| Popis: |
Yoga represents both a philosophy and a practice, with the goal of liberation. Although ascetic practices existed previously, and the word yoga appears in the Vedas, the first definition is in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, where it is described as ‘the steady restraint of the senses’, building on the idea of yoga as yoking, like a horse and carriage. The Bhagavadgītā, contained within the epic Mahābhārata, describes multiple types of yoga, reframing it as a world-affirming practice, explained as ‘skilfulness in action’. The first codification of yoga appears in Patañjali’s c. 400 CE Yogasūtra, which defines it as ‘the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind’, attained through practice and detachment, with the aim of isolation (kaivalya) of the self from material nature, like the philosophy of Sāṃkhya. The well-known eight-part (aṣṭāṅga) path also originates in this text, culminating in meditative absorption (samādhi). Beginning in the twelfth century – although most well-known from the fifteenth-century compilation, the Haṭhapradīpikā – a new kind of yoga emerged, with roots in Tantra. This haṭhayoga placed more emphasis on postures (āsana) and breath-control (prāṇāyāma), as a counterpart to rājayoga, whose aim was the union of the individual and universal self. While a Vedāntic yoga was first brought to the West by Vivekananda, who was dismissive of haṭhayoga, later teachers – particularly Krishnamacharya’s students – emphasized these physical practices, giving birth to modern yoga, which is now practiced by millions across the world, although often divorced from its roots. The enduring popularity of yoga is largely due to its adaptability through the ages. |
