning of violence, the more I saw room for improvement in my life. Violence can be seen in our words and actions as well. Whenever we are cruel with our words, or short with someone (whether they provoked it or not) we are committing violence. To truly live nonviolently is to live in a state of peace, and it is an active choice we must make with every thought, word, and act. Remember, our thoughts are powerful at manifesting our lives and shaping us into the people we are. We must also consider choosing peace in other aspects of our lives, such as our diet. The yogi diet is one that does no harm. This means cutting out animal products, which cause suffering to both animals and people (some go so far as to cut out root vegetables since their harvest kills the plant, but I do not advocate for this). It also means considering where the things we consume (food, products, etc.) come from, and the labor conditions that exist within these systems. We must opt for supporting systems that are non-exploitative.
Satya (truthfulness)
As we all know, truthfulness can sometimes be hard, especially when it is not nice, but it is essential anyway (this does not mean, however, that we can not practice truth with compassion). Truthfulness, like peacefulness, goes far deeper than just being honest in our words. It also means being our authentic selves; we must not be afraid or ashamed of who we are and the things we believe in. Though this can sometimes be difficult, it can also be extremely liberating to live free of others’ judgements, and free of our own judgements and negative self-talk. When we are honest with ourselves, our negative self-talk can transform into truthful analysis and problem solving, or acceptance. Truthfulness can also mean listening to your intuition and trusting your gut when possible and appropriate.
Asteya (non-stealing/generosity)
Here is another example of where I love the positive interpretation even more. Asteya is more than non-stealing, it is generosity. Stealing can happen in so many ways aside from taking physical objects that are not ours. We can also take people’s time, conversations and important moments. For example, a friend may tell us that they have lost a loved one, or got a promotion at work. If we choose to recount a story of a time the same thing that happened to us, even if it is out of a desire to relate and sympathize, we have stolen that person’s chance to grieve or celebrate. It is important that we are mindful of how we assert ourselves into the world. We also may steal from ourselves when we don’t live our most authentic and fulfilling lives. More so than simply not stealing, we should be generous. We are all interconnected, a single vital force experiencing life through multiple lenses (no matter your faith or lack of, this is true. Read more in a future blog post). So as we give freely to others, we invest in ourselves.
Bramacharya (non-excess/self-control)
For some, Bramacharya can mean celibacy for preservation of Prana. While this is certainly possible and commendable, I prefer the translation of non-excess because not all of us are monks, and non-excess is much more relatable. As an aspiring minimalist (hey, I’m getting there!), non-excess deeply resonates with me. I firmly believe that our excessive, consumerist culture, especially in the west, is a major detriment to our mental and emotional wellbeing, and our ability to connect compassionately with the world. Non-excess means not taking more than we need. Many of us are chasing happiness, fulfillment, and love, or filling old wounds with excess- food, items, wealth, whatever it is, the truth is we probably don’t need THAT much of it, and it is probably not making us happy. Self-control can actually improve our experience of consumption because it becomes something special and pleasurable again. Most importantly when we learn to control our desire for me, we develop an overwhelming gratitude and satisfaction for what we have. We live in balance. This is true happiness.
Aparigraha (non-possessiveness/appreciation)
This yama goes hand in hand with non-excess, it is non-possessiveness. If we are so attached to what we do have (even if it is minimal) that it controls our life, that is not balance. This can be seen in relationships, when someone becomes especially possessive of their partner, it breeds jealousy, fear, and insecurity. When someone becomes obsessed with their wealth, they will do anything to cling to it, to the point of neglecting the starving and houseless. Even in our own bodies. When we believe ourselves to be extremely beautiful, clinging to our long hair and thin bodies, we become vain and cold. Or in some cases, distraught when we lose our youth and beauty, and we search for the next plastic surgery or injection to bring it back. When we choose instead to be grateful for what we have, but leave it free to come and go without expectation, we develop acceptance and begin to realize the abundant world in which we live.
The Niyamas
Saucha (purity)
In the words of Jennie Lee, “purity is clearing out the clutter”. In the words of Deborah Adele, “cleansing ourselves and cleansing our ability to be with each moment”. Both of these are wonderful interpretations. We must fill ourselves and our lives with quality. Purifying ones self can be in our diet, adopting a clean and healthy diet that is free of toxins and makes us feel good. It can be in our mind, getting rid of overwhelming mental chatter and filling it with openness, quiet, and tranquility. Purifying our lives can mean getting rid of aspects that cause undue stress, and living a bit more simply. When our lives are more simple, and our bodies pure, we can experience more of our true selves, and it creates the ability for us to live in each moment fully. As we sit, fully, in each moment without distracting ourselves, without tv or cell phones, we will find that we appreciate and enjoy life around us much more- a fully attentive afternoon with your spouse or child can create deep connections and lasting impressions. A quiet, undistracted moment alone may teach us something we never knew about ourselves.
Santosha (contentment)
This Niyama teaches us how to live life in the most fulfilling way- contentedly. In life, we are often living in the past or future. I am guilty of this often, as an anxious planner. But when we can be happy with life as it is- not how it used to be or how it should be- it will become much more enjoyable. rather than searching for contentment outside of ourselves, we must be able to find it with us in every moment, good or bad, perfectly to our preferences or not. We must learn to embrace neutrality and not take things personally. This is an important state of being to master because, after all, it is easy to be at peace when we have no responsibilities, turn off the phone, and tune into ourselves. But in reality, so much more of life is spent in the busy, working, day-to-day life, so isn’t it much more important to foster contentment amongst all of this? This does not mean being happy all the time, it just means recognizing there is no “what should be” or “what could be”, only what is.
Tapas (self-discipline)
Tapas describes a self-discipline and willpower to stick through even difficult obstacles in order to reach success. Tapas is often compared to a fire, because it literally translates to “to burn”. It can be equated to passion, courage, and self-determination. We practice tapas in our thoughts, speech, and actions by diligently paying attention to them. We aim to have thoughts, speech, and action that align with our values and passions. Tapas allows us to persevere and practice even when we don’t feel like it.
Svadhyaya (self-study)
Svadhyaya is the process of getting to know oneself through self-study. Getting to know who we are in the context of the material world is important- what our values, qualities, and unique talents are, as well as where we have room to grow. However, the next step we must take in knowing ourselves is to know beyond the superficial level, or ego. By tuning inward through mediation and intensive self-reflection, we are able to understand our suffering. Usually when something is bothering us externally, it is because of something deeply rooted internally. As we practice reflecting on ourselves, we can transcend the ego and truly begin to recognize and identify with the divine within us all. By doing so, we begin to realize that nothing separates us. We can identify with the divine universal consciousness and thus each other.
Ishvara Pranidhana (Devotion)
Ishvara Pranidhana is when we realize the single supreme consciousness and decide to totally surrender our ego in search of it. This is not a passive surrender, but an active work in letting go and changing our perspective. We become devoted to living in alignment with the divine, recognizing ourselves and others as one- in complete unity. Ultimately the goal of yoga is to find this unity, so we must devote ourselves to this. Once we do, we learn to live as one with each moment, each other, and we discover a universal love deeper than any we could know. Love becomes our spiritual practice and our life.
