Heartfulness Yoga School

Teacher Training Program – 200hrs

HISTORY OF YOGA
HISTORY OF YOGA

The word “yoga” was mentioned for the first time in the Rig Veda. In
the modern world today everyone talks so much about Yoga. How
has Yoga evolved? What is Yoga today? What has been its history?

Yoga is union of the individual soul with the eternal soul. It is the
union of the human body and the mind with the “Supreme” or the
union of the microcosm (human body) with the macrocosm
(universe). It also means the union of the right hemisphere of the
brain with the left hemisphere of the brain. Another angle to look at
Yoga is union of human vital energy with the cosmic mother energy
or union of one’s lower self (senses) with the higher self (cosmos).

In reality, Yoga is a way of life. It encompasses the entire human

activity in one’s life. Today we are demystifying Yoga. It was often
thought as something mystical or something very physical, like
standing upside down! But Yoga is something more supreme, in
essence a way of living.

Where and how did knowledge of Yoga start. Knowledge in the

ancient times in India was imparted through oral teaching and subtle
transmission. Students used to learn and memorize. The history of
Yoga could be traced from various excavations like the Pashupati
Seal found in the Harappan civilization showing Lord Shiva
meditating. Later on we find evidence in Palm leaf manuscripts and
much later in books written in Sanskrit.

The evolution of Yoga can be classified into four periods.

1. Pre classical 10000-500 BCE
2. Classical 500 BCE
3. Post Classical 800 CE
4. Modern times 1890s
The Classical period refers to the 6 schools of philosophy of Yoga. We
will more in detail the system of Yoga from Patanjali and the theory of
Sankhya.
The Post Classical period sees the appearance of codification of body
techniques (tantras) in books to allow the approach of Yoga through
bodily practices such as Asanas (postures), Kriyas (cleaning
processes), Mudras (hand and body subtle gestures) and Bandhas
(lock of energy). They are regarded as classical Hatha Yoga practices.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is one of the books written at that period.
Raja Yoga was found difficult and reserved for a few as it dealt with
mental processes. These practices of Hatha Yoga allowed the student
to start with something easier to grasp, the body, and start the
process of cleaning. But Hatha Yoga was clearly mentioned as being
only a stepping-stone towards Raja Yoga, the ultimate tool for Yoga.

In the Modern Period, Yoga seems to be known worldwide more for

the asana practice, with maybe a few breathing practices. In the end
it often resembles more a physical activity than a way of life. It seems
that only a few people who decide to dive deeper into the real
purpose of Yoga understand what lies beyond Asana and Pranayama
and what is in our grasp.

At the end of the 19th Century, a lot of great personalities were born in
the world of Yoga and have given their names to the great Indian
schools of Yoga that are knows all over the world. People come from
all over the world to study yoga in India. We will look at these schools
in another chapter. It is at the same time that the system of Sahaj
Marg was born. Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh rediscovered the principle
of Yogic Transmission, or Pranahuti, that had been lost for many
centuries and was available 32 generations before Raja Dasharath.
Ram Chandra and his successors have been working tirelessly to offer
to all a simple system of modified Raja Yoga suiting the modern man
with a family duty and job situation. The system of Sahaj Marg (the
Simple Path) was born and registered in 1945. It is now known as the
Heartfulness movement. Kamlesh Patel, the Heartfulness Global
Guide, continues this tireless task to make the gift of Yogic
Transmission available to all humanity, with at heart this one
fundamental certitude that evolution of consciousness is the birth
right of every human being.
FURTHER READING
You will find in the next pages a short description of the main yogic
literature to help you understand the world of Yoga.

The Vedas:
The Sanskrit root vid, from which the word ‘Veda’ is derived, means
knowledge – to know. Veda is the foundation of all Wisdom. It is not
restricted to a particular book, country, religion or nationality, but it is
the knowledge of the three worlds, including all creation, the nether
world and the higher world, and it’s a thread in which all of them are
studded in seed form.
The Rishis/seers in India have given another name to Veda, which is
called Śruti. Śruti is that which is only heard – the original
independent and unmixed sound, but it’s not bound by word, letter
and lip pronunciation. It has a special meaning which is divine law,
divine principle and divine secret, which again is Veda itself. This
sound pervades the body of all beings and sustains, nourishes or
preserves them, produces the original influence, which means the
order of the Origin/Source/God. That means Veda itself is an
authority; it has no other authority. That means Vedas are Self-
Authoritative, Svataḥpramaṇya. It’s also referred to as Apauruṣeya,
which is not man-made.
The Vedas are classified into four:
1. Ṛg Veda
2. Sama Veda
3. Yajur Veda
4. Atharvaṇa Veda.

There were three Vedas at first, and the fourth one has been added to
the other three in later times.

Importance of OM or AUM:
OM or AUM is the real Veda when its natural tone is heard. This OM is
converted from its sound-form to letter-form with the help of a
special thought force. That special thought is birth, existence and
dissolution.
AUM (OM) has all the three attributes of Ultimate Reality/Divine
Principle:
A is movement.
 U is the stability of the movement.
M is the end of the movement.
It can also be derived as:
A – Brahman, the creator;
U – Vishnu, the preserver;
M – Siva, the destroyer.

The Upaniṣa ds:

The Sanskrit word Upaniṣad is a conjunction of three words: Upa –
Near, Ni – Down and Ṣad – To sit
Upaniṣa d, meaning “Those who sit near,” indicates the receptive
attitude required of a disciple to learn the highest truth imparted by
his master with reverence and devotion by being introvert.
Etymologically it indicates the qualities necessary for a seeker to gain
the knowledge of the Supreme.
It is also referred to as Vedānta. Veda - Knowledge, and Anta - End
Vedān ta means “End of Knowledge.” Figuratively it means “ultimate
reason or goal for existence”.
The Upaniṣads form the final portion of Vedas and contain the
sublime philosophy of Vedānta. How many Upaniṣads once existed is
unknown. One hundred and eight have been preserved, these ranging
in length from a few hundred to many thousands of words, some in
prose, some in verse, some in both. They are simple and graceful in
language, their subject matter is terse, cryptic and abstruse. However,
they are a matchless record of a scientific exposition of
Brahmavidya, the science of knowing the Ultimate Reality.

The Mahabharata :
The Mahabharata – as its name hints – tells the story of the noble
descendants of King Bharata. Its reputed author is Sage Vyasa. It
consists of more than one lakh verses in poetical form. It is a rich
collection of many histories and legends, and represents a whole
literature rather than a single homogenous work. As an epic, it creates
a profound influence upon India, provides an insight into the
innermost depths of the soul of the people in Bharata Khandam (India
in modern day).
The Mahabharata teaches man ultimately to renounce the vanity of
earthly glories and attain dharma (truth and righteousness), vairagya
(Renunciation), śanti (eternal peace), and mokṣa (salvation). The
Bhagavadgita is the most popular part of this great epic. A detailed
description of the Bhagavadgita and a short summary of the
Mahabharata’s story are given separately in another section of this
manual. The central story – the germ of which is to be found in the
Vedas – concerns a great dynastic war. The story of Pandavas is only
an occasion, the purpose being to reveal the greatness of the Divinity
within.
The Central Characters: Maharṣi Veda Vyasa (The author), Lord
Krishna, Five Pandavas, Draupadi, Hundred Kauravas, Bhiṣma,
Dhṛtraṣtra, Pandu, Kunti, Dronacharya, Karṇa etc.,

The Rama yaṇa :

The Ramayaṇa is generally regarded as the first poetical work of
purely human origin in the Indian literature, and Maharṣi Valmiki as the
poet. The general style in which the poem is composed differs from
that of the verse portions o f the Vedas by its simplicity and charm.
The symbolic meaning of a story can be interpreted in a deeper sense
than the literal meaning:
Ramayaṇa as an epic beholds the embodiment of Brahmaṇ (Ultimate
Reality) in its dual aspect, the unmanifest and manifest. Rama and Sita
are revealed as avatars, divine incarnations. Rama represents an
embodiment of all virtues, impersonal absolute existence, quiescent,
contained within himself. Sita represents a personal, creative symbol
of fertility. Ravaṇa, even hating Rama as he does, robbing him of Sita
and fighting against him – even Ravaṇa worships them. Indeed, his
very enmity is a form of worship.
The quintessence of Ramayaṇa says that by right thinking and
diligent discrimination, we attain to the truth of Supreme Reality.
The Central Characters: Maharṣi Valmiki, Rama, Sita, Lakṣmaṇa,
Bharata, Hanuman, Daśaratha and his three queens, Ravaṇa, Lava and
Kuśa – the two twin sons of Rama and Sita etc.,

The Six Dharśa nas :

The six schools of Indian philosophy are together known as “Ṣat
Darśa nas”. They have always in view the goal of the aspirant, to
realise the Self or God, and the Universe in which he lives.
They are:
 1. Nyaya
2. Vaisesika
3. Sankhya
4. Yoga system
5. Purva Mimaṁsa
6. Uttara Mimaṁsa (Vedanta)
The six schools are grouped into three distinct categories based on
the principles and content. They are not conflicting schools of
thought, but a progressive development to the highest truth. The
exact dates of the origin of these schools of thought are not known,
though it is certain that the general ideas that make up their
substance existed prior to Buddhism and even during the Epic Period.
Nyaya and Vaiśeṣika prepare the mind for philosophic thought and
are therefore called the groundwork of philosophy. The evolving ideas
and practical tools are expressed successively in Saṁkhya and Yoga.
Then Pu̅rva Mimaṁsa, and at last we arrive at the flower of Indian
philosophy Uttara Mimamsa (Vedanta).
Yoga and Vedanta are accepted as the chief of the six schools. Yoga
is concerned with the practical side of philosophical aspects to be
followed by aspirants. Vedanta deals with the Eternal principles of life
and providing the guide to live a balanced life.
1. Nyaya :
Sage Goutama systematized the philosophy of Nyaya in the form of
sutras or aphorisms.
2. Vaiśeṣi ka :
Sage Kaṇada systematized the philosophy of Vaiśeṣika also in the
form of Sutras or aphorisms.
The above two are twin philosophies, divided into three parts.
Part I : The first and largest part, deals with the technical ideas that
they hold in common.
Part II : This part deals with points in which they differ
Part III : The final part deals with broad considerations, what was said
in part I.

3. Sankhya :
The sage Kapila, is regarded as the founder of Sankhya philosophy. It
can be safely affirmed that he lived before the time of Buddha.
The Sankhya philosophy is claimed to be a direct means to the
attainment of the immediate experience of the transcendental
Purusha as separate from Prakriti and thus to a complete freedom
from all misery. This philosophy propound its own theory as “The
theory of cause and effect”, in the twenty-five tattvas of evolution
make up the universe of mind and matter. This is also called
Niriswara Sankhya due to its belief in non-existence of God.
4. Yoga System :
The Yoga system formulated by Maharshi Patañjali is a systematized
spiritual discipline providing a means of attaining the highest
consciousness, which in turn leads to the final goal. Yoga philosophy
in its metaphysical aspects is closely allied to Sankhya, with one major
difference – its acceptance of God. Yoga system believes in the
existence of God (Ishwara); that’s why it is called “Seshwara
Sankhya”.
Patañjali’s Aṣtanga Yoga is a compilation of eight limbs as different
spiritual disciplines in the form of sutras or aphorisms. The detailed
description is given in the other section of this manual.
5. Purva Mimamsa :
Jaimini is said to be the compiler of Mimamsa Sutras, who is believed
to be the disciple of Sage Vyasa of Mahabharata. The main objective
of Mimamsa philosophy is to establish the authority of the Vedas as
the source of all knowledge, and to explain their true meaning. The
existence of God is denied by this school in a subtle way. They believe
Vedas as Self-authoritative, but not attributed to God or Divine.

6. Uttara Mimamsa :
Uttara Mimamsa is also called the Vedanta Sutras. Badarayaṇa
(another name of Sage Veda Vyasa of Mahabharata) is said to be the
author of the Vedanta Sutras.
The Vedanta Sutras are known as Brahma Sutras because they
expound the philosophy of Brahman, and as the Śariraka Sutras
because they deal with the nature of the unconditioned Self
embodied in the human form. They are indeed one of the three great
works of India, the other two are the Upaniṣads and Bhagavadgita.
Hatha yoga Pradipika :
The Haṭha Yoga Pradipika is a medieval scripture written in 1350. The
Nath Yogi Swatmarama is the author of this text.
Pradipika means “light” or “to illuminate”, ha means “sun”, ṭha means
“moon” and yoga or yuj means to “join”. So the title suggests: light on
how to join the sun (the right) and the moon (the left).
The text is composed of four chapters. The first chapter deals with
Asana; Chapter Two with Ṣatkarma and Pranayama; Chapter Three:
mudra and bandha, and Chapter Four: Samadhi. All of the methods of
practice described in the text are means to attain Self-realization and
so be freed of ego identification and the limitations
of avidya (mistaken identity).

Gheranda Samhita :
Gheranda Saṁhita is in the form of a dialogue between Gheranda, the
Guru (Teacher) and his disciple Chandakapali.
It widely differs from Haṭha Yoga Pradipika and other texts on Hatha
Yoga.
Gheranda Saṁhita is called “Gaṭastha Yoga”. ‘Ghaṭa’ indicates not
only body but also makes a person as a unit. It is considered to be
known as “Saptanga Yoga” because this text contains seven chapter
in which seven aids for conditioning the body are explained.
They are:
1. Sodhana – Purification
2. Dṛḍhata – Strength
3. Sthairya – Steadiness
4. Dhairaya – Courage or Daring
5. Laghava – Lightness
6. Pratyakṣa – Direct Perception
7. Nirlipta – Isolation
The above seven are practically and clearly explained in greater detail
in the Gheranda Saṁhita.

Shiva Samhita :
The Shiva Samhita is one of three major surviving classical treatises
on hatha yoga, the other two being Gheranda Saṁhita and Haṭha
Yoga Pradipika.
Shiva Saṃhita declares itself to be a yoga text, but also refers to itself
as a tantra in its five chapters.

The Shiva Saṁhita talks about complex physiology, names 84

different asanas (only four of which are described in detail), describes
five specific types of prana, and provides techniques to regulate
them.
It also deals with abstract yogic philosophy, mudras, tantric practices,
and meditation. The text states that a householder can practice yoga
and benefit from it.

Tantras:
The term tantra, in the Indian traditions, also means any systematic
broadly applicable "text, theory, system, method, instrument,
technique or practice".
The Tantra Shastra is also considered as Agama Shastra. The word
‘Tan’ means ‘Expand’, and ‘tra’ comes from ‘trayati’, to liberate. It is
expansion of the latent power or Shakti, the kundalini, in an upward
direction to reach the Supreme Purusha or Shiva.
It is said that each age is ruled or governed by a Shastra, or sacred
scripture. In ancient to present modern India, there are four
yugas/eras in the process of evolution in terms of time and space.
The Vedas ruled Krita Yuga; the Smritis ruled the Treta Yuga; the
Puranas ruled the Dwapara Yuga; and the Kali Yuga (present era) is
ruled by Agama Shastra. This shastra deals with temple worship and
deities to a greater extent; it is predominantly the utterances of
divine personalities such as Hari or Shiva or Shakti. The knowledge
and literature is named after them: Vaishnavagama, Shaivagama and
Shaktagama, respectively.
Agama Shastra is divided into four chapters or padas. They are:
1. Jnana pada
2. Yoga pada
3. Kriya pada
4. Charya pada