what is Yoga and its history

What is Yoga 

The popular notions of yoga that are fed to us through the media are not actually defining what yoga is. Now if we take yoga as a spiritual process, and really break it up, it's just teaching us - that we need to use our mind, body, and our spirit to ascend to a higher purpose in our life. And if we see yoga from that perspective, it's genuinely a process of self-development and growth. Yoga is not only a practice but to really understand what yoga is and what it's true definition and purpose is, as defined in the ancient Indian text books.

So yoga truly is san inseparable part of Indian  ancient civilisation. So even thousands of years ago, Yogic culture existed in the Mohenjo-Daro and Harappan civilisation on the banks of the river Sindhu. So as a result, all the people that lived in the area, were in used to living yoga a s lifestyle. So even if you look at the historic seals of the Harappan civilization you will see people sitting in the meditative posture,and living the process and the practice of yoga. So as a result, all of the information on (ancient) yoga is actually written in these vedic text books that come from the Hadappan civilization. Now the issue is that all of these text books are actually written un sanskrit. Which is the language that  0.00198 % of the Indian population speaks today. So you can imagine that very few people, actually know what is written in those text books. Now as a result of that, what is being fed to us by the popular media or mainstream media channels is a very watered down version of yoga. That's why we need to re- understand the ancient yogic texts that explain yoga in Sanskrit.

So the word Yoga itself is derived from the Sanskrit root word 'Yuj'. Now 'Yuj' - 'Yog' actually bas about 32 meanings but we're going to take only 3,to understand the essence of the word 'Yog'. So the 3 terms that yog means -
1. To join
2. To use
3. To focus

The ancient yogis defined yoga as 2 basic concepts -
1. Yoga as a process, also known as 'Padhati'
2. Yoga as a state, also known as 'Sthithi'

When you go through the Asanas, and Pranayam and you're doing the different practical aspects of Yoga you're going through its process, and then once you've finished that or you start to move towards the higher realms of yoga you reach meditation and the process of Samadhi which when you enter a state of 'Yog'. So as a result you need to start understanding yoga as both a process as well as state and when we start doing that we take Yoga way outside that 4 compartments of an asana hall. Because truly Yoga is a lifestyle, not just something that you do for an hour and then forget about. It needs to exist in every single thing that you're doing in your life and that can only happen when you start seeing yoga as a process as well as a state.

History of Yoga

In the beginning there was darkness and the darkness was covered with darkness then came the light with the sound 'Om' or 'Aum'. And 'Om' give rise to words or knowledge which got compiled as the Vedas. In the hierarchy of Vedic knowledge there are four Vedas -

1. Rig Veda
2. Sam Veda
3. Yajur Veda
4. Atharv Veda
Then comes 4 Uup-Vedas or sub Vedas, 6 Upangas or components or and then 6 sub components out of which one is Yoga. There are several types of yoga as well like gyaan yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga, hatha yoga, raj yoga, mantra yoga, shiva yoga, naad yoga,  laya yoga, and many more.
Rig veda is one of the most sacred and the oldest books of human history, it is about eight to ten thousand years old and the Yoga is a part of this Vedic literature. Maharishi Patanjali considered to be the authority on yoga propounded yoga nearly 5000 years ago. Lord Krishna and many saints of India have also spoken about yoga. In the Middle ages the practice of yoga was confined only to the Royal and the scholarly class. It was taught to students in Gurukul after passing a rigorous test in the recent years by the effort of many spiritual and religious leaders of India the doze of yoga have been open to the common man and to each and every human being on this planet. 
Yoga is the union of body, mind and spirit. The individual to the universal yoga is realizing the connection between the finite and the infinite the manifest and the unmanifest. Yoga id bringing harmony in thought, word and deed. Maharishi Patanjali elucidated the 8 limbs of yoga namely -
1. Yama - Social ethics
2. Niyama - Personal ethics
3. Asana - Postures
4. Pranayama - directing the life force
5.Pratyahara - learning the senses inwards
6.Dharana - one pointed focus
7. Dhyana - meditation
8. Samadhi - merging with the self 
Somehow in today's age of yoga has become associated with only physical postures whereas the central teaching of yoga is maintaining an equanimous state of Mind. The Bhagvat Gita says "Yogah karmasu kaushalam" meaning Yoga is skill in Action and Expression. Yoga is not just exercise, it is how skillfully we communicate and act in any given situation. So here yoga is described more as a mind skill. It means you could be watching a sunset, doing your job in office or cooking at home. If you are doing it out of joy and love, you are a yogi  a karm yogi the same action devoid of any love or care is not yoga. Krishna says in a Bhagvat Gita says "sama-am yog ucchitta" meaning Equanimity in the mind is a sign of Yoga. The ability to remain centered in adverse situation is  Yoga whatever brings us back to our nature which is harmony and joy is yoga, while postures make the body healthy, pranayama and meditation take the mind deep within. Uniting diverse aspects of life of existence is yoga.

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