The Four Stages of Yoga Evolution

There are four stages of Yoga evolution, until we came to practice it nowadays. The stages are Pre-classical Yoga, Classical Yoga, Post-classical Yoga, and Modern Yoga.

Pre-classical Yoga

The Upanishad (Gnostic texts) appeared between 1800-1500 B.C. It contains 200 scriptures, which explained the transcendental self, (atman) and its relationship with the reality (Brahman). Karma principles originated with the Upanishads.

Vyasa was a great sage in 1400 B.C, he had categorized the Vedic hymns into four texts we use nowadays, and they are:

Sama Veda (knowledge of chants)
Yajur Veda (knowledge of sacrifice)
Rig Veda (knowledge of praise)
Atharva Veda (knowledge of Atharvan)
Rishabha was a great Yoga teacher in 1200 B.C; he had started the Jainism tradition, and this is due to the liberation of the spirit.

Again, an urbanization began along the Ganges River in 1000 B.C. Lord Buddha spread the Buddhism which focuses on meditation and ethics, ignoring physical postures. Buddhism is somehow similar to Hinduism. A few years later, the Buddhism canonical scriptures were structured.

Jaimini was a disciple of Vyasa; he had composed Mimamsa Sutra (Hinduism text) in 300 B.C. However, emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism and widely spread it.

Classical Yoga

When Yoga became widely spread, and due to it different forms, people thought about standardizing it. Therefore, in the second century, Patanjali composed a seminal text, Yoga Sutra and Classical Yoga. At these times the 195 sutras in Yoga Sutra, used in Raja Yoga (the eightfold Yoga path).The eightfold Yoga paths are:

Yama (restraint)
Niyama (observance of purity, tolerance and study)
Pranayama (breath control)
Asana (Physical exercises)
Pratyahara (preparation for Meditation)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Dharana (concentration)
Samadhi (is the absorption in the sublime).
Patanjali supports studying the sacred scriptures as part of the Yoga practice, which became Classical Yoga's distinct feature. Yoga Sutra main characteristic is its philosophical dualism. Patanjali believed in the importance of prakriti (the matter) and purusha (the spirit) separation to purify the spirit. Which differs from the Vedic and Pre-classical Yoga believes in the importance of body and spirit union. The Patanjali presented Yoga far from the traditional non-dualistic Yoga, and prepared it for the Post-classical Yoga. After the Paranjali, Yogis focused on the Meditation and neglected the Asanas. Then, by time, Yoga masters shifted their thoughts to health, maintenance and longevity, and this was by introducing new Yoga techniques, which they believed affect the body biochemistry and make it immortal.

Post-Classical Yoga

Here is the rise of prolific literature, the different branches of Yoga including Hatha and Tantra, and the rise of many holistic schools for Yoga. This one relies on appreciating life and accepting the present moment.

Modern Yoga

It arrived to the United States in the 1800's by many Gurus. One of these Yoga gurus is Swami Vivekanada, who was a Ramakrishna student, and his teacher commissioned him to attend the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Later on, he traveled around the U.S and spread Yoga traditions.

This was Yoga history and evolution, "interesting isn't it?" it shows us how important the Yoga is in all times. As if, it is in the human beings instincts, and as if, we are born with its love. Yoga is essential for all the human races to keep up a good health and life.

Next, we will list other Yoga gurus, who are the main founders of the Modern Yoga, and they are the cause of its spread worldwide, and its evolution, by introducing and developing new techniques and molding it to become so ideal to practice in our present time.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for CaffeineZone.com, LowCarbPages.com, and PrimeYoga.com.

Different Stages of Yoga

Generally, Yoga consists of and is described in eight stages astanga-yoga, ('eight-membered Yoga'). Yama ('restraint') denoting abstinence from injury (ahimsa), falsehood, stealing, lust, and avarice is the first stage; with niyama ('observance'), denoting cleanliness of body, contentment, austerity, study, and devotion to God, the second stage.

The next two stages consist of physical preparations, such as, Asana ('seat'), a series of physical posture exercises intended to condition the body, making it supple, flexible, and healthy. Mastery of the asanas can be calculated by one's ability to maintain a prescribed postures for an extended period of time, without involuntary movement or physical distractions. Pranayama ("breath control") is a series of exercises intended to stabilize the rhythm of breathing in order to encourage complete respiratory relaxation.

With great benefits, Yoga is becoming very popular all over the world, including making a come back in the land of its birth i.e. India.

Pratyahara ('withdrawal) is the fifth stage, which involves control of the senses, whereby one can centre all of one's senses from outward objects to the mind. The first five stages of Yoga are considered external aids, while the remaining three are purely mental or internal aids.

Dharana ('holding on') is the ability to focus awareness of externals to one object for a long period of time, such as, focusing the mind on an object of meditation e.g. an image of a deity or some such. Dhyana ('concentrated meditation') is the uninterrupted contemplation of an object of meditation, beyond any memory of ego. Samadhi ('self-collectedness') is the final stage and a pre-condition for attaining moksha or being released from the cycle of life and death. This stage, allows the meditator to perceive or experience the object of his meditation and himself as one entity.

Though, the pre-history of Yoga is not clear, however, early Vedic texts speak of ecstatics, who may well have been predecessors of latter day yogis or the followers of Yoga. Although Yoga has been made into a separate school ('darsan'), its influence and many of its practices have crept into other schools.

In the course of time, certain stages of Yoga become ends in themselves, notably, the breathing exercises and sitting postures, as in the school of Hatha Yoga. In a less technical sense, Yoga used for achieving union with God, in the epic poem the Bhagavadgita, is also used to distinguish the alternate paths ('margas') to such a union.

With the philosophy and practice of Yoga increasingly becoming popular in the West, the physical and spiritual benefits of Yogic techniques have become available through a wide variety of sectarian Yoga organisations, non-sectarian classes, and television programmes in the United States and Europe.

'Prapti' is the fifth power that a practitioner of Yoga can gain mastery over. Anyone, who becomes proficient in it, is able to reach distant places according to his will, in just a matter of moments. Those people wishing to expose this psychic claim as a hoax conducted experiments, only to find that 95% of the time the yogis were able to transport themselves to distant, remote places.

Next, mastery over 'Prakamya' shows one how to achieve whatever one desires. Like the Genie in the bottle who granted every wish and carried out every command issued by Alladin, a person who can perform Prakamya can make his every wish come true e.g. asking for Eternal Youth will ensure he is forever young.

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