Yoga 1: History of Yoga and Its First Landing in America
Jeanne Mak
Yoga is a very ancient practice that originated in India, but the origin of it is not well charted.[1] The earliest evidence of yoga is archeological and may trace back to as early as 3000 B.C. or earlier.[2] There are many types of yoga, some emphasize the physical (the “hatha” yoga), others emphasize devotion, action, knowledge, spiritual enlightenment, etc.[3] Although the ‘physical’ schools and the ‘devotional’ schools seldom agree with each other,[4] like different strands in a rope, it is impossible to live one kind of yoga without living others.[5] In short, all the yogic paths lead to the same goal and that is, to achieve Samadhi – illumination, pure consciousness,[6] and the experience of mystical union with Hindu conceptions of Ultimate Reality or God.[7] According to Patanjali, the first person who attempted to impose a system on the whole forest of yoga, the bodily postures (asanas) and the regulated breathing (pranayama) were two of the eight limbs or states of yoga, designed to lead the aspirant to Samadhi.[8]
The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root as the word yoke.[9] This is a term we, as Christians, are familiar with from the Bible (Phil. 4: 2; Matt. 11: 9). In Hinduism, as in many religions, union (to yoke) is desired with nothing less than God or the Absolute, and yoga is the system that Hindus have developed to achieve that end. The historic purpose behind yoga, therefore, is to achieve union with the Hindu concept of god[10] or gods – the famous trinity of Hinduism are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.[11]
The Guru Arrives[12]
The person most responsible for introducing yoga to North America was Swami (Sage) Vivekananda, a personal disciple of the revered Hindu saint, Sri Ramakrishna. In 1893, at the Chicago World’s Fair for the first World’s Parliament of Religion, Vivekananda was being introduced as one of the speakers. Although the conference was aimed for world religion, those who attended were mainly Christians and Hinduism was never presented. When Vivekananda arrived in his colorful Indian sage outfit he was attracted by many liberal religionists. He did not expect to stay long, and he had never planned to give more than one preaching. So here he was, receiving invitations from all over Chicago, asking him about Hinduism. Not only that his name was now on newspapers, and he became the talk of the town, he became the pioneer of the philosophy that “Hinduism as mother religion of all Religions.”
While facing all the invitations and with nothing much at hand, Vivekananda was now under great pressure. He knew that he could not simply introduce the whole Hinduism (the Hindu philosophy) to the Western society, and he therefore took a couple of major things from Hinduism and transformed it into a new philosophy (a new religion) for Western people. The Four Ways of Salvation in Hinduism was thus introduced to the Americans. Among the Karma Marga (the way through action), the Njana Marga (the way through wisdom), Bhakti Marga (the way through devotion), and Yoga Marga (the way through meditation), Yoga has become the most important and the most acceptable by all.
[1] Sophy Hoare. Yoga. Milwaukee, WI: An Ideals Publication, 1980. P 6
[2] Ibid.
[3] Prabhu Guptara and Osmaston Amiel. Yoga -- a Christian option? Bramcote, Notts: Grove books, 1987. P 5
[4] Ibid.
[5] Sophy Hoare. Yoga. P 14
[6] Prabhu Guptara and Osmaston Amiel. Yoga -- a Christian option?. P 5
[7] Elliot Miller. "The Yoga Boom: A Call for Christian Discernment Part 2." Christian Research Journal, 2008, P 22
[8] Prabhu Guptara and Osmaston Amiel. Yoga -- a Christian option? P 5
[9] Sophy Hoare. Yoga. P 5
[10] Elliot Miller. "The Yoga Boom: A Call for Christian Discernment Part 1." Christian Research Journal, 2008, P 12
[11] James A. Beverley. Nelson's illustrated guide to religions. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2009. P 169
[12] Most of the information here is excerpted from my interview with Mr. Blessan Cherian