Tara Yoga

Yoga For Beginners Guide

We all have some understanding of what yoga is and the benefits it can have on our life and health, but to get a better understanding of yoga we have to appreciate its culture and tradition. The earliest time when yoga first came to light was around 3000BC, when stone seals were found which depicted yoga positions. Masters of yoga however believe that it was actually much earlier for yogis have traced its origin back to Stone Age shamanism.

Yoga and shamanism are thought to have similar characteristics particularly when it comes to improving our physical being. The history of yoga can be divided into four periods, the Vedic period, the pre classical period, classical period and the post classical period.

The Vedic period

The existence of the Vedas dominates this period; the Vedas is the sacred script of the Brahmanism, which is the basis of modern day Hinduism and is a collection of hymns which worship a divine power. It is the Vedas which contain the earliest recognition of yoga and yoga teachings, this is called Vedic yoga.

During this period people relied on Vedic yogis to teach them how to live in perfect harmony. Yogis were also thought to posses the ability to see reality through their intense spiritual practice. It was also during this time that the first recordings of yogis living in seclusion were noted, this is now related to yogic retreats in the modern world.

Pre classical yoga

The creation of the Upanishads mark this era, these are 200 scriptures which describe the inner vision of reality which resulted in total devotion to Brahman. There are three subjects, the ultimate reality, the transcendental and the relationship of the two. Yoga shares characteristics with Buddhism as during the sixth century BC, Buddha started teaching about Buddhism which relies heavily on meditation and the practice of posture.

Classical period

This period is marked by yogi sutra which was written around the second century, it was the first real attempt to standardise classical yoga that we know today. It was made up of 195 sutras which are today called the eight limbs of yoga; Patanjali believed that we are made up of matter and spirit and that in order for the spirit to be cleansed the two have to be separated.

This however went against all belief of earlier teachings that brought together a union of the body and spirit. This concept was dominant for centuries and it was only much later that people began to believe that the body was a temple and focus again returned to the Asanas.

Post classical yoga

At this point in time more literature on yoga came to light with the aim of yoga no longer striving to liberate a person from reality but instead teaching a person to live in the moment. Yoga was introduced to the western world in the early 19th century and was first studied by Eastern philosophy for health and vegetarianism in the 1903`s.

By the 1960`s an Indian teacher by the name of Maharishi Mahesh popularised transcendental meditation. Right up to the present day yoga’s popularity continues to grow in leaps and bounds and its teachings have been spread worldwide.