Yoga is regarded as a divine science of
life, revealed to enlightened sages in Meditation.
Stone seals in the Indus Valley which date
back to around 3000BC show Yogic postures
and this is the earliest archaeological
evidence of Yoga's origin. These Yogic postures,
resemble Lord Shiva and Parvathi (Indian
God and Goddess) performing various Aasanaas
(Postures) and practicing meditation. The
Vedas - huge collection of ancient INDIAN
scriptures - dating back to 2500 BC first
mention Yoga. The tradition of yoga was
born in India several thousand years ago.
Its founders were the Rishis and Maharishis,
great saints and sages. Yoga was also mentioned
in the Upanishads, the Upanishads, and the
Puranas (holy texts of the Hindu religion).
Infact the Upanishads provide the main foundation
of Yoga teachings.
What is the origin
of yoga
Yoga has its origin in
the vedas, texts that were heard by ancient
stages in their state of meditation, and
hence are known as suits. The great sage
vyasa organized the vedas in a systematic
manner. Hence he is known as veda vyasa.
What cannot be known otherwise
can be known through the vedas. The word
veda comes from the root vid-ti know.
The vedas speak of what is to be known
,how to know the experience of the highest,
the creator.
There are many references
to the word yoga in the vedas. In fact
there are many Upanishads that only with
yoga.
A great sage patanjali,
collected all the teachings of yoga from
the vedas and presented in a simple and
systematic manner, through what is known
as yoga sutra.
The myth behind
patanjali
The ancient sages believed
that patanjali was an incarnation of adisesha,
the serpent lord, who holds the universe
on his head and is also the bed for lord
vishnu. Vyasa glorifies this in the following
sloga.
Yastyaktva rupamadyam
prabhavatijagatah anekada anugrahaya 1
Praksina klesa rosih visma
visadharath anekovaktrah subhogi 11
Sarva janana prosutih
bhujagaparikarah pritaya yasya nityam
1
Devohisah savovyat sita
vimala tanuh; yegado yoga yukt- ah 11
The essence of this is
that , patanjali gave up his true from
(that of snake)to come down to the earth,
and offer different solutions for the
different problems faced by people at
that time. He is unaffected by the causes
of suffering, and is pleasant looking
.he is the source of all knowledge, and
he is their leader. He is pleasant, and
without any defects. He giver of yoga
and to yoga to be like him is the goal
of yoga.