VAC YOGA Class Materials 03.07.2024 PDF

1. Who is the father of classical yoga? Maharshi Patanjali is the father of classical yoga. 2. Who wrote “yoga sutra”? Maharshi Patanjali wrote the text “yoga sutra”. 3. How many sutras are there in Patanjali’s yoga sutra? 195 sutras are there in the text. 4. What is the connotation of the...

1. Who is the father of classical yoga? Maharshi Patanjali is the father of classical yoga. 2. Who wrote “yoga sutra”? Maharshi Patanjali wrote the text “yoga sutra”. 3. How many sutras are there in Patanjali’s yoga sutra? 195 sutras are there in the text. 4. What is the connotation of the term “yoga”? The term “yoga” has three connotations according to panini. a. Yujir yoge (means union) b. yuja samadhau (means concentration) c. Yuja samyamane (means control) ** These three together explore the SENSE of YOGA 5. Explore the etymology of yoga. ‘Yuj’ the root word refers to a kind of Union Union refers to the Union of jeevatma (the individual self) with paramatma (the Universal self) 6. What are the major schools of yoga? There are three major schools of yoga, namely – Hatha yoga, raj yoga, and kriya yoga. 7. Introduction to ancient Indian tradition of yoga. Pre-Classical Yoga The practice was also quite mysterious and secretive. It’s said that some of the very earliest teachings were written on flimsy palm leaves, which were, of course, not easy to preserve. We do know that what researchers call “pre-classical yoga” began around 5,000 years ago in northern India – among the Indus-Sarasvati people. The "Rig Veda" came to be during this time, and it’s the most ancient text that records the word, “yoga.” You’ve probably heard of the Vedas, or Vedic texts. These are the first texts used by the Vedic priests and mystics, or rishis, at this time in history. Then the Upanishads came to be, and also the Bhagavad Gita. All these texts happened in “pre-classical” time. Next we come to what yoga researchers call the “classical yoga” time period. This is when Patanjali and his YogaSutras were written. We reference these sutras often – even today – and because we do, Patanjali is sometimes known as the father of modern yoga. Then we come to what researchers call the “post-classical yoga” time period. It’s here that Tantra yoga came into existence. There was more emphasis on the physical body, as well. This is when what we think of as Hatha yoga made its way into the world. Naturally, over that time, the Hatha yoga practice branched off in many different directions; and in the past few hundred years, we’ve seen the greatest number of branching off as it has gained popularity.