who started yoga

Yoga, as it’s practiced today, can be traced back thousands of years in India, evolving over many centuries rather than being created by a single individual. It’s a collective tradition that emerged from various philosophical and spiritual practices rather than a single-man origin story. The origins of yoga are often credited to the Indus Valley Civilization and the Vedic texts, with evidence of certain yoga-like practices appearing in ancient seals and scriptures. The Yoga Sutras, composed by the sage Patanjali around the 2nd century BCE, serve as one of the foundational texts of classical yoga. Although Patanjali didn’t “create” yoga, his work laid out the philosophical and ethical framework that significantly influenced its development.

The tradition is also enriched by several other influential texts like the Bhagavad Gita and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, which have contributed to its philosophical and physical dimensions. In its essence, yoga was designed to aid in spiritual development and self-realization, with the ultimate aim of achieving moksha, or liberation. Such practices are meant to cultivate discipline both physically and mentally, encouraging a balance between body, mind, and spirit.

Modern yoga, with its emphasis on physical postures known as asanas, is actually a more recent evolution, largely popularized in the 20th century. Influential figures like Tirumalai Krishnamacharya and his students, such as B.K.S. Iyengar, were instrumental in this global dissemination. Despite its ancient roots, yoga is continually evolving, interweaving bodily practice with meditation and breathing to form a holistic approach that can be adapted to contemporary lifestyles. So, while no single person “started” yoga, it is a collective evolution of beliefs and practices nurtured by many hands over millennia.