Yoga

Yoga¹ is translated from the Sanskrit as "yoke". The yoke to which the word refers is the connection between the Atman, the conscious or personal experience of the divine nature, and Brahman, the superconscious or transpersonal experience of divinity, or the Godhead.

There are innumerable "yogas" found and practiced within the various spiritual traditions of the world, both East and West. "Yoga" has come to be typically and specifically discussed in reference to the spiritual traditions and practices associated with India, namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Vedanta.

A soapstone seal soapstone seal from the Indus Valley archeological site of Mohenjo-Daro depicting a horned figure (or, a figure wearing a headdress) surrounded by four animals, and seated on a throne in what may be interpreted as a yogic or meditative posture. (The soles of his feet are pressed together.) The figure is often identified with Shiva, perhaps in his role as Pashupati ("Lord of Animals"), and this interpretation suggests that Yoga, was known in the Indian subcontinent from 2600 to 1900 B.C.

Yoga in modern times

In 1893, Swami Vivekananda spoke before the World Parliament of Religions, mentioning the need for a more universalistic approach to spirituality. While Vivekananda's allegiance lay primarily with Vedanta, his remarks sparked considerable interest.

By the twentieth century, Yogis became objects of both reverence and scientific research in the West as they availed themselves to the Sixties counter-culture movement and demonstrated themselves able to regulate involuntary activities such as heart-rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. The first of these individuals tobe studied in the West was Swami Rama, at the Menninger Institute.

Footnotes

¹ Yoga (योग), derived from the Sanskrit yugam, a cognate of the modern English "yoke" (iugum, Latin). Its Proto-Indo-European forebearer is speculated to be *yugom, from the root *yeug- (yuj-, Sanskrit) meaning "to join" or "unite".