Rigveda is a massive collection of 1028 hymns and 10,600 verses, organised into 10 books, called Mandalas. Post-classical yoga exposes us to yoga as a transformational practice for health and longevity with the end goal of enlightenment. The eight limbs of the Yoga Sutra are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dhyana, Dharana, and finally Samadhi. The asanas are still millennial, the breathing techniques are still the same, and the AUM is still universal. Through purification practices, yogic postures, and mental control, people now have a better understanding of what we know today as Hatha yoga. We first saw yoga in the West around the early 1900’s when yoga masters such as Swami Vivekananda traveled to the United States to visit the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Some of them are Bhakti Yoga – devotion to a personal God for attaining spirituality, Tantra Yoga – focussing on our energies to attain a spiritual state, Hatha Yoga – using the mechanics of the body to attain a higher state of consciousness; and many more. The modern period of Yoga begins in the year 1893 with the Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago where Swami Vivekananda vowed the audience with his knowledge. The Classical Period is marked by another creation known as the Yoga Sutra. 820 A1A N Highway, Suite W18 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082. Copyright 2020 beYogi.com - Yoga Insurance & Information, Why Yoga Teachers Need Liability Insurance. Yoga is derived from Sanskrit root word Yuj(1), meaning concentration, focus. Ramayana is the epic of King Rama of Ayodhya, who leads a life of tests and hardships, but nothing can shake his balance and his commitment to the path of Dharma. BKS Iyengar laid emphasis on Atma Darshan through asanas while K Pattabhi Jois made famous the Vinyasa style of yoga, both contributing enormously to the spread of yoga in the west. The first mention of yoga was discovered in the Rig Veda, a collection of hymns, mantras, and ritualistic practices used by priests. Yoga as we know it has been around for more than 5,000 years. Arianne's goal is simple: help people achieve their physical and spiritual goals with a lighthearted approach. But with time, yoga has become a way of life for many people living all over the world. This cannot be dismissed as a far-fetched claim, as there is a distinct similarity between the wisdom of all the ancient civilisations of the world. The earliest mention of Yoga, it can be found in Rigveda, one of the four canonical texts of ancient Indian literature, others being Yajurveda, Samveda, and Atharvaveda. Arianne's expertise in yoga, acrobatics, and Thai massage helps students to build their own well-balanced understanding of the practice through the use of clear, technical teaching skills, compassionate adjustments, breath connection, and intuitive body awareness. Through teacher trainings, yoga retreats, healing Thai massage sessions, and Miami's pioneer of Zrii Ayurvedic Products, Arianne can create changes in people's lives for the better! Yoga was formally introduced to the West by a Russian woman named Indra Devi who opened a yoga school in Hollywood during the 1950’s that catered to the stars and socialites. The beauty of yoga is that it crosses oceans, cultures, genders, and styles. The Pre-Vedic and Vedic Period (5000-500 BC). Vacaspati Misra in his bhasya on Yoga, Tattvavaisaradi states that Yoga has been derived from Yuj meaning concentration and not Yujiv, meaning joining. A Spooky Sequence to use for Your Halloween Class! Some believe yoga to be around 5000 years old, around the vedic time; whereas some believe it is started with the dawn of civilisation. Post-Classical Yoga: Anagha123; March 13, 2020 March 13, 2020; A few centuries after Patanjali, yoga masters created a system of practices designed to rejuvenate the body and prolong life. They rejected the teachings of the ancient Vedas and embraced the physical body as the means to achieve enlightenment. They developed Tantra Yoga, with radical techniques to cleanse the body and … At this point I had already been teaching yoga in the West for close to a decade. It has stood the test of time through the millennia, and it is about time we realise that to ‘do yoga’, is essentially to go beyond the physical and live its philosophy. The excavations of Indus Valley Civilisation (3300- 1700 BC) also has evidence of yoga in the form of Pashupati seal, of a man sitting in perfect yogic posture. The Surprising Benefits of Pandemic Teaching. So, we see how intricately yoga is related to Rigveda, even when it was passed on orally from one generation to the other. The Maitrayaniya Upanishad mentions a six-fold yoga method. Tag: post classical yoga History of Yoga . The earlier eras saw yogis laying emphasis only on meditation and contemplation. The origins of yoga is shrouded in mystery. Post-classical Yoga differs from the first three since its focus is more on the present. Yoga is not widely practiced or popularized in the East, so it can be somewhat challenging to find a yoga studio when you visit. Get ready for a wild adventure on your way a better version of you with this guide all about mindfulness. The pre-classical period witnessed the emergence of various important texts Bhagwad Gita, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, etc. Although both the East and the West share the same goal, there are still a few things that make us different such as the relationship between teachers and students, clothing, and yoga’s growing popularity. So, it is not a series of asanas, as we widely understand today. It’s here that we begin to see rituals that when transmitted into action and wisdom can diminish the ego. This knowledge that has been lived by the sages, is still enriching our lives. Yoga Sutra also draws heavily from the Samkhya philosophy with the main difference being that yoga accepts the notion of a personal God, whereas Samkhya is atheistic in its approach. Yoga evolution . We are not a physical body, we are not a mental body, we are all spiritual souls. It is not coming from the creativity of one individual. I felt confident in my ability to discern and understand some of the differences between the eastern and western approaches to yoga. Patanjali organized four books also known as padas and presented the eight-limbed yoga journey toward a super-conscious state of mediation known as Samadhi. This period in yoga affirms the teachings of Vedanta, that there is ultimate unity in everything in the cosmos. It no longer strives to liberate a person from reality but rather teaches one to accept it and live at the moment. In present day India, mention must be made of Baba Ramdev, who popularised Yoga and literally took it to the masses through his programs on television. The epic Mahabharata, which contains the Bhagwad Gita, is still the most revered treatise on life itself. It becomes apart of morning rituals tied to Hinduism, food, meditation, and asana. Lord Krishna answers Arjuna’s questions in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, and helps him realise the true purpose of life and explains the concepts of Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jyana Yoga and Dharma. The East and the West share the same foundation when it comes to yoga, but many westerners adapt yogic practices to fit their modern lives. In addition to the gender gap, the atmosphere is also different. Yoga developed a great deal under various schools and branches, but the purpose remained the same – to reach a state of meditative consciousness to know the ultimate truth of our being. But what mention does Rigveda have of Yoga? Vedanta is the philosophical system based on the teachings of the Upanishads. In fact, Patanjali is commonly known today as the father of yoga. Maharishi Patanjali assimilated all yoga philosophy and knowledge, and codified it into the Yoga Sutra, consisting of 196 sutras, somewhere around 400-500 BC. We equate a 75-minute class to practicing yoga, whereas in the East yoga is seen as a way of life. The Yoga Sutra is known to be the first set of systematic presentations of yoga. The rishis and high priests utilized and modified the practice during this time then later documented it in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita. The Katha Upanishad mentions yoga in the same sense as we know today, the Shvetashvatara Upanishad mentions about meditation. We will come back to this later, as it merits an elaborate discussion, not just a paragraph. The ultimate aim of yoga is to attain Samadhi, a state of meditative consciousness by stilling the mind, through intense one-pointed concentration. Eastern vs. Western Yoga: What’s the Difference? Through purification practices, yogic postures, and mental control, people now have a better understanding of what we know today as Hatha yoga. Today, yoga is a billion-dollar industry, with studios and outdoor classes located all over the world. Expand your knowledge and continue your yoga journey with this eBook all about YTT. It was written in order to define and standardize Classical Yoga. Yoga reflects the vast reservoir of ancient Indian knowledge. Post-Classical Yoga At this point, we see a proliferation of literature as well as the practice of Yoga. Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). Post-classical Yoga is found to contrast to the yoga of other time periods because of its teachings. However, in the West we still purify the body through movement, producing heat and liberating ourselves from stress through a balance of body and mind practices. In Hindu mythology, it is believed that Shiva, regarded as Adiyogi or the first yogi, gave the knowledge of Yoga to the seven Saptarishis or the Seven Sages, who travelled across the globe to disseminate this knowledge. It was first discovered within ancient ceramic seals that depicted humans in yogic postures, seated with their palms together. There were many kinds of distinct yoga practice and philosophy during this time. In Post-classical Yoga, yogis are taught to welcome reality rather than stray from it, and live in the present. Post-Classical Yoga. The Yoga Sutra was written by Patanjali around the second century. These aphorisms that were strung together show a path toward enlightenment. As co-owner of TRIO Studios based in Wynwood, Miami, Arianne teaches workshops and trainings across the world. The Rigvedas were initially passed on from one generation to the other orally, approximately around 3000-4000 BC; and later codified around 1200 – 900 BC during the time of the Kuru kingdom.