What is Yoga?

Practice summary

Level

all levels

Video length

50:26

Equipment

none

Energy

calming

Target areas

intellectual understandinghistorical knowledgespiritual insight

In this practice

Key teachings

• Historical evolution of yoga
• Philosophical underpinnings of ancient yoga traditions
• The cultural and religious contexts of yoga's development

Ideal for

• Yoga practitioners seeking historical knowledge
• Students of religion and philosophy
• Anyone interested in the cultural evolution of spiritual practices
• Yoga teachers wanting to enrich their knowledge

Lesson

Instructions

In this video, we dive deep into the fascinating story of Yoga, from its complex inception in the religious, spiritual and philosophical landscape of India all the way to the western world today, where it has become more popular than ever.

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Bharati, Agehananda (1965). "The Tantric Tradition". B.I. Publications.

Bhattacharyya, N.N. (2005). "History of the Tantric Religion". Second Revised Edition. Manohar.

Bryant, Edwin F. (translated by) (2009). "The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary ". North Point Press.

Ernst, Carl W. (1996). "Sufism and Yoga according to Muhammad Ghawth". University of North Carolina.

Mallinson, James & Mark Singleton (2017). "Roots of Yoga". Penguin Classics.

Olivelle, Patrick (translated by) (2008). "Upanisads". Oxford University Press.

Samuel, Geoffrey (2008). "The Origins of Yoga and Tantra: Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century". Cambridge University Press.

Wallis, Christopher D. (2013). "Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History and Practice of a Timeless Tradition". Mattamayura.

White, David Gordon (2000). "Tantra in Practice". Princeton University Press.

0:00 Intro 2:43 Earliest mentions of Yoga 5:30 Early Asceticism & The Shramana movement 9:39 Bhagavad Gita 12:23 The Yoga Sutras & Patanjali 28:31 Hatha Yoga & Tantra 35:56 Yoga & Islam 40:26 Modern Postural Yoga 47:40 Conclusions

Benefits

• Enhanced intellectual understanding of yoga's origins
• Deeper appreciation for yoga's diverse traditions
• Improved historical literacy regarding Eastern philosophies
• Contextualized view of contemporary yoga practices