-
Artifacts were excavated, revealing yogi-like poses on stone tablets in the Indus Valley Region (History of Yoga, 2015).
-
The ancient texts of the four Vedas are the oldest scriptures in the world. They are holy scriptures of the Hindu faith which contain many hymns and chants. The Rig Veda is the most well-known and influential for the future of yoga (The Bhagavad Gita, 2011).
-
-seekers, known as “rishis,” rejected priestly authority began to look for tangible evidence of cosmic reality. The rishis spread from China to Greece. Between 600 and 400 BCE, Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) establishes himself as a rishi and begins quest for enlightenment using meditation.
-
Yoga becomes defined as the restrainment of the senses (Burgin, 2007).
-
Patanjaliʼs eight Yoga Sutras are the first codified teachings of
yoga. This officially sets yoga as one of the six darshanas (systems of Indian Philosophy).
Yama: Universal morality
Niyama: Personal observances
Asanas: Body postures
Pranayama: Breathing exercises, and control of prana
Pratyahara: Control of the senses
Dharana: Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness
Dhyana: Devotion, Meditation on the Divine
Samadhi: Union with the Divine
(History of Yoga, 2014) -
The Bhagavad Gita ("Song of the Lord”) emerges.It explores the self-realization between man and his Creator, through allegories and poetic verses (The Bhagavad Gita, 2011.) The book also establishes yoga as a way of life and defines it as "breaking the bonds of suffering."
-
Hatha yoga is the beginning of root chakras many people practice today.Hatha Yoga is translated to the union of the opposite pairs ("Ha"= sun and "tha"=moon.)
-
Swami Vivekananda speaks at the Worldʼs Congress of
Religions in Chicago where he formally introduces yoga asanas (poses) to the West.He speaks about yoga as a way of life and the how it became central to his life. -
Yoga is mass marketed in the West and used for physical exercise and quieting the mind.
