With more than 100 different forms from which to chose, yoga can benefit almost everyone. Yoga can help you relax and better manage the effects of stress. Although each form of yoga differs with regard to postures and breathing techniques, they all share a common origin that dates back further than written history.
Ancient History
Because much of ancient yoga history involves oral communications between generations, an exact date of yoga's origin cannot be established. However, archaeologists trace the origins of yoga back at least 5,000 years with the discovery of Indus Valley stone carvings depicting certain yoga positions. This discovery shows yoga predates Hinduism by centuries and clears up a misconception that yoga has roots in the Hindu religion. The first written account of yoga principals and practices exists in a book called "Yoga Aphorisms," written by the scholar Patanjali, somewhere between the 1st or 2nd century B.C. and 5th century A.D.
Philosophy
The basic philosophy of yoga, from ancient to modern forms, is to help you realize your true potential by correcting perceptions that decrease your feelings of self-worth. Yogis teach that incorrect perceptions have a cause-and-effect relationship that center on your body rather than your mind, focus on limitations rather than possibilities, and cause destructive emotions that lead to pain and suffering. Yoga philosophy states that by changing incorrect perceptions, you can remove pain and suffering in life.
Development of Modern Yoga
Principals of modern or classical yoga lie in portions of the yoga sutras of Patanjali. Classical yoga consists of eight steps, three of which form the base of today's modern western yoga. These steps include asana, or physical exercises, pranayama, or breathing techniques, and pratyahara, a step that consists of preparing yourself to meditate by separating your mind from your senses.
Asana and pranayama, core components of these principals, provide health benefits that helped bring modern yoga into the forefront in the U.S. during the 1960s. Modern yoga provides health benefits such as stress reduction, increased fitness and better management of health conditions such as high blood pressure, insomnia and depression.
Modern Schools of Yoga
Modern schools of yoga use a variety of different breathing techniques and poses to accomplish objectives, each focusing on a different aspect of yoga philosophy. Some of the most popular modern forms of yoga include Hatha, common for stress management, Raja for meditation, Jnana for wisdom, Bhakti and Karma for religion and your personal relationship with God, Tantra for consciousness and Kashmir Shaivism for emotion.
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