Yoga Chronicles

Question 1

What is the meaning of Yoga?

Answer 1

“Yuj” (yoke).
Yoga literally means “joining” or “reunion”.
The purpose is to reunite the individual self (jiva) with absolute or pure consciousness (brahman).

Question 2

When was the first evidence of yoga?

Answer 2

5000-8000 years ago in the Indus Valley.

Question 3

The Vedic Period

Answer 3

4500-2500 BCE

The Vedas are treasured scriptures of Hinduism, communicated verbally from teacher to student.

Question 4

The Brahmanical Age

Answer 4

2500-1500 BCE
The Vedas survived through rituals and rites. They were then scribed and divided into Brahmanas.
Ascetic forest dwellers.

Question 5

The Upanishadic Age

Answer 5

1500-1000 BCE
Upanishads take the wisdom of the Vedas and elaborate further. They pondered the human soul and ultimate reality. Divine is worshiped with the mind/heart, without ritual.
Upa: near
Ni: down
Sat: sit

Question 6

The Bhagavad-Gita

Answer 6

500 BCE
Pre-Classical Yoga
Oldest evidence of Bhakti Yoga (devotion).
Highly symbolic of the internal struggle between the morals of rights and wrongs, life and death.
Bhagavad Gita is the most read sacred texts.
Karma Yoga: yoga of actions
Bhakti Yoga: devotion to a personal god
Jnana Yoga: path of knowledge

Question 7

Classical Yoga

Answer 7

50-200 BCE
The time of Yoga Sutras Patanjali and Raja Yoga were developing.
Raja Yoga: yoga of the mind, the introduction of the 8 limbs.

Question 8

The Tantric Age

Answer 8

500-1300

Buddhist and Hindu Tantrism emerged

Question 9

Post-Classical Yoga

Answer 9

1200
Origin of Hatha Yoga - by Gorakhnath.
Hatha: force.
Hatha Yoga Pradipika is the guidebook for practise of Hatha yoga; balancing the body and mind exercises to withdraw it from external objects.
15 asana, pranayama, Khumbaka, mudras, meditation, chakras +more

Question 10

Krishnamacharya Period

Answer 10

1900

Initiated renaissance of the practise of asana - leads to modern yoga

Question 11

Influential Founder: Krishnamacharya

Answer 11

“founder of modern yoga”
Mysore, 1888
Revival of Hatha Yoga

Question 12

Influential Founder: Sivananda

Answer 12

Swami Sivananda, a Hindu spiritual teacher.
Founder of Divine Life Society, 1936
Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy, 1948
Authored 200 books.

Question 13

Influential Founder: Pattabhi Jois

Answer 13

Developed Vinyasa, today referred to as Ashtanga.

Established Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, 1948 in Mysore, India.

Question 14

Influential Founder: BKS Iyengar

Answer 14

Founder of Iyengar Yoga
Earliest student and brother in low of Krishnamacharya.
Credited with popularizing yoga, first in India, then globally.