Surprising Origins of Yoga

November 16th, 2020

Who knew? So it turns out that the Yoga we practice today was created by teachers of European ideas of fitness, Scandinavian gymnastics and Indian philosophy to give middle-class housewives of the 60s something to do for themselves in a safe environment.

Did you know that the “downward dog” position was originally called “gaja” – the elephant?

Historically, yoga consisted only of a few poses, mainly the seated lotus position, which was designed to train one’s body to meditate in the seated position for hours on end.

What about the yoga poses we know today?

These were added on less than 100 years ago by a lone yogi who watched a British army regiment practicing military exercises and felt inspired to incorporate more standing poses into his routine.

What about the Sanskrit names and timeless spiritual connection?

Just a pretty recent story. But a good story.

And does it even matter?

Probably not. Perhaps it’s a relief to know that the spirituality of yoga is not about outsourcing our spirituality to the mystic East, but rather finding it where it truly resides: within.

There’s a fascinating episode of a BBC podcast, “The Secret History of Yoga”, where Mukti Jain Campion explores the history of yoga and the physical aspect of yoga practice.

Check out the full podcast here.