History of Yoga
Archaeological evidence of yoga can be found on stone seals depicting figures of yoga poses around 3000 BC. Modern yoga shares some of the same characteristics with ancient Hinduism and Buddhism, which stress the importance of meditation and the practice of physical poses.
Yoga was introduced in the West during the 19th century. It was first studied as part of Eastern Philosophy, as a movement for health and vegetarianism around the 1930’s. By the 1960’s there was an influx of Indian teachers who popularized yoga with Transcendental Meditation.
The five basic principles of modern yoga were created
by Swami Sivanda:
• proper relaxation
• proper exercise
• proper breathing
• proper diet
• proper thinking & meditation
Yoga teachings in its various styles continue to proliferate, crossing boundaries of culture and language.
