The first mention of yoga was found around 2500-1000 BC in the so-called Vedas take place. The Vedas are the oldest and most sacred collection of scriptures in Hinduism, a culture that originated in India. The definition and content of yoga have changed considerably over time, so it can be said that yoga itself has gone through various phases.
In the first Vedic phase, which dates back to around 200 BC, yoga was primarily ethics and religious spirituality with prayers, meditations and offerings for the purpose of liberation from this world. The subsequent classical phase of yoga was characterized by spirituality and the health of the mind through meditation. The tantric phase, also known as hatha, from around 500 AD, also placed spirituality and health at the center of yoga, supplemented by pranayama, the conscious control of breathing. The modern phase of yoga from around 1930 then emphasized asanas (physical exercises) and vinyasa (yoga style that fluidly combines breath and movement) alongside prayers, meditation and pranayama, with the aim of achieving fitness and health as well as healing and spirituality. This modern phase of yoga emerged primarily as a result of the Indian independence movement and New Hinduism (see Broad 2013, p. 56 ff.). When a "wave of nationalism in India attempted to revive and modernize Hinduism as the basis of Indian national identity" (Broad 2013, p. 56), yoga with its ancient roots (going back to the Vedic phase) was a great hope for this endeavour (cf. ibid.). However, the presentation of yoga was to be completely renewed for this purpose, away from magic, eroticism and esotericism (tantra) and towards a new image of yoga that "radiated scientificity and hygiene, health and fitness" (Broad 2013, p. 57 ff.).
In the course of the history of yoga, four different paths of yoga have emerged, all of which have the same goal, namely self-realization and union with the source of all being, often also described as a "state of oneness". The four different paths are distinguished as: Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of love and devotion), Karma Yoga (Yoga of selfless action), Jnana Yoga (yoga of knowledge and cognition), and Raja Yoga (also called Kriya Yoga, the yoga of mind control). The latter is subdivided into: Hatha Yoga (yoga of physical postures) and Kundalini Yoga (yoga of energy awakening and directing). All of these four forms are considered equally important.
One of the most influential writings for modern yoga is Patanjali's YogasutraThe first complete treatise on the concept of yoga, which was written by Patanjali around 325 to 425 AD (in the classical phase of yoga). The 195 sutras (aphorisms) in four chapters are written in the Indian language Sanskrit and were later translated into other languages by various authors and provided with commentaries on the possible interpretation of the sutras, as the sutras are almost impossible to understand without prior knowledge. Today, Patanjali's work is considered the quintessence of yoga, in which he describes a practitioner's path to enlightenment and self-realization, to samadhi as the goal. The pathfinder for this is the eight-limbed path of yoga. The eight stages on the path to this goal are: 1. discipline (yama), 2. restraint (niyama), 3. posture (asana), 4. breath control (pranayama), 5. withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara), 6. concentration (dharana), 7. meditation (dhyana) and 8. ecstasy (samadhi). (cf. Skuban 2011). Sensory withdrawal and concentration lead to meditation, which in turn can lead to ecstasy (samadhi) (cf. ibid., p. 162).
The Goal and the state of yoga at the same time can be described as the feeling of unity as a result of clarity and calm. Patanjali's second sutra "yogash chitta-vritti-nirodhah", translated as "Yoga is the coming to rest (nirodhah) of the constantly changing mental patterns (chitta-vritti)" (Skuban 2011, p. 19) and further: "Then the seer rests in himself: This is self-realization" (Skuban 2011, p. 20) describes the mental state of clarity, calmness and unity sought in yoga. Overall, the various yoga paths and the eight-limbed path of yoga can be understood as a comprehensive exercise practice on a physical, emotional and mental level.
Literature:
Broad, William J. (2013): The Science of Yoga. What it promises - and what it can do. Freiburg im Breisgau
Skuban, Ralph (2011): Patanjali's Yogasutra. The royal road to a wise life. 4th edition. Munich
