The Evolution of Yoga

In the ancient history of yoga, yoga consists of a few aspects of exercise, meditation, and fitness which serve to unify the mind, body, and spirit as one. Yoga is a practice that has evolved throughout its history and is strongly rooted in tradition. Yoga originated in India as a system of health and fitness. It was first mentioned in the Rig Veda, the oldest of India's sacred texts. Yoga is estimated to have been in practice for over four thousand years old. Although it has been evolved since its origins the basic principle of fitness for the mind, body, and soul remains the same until today.

If one were to study the time and period that yoga has taken to evolve, you will realized the changes that the practice of yoga has undergone. Yoga originated many centuries ago in the pre-classical period. It is where the ideals of physical and spiritual unity first took shape. After its inception, the classical period, post-classical period and modern period then follow suit and that is how yoga came about to the form we practice today. When one talked about yoga, most people will think about yoga and envision relaxation and contorted poses. While the poses or asanas of yoga plays an important part of the practice, they are only one aspect in the entire program of unity. Yoga is a consolidation of many syllabus such as physical poses and movements, breathing control techniques, spiritual discipline, and not forgetting meditation also. All of these aspects are combined to help the practitioner reach a state of balance wellbeing in all physical, mental, and spiritual form.

During the 20th century, there was a sudden a widespread interest in the practice of yoga that caused this ancient tradition to become an overnight mainstream practice. There are some modern yoga practices that have been modified and enhanced which sometimes diverge from the yoga's religious beginning. While this happens, the practice of yoga is still very much all about developing the right spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing in one.

Just as the history of yoga has evolved into a modern form of exercise, it has also branched out into different schools of philosophy. There are some forms of yoga that do more focusing on the physical aspects of the practice while others hold true to the yoga's original meditative and spiritual practices. It does not make much difference in which form of yoga one practices as the ultimate purpose still remains the same. All in all yoga assists to build harmony in the body, mind, and soul. From what we can see today, yoga is considered to be a comprehensive exercise regime that promotes much more than just physical fitness.