Yoga
Author: Richard Weil, MEd, CDE
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Introduction
Imagine an activity that increases your flexibility, strengthens your
muscles, centers your thoughts, and relaxes and calms you. Yoga does all that
and more! In this article, I will review a brief history and the philosophy of
yoga, the different types of yoga, the benefits, equipment you need to do it,
where to do it, how to get started, and a whole lot more.
What is yoga?
Yoga is an ancient physical and spiritual discipline and branch of philosophy
that originated in India reportedly more than 5,000 years ago. The word yoga
comes from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means to yoke, join, or unite. The Iyengar school of yoga defines yuj as the "joining or integrating of all aspects
of the individual—body with mind and mind with soul—to achieve a happy,
balanced and useful life." The ultimate aim of yoga, they claim, is to reach
kaivalya (emancipation or ultimate freedom).
Who invented yoga?
There is no written record of who invented yoga because it was practiced by
yogis (yoga practitioners) long before humans knew how to write. Yogis over the
millennia passed down the discipline to their students, and many different
schools of yoga developed as it spread. The earliest written record of yoga, and
one of the oldest texts in existence, is generally believed to be written by Patanjali, an Indian yogic sage who lived somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 years
ago. Patanjali is credited with writing the Yoga Sutras (sutra means "thread" in
Sanskrit), which are the principles, philosophy, and practices of yoga that are
still followed today. Although many schools of yoga have evolved over the
centuries, they all follow the fundamental principles described by Patanjali
more than 2,000 years ago. Buddhism and other Eastern spiritual traditions use
many of the yoga techniques or derivations of those techniques.
Next: How does yoga work? »
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Last Editorial Review: 6/7/2007
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