The history of yoga is complex and vague at the same time.

You can perceive the history of yoga any way that you would like in order for it to fit into your life. That is the vague part - it is adaptable and has been through thousands of years. The complex part is that it makes you think about things you may not have paid too much attention to before - like exploring your spiritual side.

I consider the written words of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali to be a written documentation of the history of yoga. While it doesn't explain what we consider history in year to year information of events, it does describe a road map of how yoga was intended to promote a happy and healthy life.

The history of yoga practice is so old that it had to be taught from generation to generation because people didn't even document things back then. Once they figured out how to document things the practice spread because people that were not related could learn from reading the information.

We’ll get into the history of yoga and historical ideals on this page. Generally in America the physical form most people practice is Hatha yoga.

Some people practice yoga as nothing more than a series of powerful physical exercises designed to give you the perfect body. The effects people gain from practicing the postures and breath work include increased flexibility, strength, vitality, and improved concentration just to name a few. These gains are impressive but they could be side effects of a much bigger purpose as there are far more aspects to discover within the heart of yoga.

On an emotional side, sometimes people create negative energy in their lives by holding onto such things as fatigue, sorrow, and anger, and they are sometimes in an endless circle. When people get caught up in the circle, it is difficult to figure out how to change it.

Starting to practice with postures and breath work, as most people who practice in America do, would benefit them immeasurably. If that is all that they are looking for then that is a great thing for them. It will hopefully bring them some relief. But after regular practice of postures and breath work they might notice other changes are happening.

Hopefully as they become more balanced and in harmony with their true self, their perceptions of life will change for the better. Then they can willingly move toward the other parts of the journey and during the process find the peace of mind that they deserve.

There are eight pieces to this puzzle and each piece is to act as a guideline of how to live a meaningful life. These eight pieces are referred to as limbs. There are many books written about the Yoga Sutras if you want to read up on them yourself.

The documented information, 2000 years old, is meant to be a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline, directing your attention to your own health and helping you to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature.

According to the ancient texts they are called ‘limbs’ rather than ‘steps’ expressing the idea that all parts of yoga evolve in a somewhat unpredictable manner, like a tree grows its branches.

The first types of yoga are known as Hatha Yoga and the last four are known as Raja yoga. All eight parts are known as Ashtanga yoga, not to be confused with Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, which is commonly known as Power yoga. Ashtanga translates to “eight limbs”. While the physical aspect of yoga is certainly important it is only one of the eight traditional limbs of yoga practice, all of which have meditation and bliss or enlightenment as their main purpose.

They are to be a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline, directing your attention to your own health and helping you to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature.

According to the ancient texts they are called ‘limbs’ rather than ‘steps’ expressing the idea that all parts of yoga evolve in a somewhat unpredictable manner, like a tree grows its branches. With this being said, take the ideals and see if they fit into your life, and if you could benefit from practicing them. Click here to read about the history of yoga and the limbs.