Yoga: A Journey Across Continents and Centuries 

Hi all!

It’s a pleasure to connect with you all today. Being yoga instructors where yoga has fundamentally evolved, we often get asked, “How did ancient yoga move from ancient texts to becoming a global phenomenon?” It’s quite a journey, and we are excited to share it with you just like a casual chat over a cup of chai today. Get comfy, and let’s check out the awesome journey of yoga from ancient India to the world stage! 

The Roots of Yoga in Ancient India 

Also Read: History and Origins of Yoga

We will begin our story thousands of years ago in ancient India. The earliest evidence of yoga is found in the Indus Valley Civilization, using seals and artifacts depicting figures in poses that resemble what we now understand to be yoga asanas. When you think about it, these were not just figures stretching but a spiritual practice aimed at unifying the mind, body, and spirit.

The Vedas are among the earliest sacred texts that include hymns and philosophical concepts that formed the basis of yoga, but the first systematic statement of yoga as a distinct philosophy came with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, written around the 2nd century BCE.

Patanjali was a sage who collected existing knowledge in yoga into a single succinct document describing the eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga, a total method of living that included ethical behavior, physical postures, breath regulation (prāṇāyāma), and meditation, leading to self-knowledge. You may think of the Yoga Sutras as the original yoga manual! 

For many centuries, yoga was transmitted traditionally using a teacher-student model called guru-shishya. It was not widely practiced among the general population but rather in the form of aspirants and renunciants who included yogic practices as part of their lives.

Different schools of yoga tradition can be traced over those years, each with their own stewards and interpretations of the original principles of yoga. More recently, Hatha yoga emerged as a primary focus based on postures and breathing, signaling a shift in presentation and ultimately paving the way for many of the styles we engage in today.

The Quiet Spread: Travelers and Scholars 

For many centuries, yoga remained primarily within the Indian subcontinent. However, the potential for its global reach began when Indian scholars and religious leaders emerged from India to travel abroad. The route for globalization was established by prehistoric trade routes known as the Silk Road, where goods were traded freely across borders, as well as ideas and religions in particular. Buddhism took some of its roots in Indian thought. Traveling Buddhist monks carried with them Indian thought and meditative elements with connections to yoga and thus spread yoga to some of Asia. 

By the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were more opportunities for East and West interactions. Indian intellectuals and religious figures travelled new routes to Europe and America, spreading a variety of aspects of Indian thought and spirituality. The speech of Swami Vivekananda at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 is often noted as an important moment in bringing Hindu philosophy to a Western audience and sparked interest in Hindu philosophies and ancient practices such as yoga.

Key Figures in Yoga’s Western Journey 

In the early part of the 20th century, more yoga teachers and practitioners arrived in the West. Here are some of the key individuals that helped to make yoga popular:

• Paramahansa Yogananda: arrived in the United States in 1920 and started the Self-Realization Fellowship. He brought Kriya Yoga to the West with his teachings and his book, “Autobiography of a Yogi.” His emphasis on the scientific nature of yoga and meditation struck a chord. 
• Swami Sivananda Saraswati: Swami Sivananda was from Rishikesh, India. He never traveled to the West, but he trained numerous disciples that did take yoga to the world. He stressed all parts of yoga and the importance of selfless service. 
• Swami Kuvalayananda: Swami Kuvalayananda was one of the first people to study the physiological effects of yoga scientifically. He also established the Kaivalyadhama New Health and Yoga Research Center in India in 1924. His research and investigation provided a scientific rationale for yoga’s benefits that suited a Western perspective.
• Tirumalai Krishnamacharya: Krishnamacharya, known as the “father of modern yoga,” mentored famous yoga teachers B.K.S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, and T.K.V. Desikachar, each of whom established their own distinct yoga traditions that became popular around the world. 
• Indra Devi: Known as the “First Lady of Yoga,” Devi was one of Krishnamacharya’s students and an important figure in bringing yoga to America (especially Hollywood) and eventually South America. As someone who was engaging and accessible, she helped demystify yoga and appealed to wider audiences. 

The Rise of Modern Yoga 

Also Read: Why Bali is Your Yoga Teacher Training Paradise

The latter half of the 20th century had a renaissance of yoga worldwide, with Krishnamacharya’s students, like B.K.S. Iyengar with Iyengar Yoga, which called great attention because it was precise and used props; K. Pattabhi Jois with Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, which was booming, dynamic, and flow-based; and T.K.V. Desikachar with Viniyoga, which was centered on the breath and was inherently therapeutic. The students of Krishnamacharya established their own schools and trained thousands of teachers to further propagate their lineages.

The emerging cultural transformations of the 1960s and 70s, with increasing interest in Eastern ideas, spirituality, and alternative health, channeled a third role. Yoga had become synonymous with well-being, stress relief, and a whole-person approach to living. The development of many media, with books and magazines, and later the internet, sharing information about yoga made it more accessible as well. 

Yoga Today: A Global Patchwork

Yoga today is a global phenomenon. You can find yoga studios in nearly every corner of the world, offering many different styles to meet unique needs, from restorative yoga to vigorous vinyasa flow and everything in between, with some specialized forms as well, like prenatal yoga and kids yoga. Millions of people now practice yoga to achieve physical changes such as increased flexibility, strength, and balance, as well as mental and emotional benefits such as stress alleviation, improved attention, and a greater sense of well-being.

In 2014, the United Nations declared June 21st to be International Day of Yoga, highlighting even more the importance of yoga for health and well-being. This yoga event showcases its universal benefits by bringing together practitioners from all around the world for a day dedicated to yoga.

Staying True to the Roots and Embracing Global Reach

As yoga evolves and adapts to diverse cultures and circumstances, it is critical that we do not lose sight of its ancient (and perhaps most significant) roots and deep philosophical foundation, which bring depth and transformative potential to yoga. In modern yoga we can easily get caught up with a focus on the physical practices (asanas); however, in his Yoga Sutras, Patanjali identified the union of the body, mind, and spirit as being of more importance than the merely physical aspect of yoga.

Yoga’s path from ancient India, and the impact it has had on our world, demonstrates the infinite knowledge of yoga in its early phases, which has made it accessible to generations beyond its origin. It is a testament to the impressive dedication of diverse systems of teachers communicating their knowledge of yoga, and it illustrates the universal aspiration of human beings towards health and wellness and a feeling of peace the world over, in different cultures and societies.

So whether you are new to yoga practice or have practiced yoga in many different forms over the years, take time to acknowledge the spectacular journey of this ancient practice. Every time you step onto your mat, you are connecting not only to your own self but also to an abundant and diverse history and evolution stretching many centuries and all regions of our globe. Keep on practicing, keep exploring, and keep breathing! Namaste.