The History of Yoga (Briefly): Philosophy For Yoga Teachers 

I am an iindian... Hindu... I was to do a small (very small) project for my son.... So I thought lets so it on Yoga or Mantra (any one) and came here to this video. Please accept a humble thumbs up 👍 for a good structured way to explain. We Hindus know all of this, but it was interesting to understand (or relook at the whole) in very basic Q & A format.... Really s nice teacher you are

Your energy kept me engaged through the entire video. I love how enthusiastic you are about telling the stories.

Absolutely loved it! The cute comments from your students and your adorable interactions just made it even better. Thanks for sharing!

The more a learn about the history of yoga the more i love the practice. Also motivates me to be a better human being. Thank you so much for this video. 😁😄🙏🙏

Your channel is a masterpiece! I admire on how in depth and valuable information you gift to all aspiring yoga teachers on your channel.

Excellent lecture, exactly what I was trying to search for. Thank you!! 🌱🙌🏼

5 STARS! Thank you for creating this - ive been teaching for 5 years and this has just summer everything up for me because theres just so much to take in.

Perfect use of yoga blocks 😉, thanks 🙏🏽

Fantastic superwonderful, and great energy!

Absolutely glorious. Thank you for all of the content you so kindly share on your channel, all of which is a joy to come back to and revise with. 🙏🙏🙏

Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this, really, really great! 👏😍❤️

Enjoying and learning every video! Such a huge thank you for being you!

Thank you Rachel for another fascinating video 🙏♥️

39:00 Dharma is a constant. It is not individualistic. Only Karma is individualistic. Love from India. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳💕💕💕🕉🕉🕉

Great discussion. Thanks for sharing.

Half way in and you’ve given me chills!!

I'm of the school of you are your body! You can't experience and program your subconscious/soul mind without it!

This was so good. It confirmed what I already know - yoga is the spiritual path for me.

I really like the way Rachel explains the the history, it's fun and interesting! Thank you.

So glad I found this video! Really interesting and well presented, thanks for the awesome content

Absolutely stunning lessons, I have received my training in India as well as in the US but I truly love the way Rachel breaks down the History of Yoga. Thank you so much what a great refresher. Gabriele

This was so much fun!! Thank you for such a great learning session!

wow, thank you SO much for sharing this. publicly and freely. a gift of knowledge. much gratitude.

Thank you for that great overview, Ive been looking for this for a long time 🙏

Thank youuu so much, this is really helpful and amazingly taught!! You kept my attention during the whole video, I even wanted to learn more 😃😃

That was excellent - thank you for sharing this!

Rachel, thank you so much for such a relatable, engaging class! I have learnt so from this video not just from the subject matter but from the authenticity, openness and clear articulation you brought as yourself. You've been at this for a long time and your enthusiasm for it shines through like you just started teaching yesterday. Thank you for sharing your Light with the world🙏🏽

Rachel!!! Thank you so much for this. You are an incredible story teller. I am trying to learn as much about yoga as I possibly can because I cannot afford a yoga teacher training at the moment. This was incredibly helpful in weaving together the history and philosophy of yoga and how the philosophy evolved through the centuries. I will be referring back to my notes on this video for a long time!

You have a deep knowledge of yoga, Thanks for sharing

This is an amazing video, thank you. I’ve recently completed an online yoga teacher course which was more for myself than to actually teach with and your video has really helped me 😊

I loooooooved this class! Thank you!

It is passed on to us by Manu who was taught by Sun during meditation. Also when the longing started to know then he came to teach us in Himalayas. He then taught this to Seven Sages. They established Gurukul or call it College. According to our written astronomical history. It was around 10000 years. One suggestion never add anything more never substract anything Patanjali and Yoga sutra are explanations. And Vigyan Bhairav sutra is eternal best of the best.

Very nice and fantastic explain 🙏 Good explanation about spiritual and philosophy phenomenal class 🙏🙏

Great video maam.

Incredible lecture. Thank you!

I can’t thank you enough for bring this to u tube your talk and presentation is just so wonderful again thank you so very much 💕☮️☯️

amazing teacher x

This video is so so good and informative! I've been to a 200h YTT and to some further trainings with popular teachers and no one described yoga history/philosophy so skillfully!

Thank you 🙏🏼

Nicely and deep summerization of meaning of yoga and it's history covering some specific contents..I liked your work, study and deep involvement in this field which is useful for all human beings!! Keep it up!!!

That was very inspiring! I got really curious of tantra the way you described it and I will absolutely look at more of your videos!

It's genius of you to put history of yoga into the context of the world history. Thanks for painting a really detailed and clear picture of the yoga "tree branch"! I've just started my yoga teacher training and this helped me more than most materials in my program ❤

~28:38 the meaning of ohm! Beautiful…thank you.

I am an actor and yoga teacher. I want to say Rachel you are true yogini and wonderful storyteller as well. Your explanations are awesome. Love from India.😃

wow...there are some serious notes and concepts taken from this to reflect research in my YTT training..stretched it out for 3 hours ...I enjoy every second of it..can keep listening to you lecturing for couple more hours, not a one second you made it bored...may the holy ghost & angels bless you.

Superb..keep up the good work..👍

Thanks!

wow; just wow

Yoga was Given by Rushi Patanjali as yoga sutras! Watch vedio on yoga on the channel project om.

This is such an informative and fun video. You have such enthusiasm and zeal :)

Jai shree Ram, Mam you are sharing golden,incredible, knowledge I had watched your anatomy classes of yoga . I love to be here.❤️I feel blessed. Thankyou!🥰🥳

I've just discovered your channel this week (I'm from Brazil), and I've watched the final part of this lecture now. Love it! Thanks for the excellent content of this channel for us, yoga students

Love From India Ma'am.... I Wish Everyone Healthy Life....🙏❤️

Yoga Darshan is the practical aspect of Saankhya Darshan. It is usually called as Saankhya Yoga.

Hello Rachel, your information was valuable and wonderful for me. Can you introduce one or two books related to the philosophy of yoga? regards,

ur the best 👍💯... ur explained our Arjuna Krishna conversation in such a beautiful way... no words... ur true yogi... 🙏🙏🙏

The mandukya Upanishad states that the silence stands for Turiya. Turiya means consciousness, awareness. That thou art! It pervades and underlies the human states of wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep. It is indestructible. The dot in the symbol for aum is called a bindu, and also stands for Turiya.

Thank you from Turkey ..Really enjoyed your presentation.. One question; Where do you put Yin Yoga ? You didn't mention about its roots..

Hey! Thank you so much for this video, it has helped me so much. I am currently doing my yoga teaching training and on a piece of coursework about the history of yoga. One of the questions is, Identify what are the three elements of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra? I have done a lot of reading and research and I do not quite understand this question or what kind of answer it is looking for. Any help would be very much appreciated!

So curious about the quote "meditation is higher than thought". I love this! What is the source?

Ty

Hi Rachel ..nice...your breadth of understanding.... Upanishads are a synthesis of Vedas in their evolution...also Vedas are not just Rituals as articulated by some of the 19th century western scholars who never had vedic experiance...but speaking from their left brain oriented language analysis...a better person to talk about is Sri Aurobindo...a great yogi of last century.. "The Secret of the Veda" is a book written by Sri Aurobindo, a philosopher, yogi, and spiritual leader of India. The book was first published in 1953 and is a detailed analysis of the Vedic hymns, providing insights into the spiritual and philosophical significance of the hymns. In the book, Sri Aurobindo argues that the Vedas are not just a collection of religious texts or hymns, but they are also a source of profound spiritual knowledge and wisdom. Sri Aurobindo argues that the Vedas contain a hidden meaning, which can be revealed through a deeper understanding of their symbolism and the spiritual experiences that they describe. Sri Aurobindo also discusses the various deities and their symbolism, the spiritual practices and rituals described in the Vedas, and the relationship between the Vedas and other spiritual traditions. Overall, "The Secret of the Veda" is a highly respected and influential book in the field of Vedic studies, and it continues to be widely read and studied by scholars and spiritual seekers www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.sriaurobindoashram.org/sriaurobindo/downloadpdf.php%3Fid%3D30&ved=2ahUKEwivsp2Q04iAAxWPTmwGHRtTBO0QFnoECDEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0ICUK6M-0kF8arMpwDXOJV Dr RL Kashyap is one who did great work in this area in the last 30 years..who was a compuer scientist at Purdue university en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangasami_L._Kashyap

The ascetics who went to the forest were kicked out of the brahminical society. The unorthodox traditions that developed were antagonistic to brahminical hegemony. They did not consume soma. The Brahmins were anti-tapas, anti-ascetics, and fully focused on ritual.

I am so impressed from your knowledge I am from india and can i know if you came to india to learn yoga Because not everyone have this level of knowledge

Each upanishad is doctrinally linked to one of the four Vedas, just like the brahmanas and the samhitas.

" Yoga means union, the science of union. Meditation is the most supreme phenomenon as far as union with reality is concerned. Meditation is the god of yoga. But yoga has fallen into wrong hands, and not only recently - for centuries it has been in the wrong hands. The original fault must be with the founder, Patanjali himself. Patanjali has divided yoga into eight parts. His division is clear-cut, very scientific, but he was not really aware of human stupidity. He started with the body - and that's the right way to start. The first part of yoga must be physiological because man lives on the circumference, in the body, so the work has to start there, only then can it reach the mind. And when one has gone beyond the body and beyond the mind, then the third, meditation, happens. So according to Patanjali the first part belongs to the body. But he was not clearly aware that millions of people would remain entangled with the first part. Hence yoga has become synonymous with yoga postures: people standing on their heads and doing all sorts of contortions. That has become synonymous with yoga. It is not a true yoga, it is just the preface, the introductory part; and the person who thinks the introduction is the whole book is idiotic. But Patanjali did not warn people. If he had warned people it would have been better. People like Patanjali believe in others' intelligence - which is not there! They trust. Their trust is immense, their trust is as immense as people's stupidity is! They respect people's intelligence. So he did not warn people, but the warning was absolutely necessary: 'Don't get entangled in the physiological part.' A few people, only very few - if a hundred people become interested in yoga then only one person will get out of the physiological entanglement. And that one person will become entangled in the psychological. If a hundred persons are entangled in the psychological then only one person gets out of it...and only when you get out of the mind does the real yoga begin. The physiological part of yoga will give you great physiological powers; it can make you live a really long, healthy life. But what are you going to do with a long life? If you are idiotic, instead of being idiotic for seventy years you will be idiotic for two hundred years. It is not going to help anybody; it will be a calamity. There was a man called Nadir Shah - one of the most notorious, murderous men in the whole history of humanity. He invaded India at least one hundred and eight times. He killed more people in India than anybody else. And he had his own ways of torturing: he would put the whole town on fire and surround the town with his army so nobody could escape - and he would enjoy it! This man asked an astrologer, because he had heard of his fame, 'What do you say? What is your advice? - should a man live long, very long, or should one live only the average, seventy years?' The astrologer must have been a really wise man. He said, 'It all depends. If a man like you lives long, it is bad, it is unfortunate. In the first place a man like you should not be born; and in the second place, if he is born, then he should die immediately. And in the third place, if he manages to live somehow, then the sooner he dies, the better!' Nadir Shah was very angry. This was the first man who had not bothered about his murderous attitude, this was the first man who had said the truth as it was. Nadir Shah said 'I will kill you!' The astrologer said 'That doesn't matter - you can kill me, but I have to tell the truth. The truth is that if men like you do live, they should sleep twenty-four hours a day and drink as much as they can!' Nadir Shah was so shocked but the man was so truthful that even Nadir Shah had to leave him alone. Even he could not gather courage to kill such a man. He felt shaken and he remembered him again and again: 'What a man! Almost a dragon! He made me tremble - the way he looked at me and the way he said things. I had never expected anybody would have such courage.' But he respected the astrologer. Yoga can make a person live long, but what will you do? That physiological part should not be paid so much attention. Yes, a little bit is good to keep physically fit, but just a little bit; otherwise it is a vast jungle. One can be lost in its subtleties, in its complexities. The second part is even vaster than the physiological. If you get into it you can have many psychic powers, you can read people's thoughts. But what is the point? Your own rubbish is so much, what is the point of reading somebody else's rubbish? He is tortured by his rubbish and you are reading his thoughts - and you think you are doing something great! The real thing is to get rid of thoughts, not to read them. One even has to get rid of one's own thoughts; what is the point of reading other people's thoughts? And what is there? You can stand by the side of the road and you can see a man is walking along and thinking of his dog - so what? If you listen to people's thoughts, what will you find? Somebody is thinking of his cow, somebody is thinking of his buffalo, somebody is thinking of his wife, somebody is thinking of somebody else's wife! And you are thinking what they are thinking! Maybe the other person is also a yogi and is reading somebody else's thoughts. Then things become very complicated! The physiological part is ordinary, the psychological part is ordinary. Both can give power, but power is not the goal of meditation. Power is politics, all kinds of power is politics. And power corrupts - all kinds of power - it corrupts unconditionally and absolutely. It always corrupts. Hence I say the only essential thing, the real core of all religion, of all yoga, of all methods of search, is meditation. One should put aside everything non-essential. You can use things as stepping stones, but not more than that - just like jumping boards. You need not bother too much about them. Your whole concern should be one-pointed; you should move like an arrow towards meditation. Only then in this small life, with so little time, power and energy available and with so many problems surrounding you, can you hope that the arrow will reach the target. The moment you know something of meditation - not about it, but the very taste of it - a great release comes. a great relief comes. Suddenly all tensions disappear: anxieties, anguishes, are found no more. Even if you want them just for a change, you cannot find them. I have tried and failed! Sometimes I try very hard to find some anxiety but I cannot, it simply does not work. I have tried all possible ways, from this side and that side, but I come to the same end: it does not work. Once you have tasted meditation it is impossible for you to be in any misery. Bliss becomes inevitable, a natural showering, and it goes on showering like flowers showering from the sky."

Great atleast you put the almost correct vedic age dates. . Other western scholars trace back only 1500 BC. Even to Budha 500 BC.

yoga-sthah kuru karmani sangam tyaktva dhananjaya! siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva samatvam yoga uchyate!! Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, O Arjun, abandoning attachment to success and failure. Such equanimity is called Yog. - Geeta

Maybe one day I’ll tell you my story but this came so timely and perfectly in my life. I wrote something in a group of women whom I love and are very supportive of my journey. I said how I wish I had studied to be a yoga teacher. And I can’t even put it in my bucket list… (I didn’t write the last sentence… so my daughter texted and said, ‘and what’s stopping you for doing it now mom?’ And my sister texted, ‘there’s no reason why you can’t do yoga online! There’s so many possibilities bla bla In reality I could’ve come up with a list of many valid and real reasons but somehow I said … we’ll, I am more disciplined when I study something and I can experience what I’m studying. And besides I’d love to study the history of yoga too , bla bla I wrote down all the reasons but not with disappointment or sad, or thinking it’d be impossible ..,(I’m actually finishing an intense one year professional counselling program)… and as I finished texting, I googled ‘the history yoga,’ and the first I checked out was not what I was looking for but the second I clicked, was you! Thank you for this lecture. I loved it! And in my counselling practice, I’d love to incorporate some asanas one day💕 I have some joint issues, am not young, but I have a dream, and a strong will, and today you’ve been another confirmation, that when you are in alignment and ready, the teacher shows up,,, and btw, I have a teaching career of decades. So I can say this with confidence: you are a great teacher🙋‍♀️🙏💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏Namaste Haydee

I think shreemad bhagvat mahapuran’s fifth canto can help you a lot.

Good point @ 55:25 till that time yoga was only meditation...

😍

Colloquial yet the essence is correct.

Beautifully explained by Rachel, thanks for putting such an unbiased presentation of such a complex topic and often misunderstood by many including people in India!

24:13 Want to understand Non Dualism?? See the Movie "Matrix".... See what Neo sees things as exactly like him when he becomes (as we call in India as) a REALIZED SOUL at the end of the first movie (out of three)

Do you have book that refers to read, Rachel?

Yog is an ETERNAL practice, prevailing in ALL the FOUR YUGAS. YOG practice was already an ancient practice at the time of the birth of The Buddha ❤

The rig veda is a text all about boasting how strong an powerful the "strong-armed" men were. In the rig veda, yoga refers to a period of time during which martial action occurred. This action involved destroying one's enemies, stealing their property (cows and women) and returning to celebrate with massive BBQs.

Saraswathi valley civilization is not gone, they moved to many parts of ancient india and other parts of world, older hymms of veda praise mother saraswathi as goddess, whereas in later hymns of veda like atharvana veda praises mother ganga as godess shows that harrapa and mohanjadaro civilization are not gone, they are what today called as Hinduism or Sanathana Dharma

I am proud hindu / sanatani ❤️😘

The poses existed on archeological record in carvings in the valley prior to religion and belief in gods and goddesses existing in India on archeological record by over 1,000 years. At some point religion appears and yoga is incorporated into different religious practices.

Hope my philosophy and history professors teach like this lmao.

38:54 😂 😂 😂

I love my indian🇮🇳 💕

U so funny 😂

Mahabharata stands for the great Bharata dynasty, not war.

She knows 1000 times more than average indian..... Appriciated

forther you should describe about our hindu religion

Charvaka are equivalent of current materialists..and some amount of hedonist ideas...they were not driven out by the spiritualists of those days...but allowed live their ideas

In India “jnana” we write it like “gyana” it means knowledge of how universe is created and destroyed by god. This is meaning of gyana yoga.

Samsara means the material world

49:15 Charvaka School is about (as we call in English) atheism.... Concept of rejecting a God Head

Fantastic lecture in every way! Btw I think Jainism is pronounced JAY-nism :)

Vedas is not all about sacrifice and rituals please read it once then comment.

There a lot of debate going on on Aryan invasion theory in India. Near to all people are rejecting it. So it has become from aryan invasion theory to aryan migration theory and in future it will eventually become Aryan vacation theory.

You are doing very good job, very impressive in Indus civilization(which is believed to be River Saraswati Civilization) u can find lord Shiva doing Yoga pose (Bhadrasana) .. I suggest u can improve pronouncing correct Sanskrut words ..

U r such a sweety Racheal,,,, I hope I have friend like u so nice and cool,😄😄😄😄

52:00

Totally off on the dates of the vedas

madam pl dont preach half knowledge. yoga is founded by maharshi patanjali is one of the argument but its started by lord shiva "paramatma" . shiva is the "Aadiyogi" . god shiva is the founder of yoga and maharshi patanjali re invented it and made it an "shastra"