History & Philosophy 1 min read
A Short History of Yoga — from the Classics to the Modern Studio
From the Upanishads and the Yoga Sutras to haṭha texts and yoga's 20th-century journey around the world — tracing the long path while separating fact from interpretation.
The word yoga is usually traced to the Sanskrit root yuj, to yoke or join. But what is being joined to what has shifted across eras and traditions.
The classical age
References to meditation and control of the breath already appear in the Upanishads, before the common era. Later, the Yoga Sūtra attributed to Patañjali set out the eight limbs as a system for stilling the mind. Its date is debated, with estimates ranging from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE.
The rise of haṭha yoga
From around the 11th century, texts on haṭha yoga — with its emphasis on bodily technique — begin to appear. The 15th-century Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā gathers āsana, breath practice, bandha and mudrā into one manual. Even so, it describes far fewer postures than a typical class today.
The 20th century, and the world
Much of today’s posture-based yoga took shape in 20th-century India. Students of T. Krishnamacharya, who taught in Mysore — among them B.K.S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois and T.K.V. Desikachar — carried their own styles around the world.
Separating fact from interpretation
Yoga is often described as a tradition thousands of years old. Its meditative roots are indeed ancient, yet many of the flowing sequences practised in studios today are relatively recent. Both have value — which is exactly why TOHWA presents classical sources and modern interpretation side by side, but clearly distinguished.