Yogic Philosophy

Where Does It Come From? 

Yoga’s roots lay in the East and more specifically originate in Pakistan where archeological evidence can be found in the Indus River Valley that could date back as far as 3000 BCE (5 – Bryant, Chapter 1). The context within which yoga developed spans many thousands of years. Much of the historical evidence of the origins of yogic practice are based on ancient Sanskrit texts which are difficult to accurately date and often compiled from oral tradition dating back much earlier.

Historical Roots

Vedic period c.1500 – 800 BCE 

During this period, the knowledge and philosophies relating to yoga were transmitted orally from guru to disciple. However, the Vedas (veda meaning knowledge or wisdom), a selection of ancient texts (exact timelines unknown but circa 1500 BCE – 800 BCE) from India outline practices that have heavily influenced the development of yoga (6 – Sovik & Bhavanani, 2016, p.18). It is suggested that practices in the Upanishads, which are part of the Vedas, which focus on spiritual, meditative and philosophical practices, date back to times prior to historic record. The first mention of yoga is from a hymn in the Rigveda, one of Hinduism’s four sacred texts. It is mentioned in conjunction with a dedication to the rising sun-god in the morning; hence the modern adaptations of sun salutation – a traditional regime of repeated postures.

100 BCE – 17th Century 

The renowned philosopher Shankaracharya (eighth century CE) had a profound influence on the thought of this period. He revived the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, nondualism, and wrote authoritative commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahma Sutras, and ten major Upanishads. During this period of time many schools of yoga developed and key texts arose such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Svatmarama in the 15th Century and in the 17th Century the Gheranda Samhita by Gheranda, both lineages to the modern practices of Hatha Yoga (8 – Sovik & Bhavanani, 2016, p. 18).

18th Century onwards 

Yoga did not spread from the East to the West until 1893 when Swami Vivekananda presented at the ‘Parliament of the World Religions’ in Chicago, USA. This image of the World Parliament in 1893 with Swami Vivekananda marks the beginning of yoga’s journey from the East across into the Western world.

Is It A Philosophy?

Yoga cannot be described exclusively to any individual religion, however, a great deal of interplay occurs between Hindu philosophy and yogic philosophy.

Samkhya & Yoga Schools of Philosophy – Hinduism

Yoga is most closely related to the Samkhya school of Hinduism. Samkhya is a dualist philosophy that posits that the universe consists of two realities: purusa, pure consciousness devoid of thoughts or qualities, and prakriti,  an empirical, phenomenal, material reality. The phenomenon of a jiva (a living thing) arises when these two realities, consciousness and matter, meet. At this intersection, jiva expresses itself through various senses, feelings, and activities of mind. When one of these elements overwhelms the others, imbalance is created and this is the root of humankind’s suffering. A central concept in Samkhya-Yoga philosophy that ties it to yogic practice is moksha, which is liberation from, or, the end of bondage to the ego.

Modern Yoga

All this history, religious context, and philosophical debate, has culminated in a wide breadth of meaning when using the term yoga. In the modern world, yoga and its many influences have created a global phenomenon.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – Ashtanga Raja Yoga – The eight-fold path

The first person to lay out the specifics of yoga as a practice was Patanjali, who codified the 8 limbs of yoga (Ashtanga yoga) in his Yoga Sutras. Often referred to as the ‘eight-fold path,’ his system broke down the ethics, behavioural disciplines, breath work, physical postures and meditative principles of the path of yoga. The path to Samadhi set out by Patanjali is known as the royal path or Raja (royal) yoga.

The Eight Limbs are as follows:

1. Yama – Restraints (axis’s of self-regulation & introspection)
   Ahimsa – Non-harming; Satya – Truthfulness, Asteya – Non-stealing; Brahmacharya – Control of lifestyle; Aparigraha – Non-possessiveness.
2. Niyama – Observances (positive habit patterns)
   Shaucha – Purity; Santosha – Contentment, Tapas – Self-discipline, Svadhyaya – Self-study, Ishvara pranidhana – Trustful surrender.
3. Asana – Steady posture (different ‘seats’ for meditation)
4. Pranayama – Expansion of vital energy (control of the breath)
5. Pratyahara – Sensory withdrawal (becoming internalised)
6. Dharana – Concentration (focusing on one thing)
7. Dhyana – Meditation (a flow of mental stillness)
8. Samadhi – Self-realization (the bliss state)

Asanas

Patanjali’s yoga sutras became a foundational text for most other forms of yoga, although Asana is only mentioned a handful of times, literally meaning ‘seat’ in Sanskrit. As explored by Patanjali, these positions were to be ‘steady and comfortable’ and, contrary to some modern approaches, were specifically for meditative practice. 

स्थिरसुखमासनम्॥४६॥ sthira-sukham-ãsanam – Yoga Sutra 2.46
“Asana (posture) should be steady and comfortable…”

प्रयत्नशैथिल्यानन्तसमापत्तिभ्याम् prayatnaśaithilyānantasamāpattibhyām — Yoga Sutra 2.47
“[Such posture should be attained] by the relaxation of effort and by absorption in the infinite.” (13 – Subhash, 2015)

Links

Used on this Page

More:
The Yoga Journal – a varied publication on Yoga that includes articles on philosophy.
Yoga Basics – a very simple presentation of Yoga. Varied but short articles on lots of branching concepts. Definitely very western and modern.
Yoga International – a very comprehensive and well-made site covering a range of modern Yoga concepts. They offer philosophy and articles, but also classes and poses.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Yoga – As it sounds, this is a comprehensive look at yoga philosophy from a valuable online philosophy database.
Yoga-Philosophy.com – a fairly rigid and theistic guide to yoga philosophy. “Move over modern posers. It’s a religious practice. Here’s what it means.”
Yogapedia – another modern yoga blog. Full of articles and various approaches, mostly western adaptation, to yoga.

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