Yoga East

Origins of Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Nath Yogis, Patanjali, Eight Limbs

Heart of Yoga: February 14, 2026
By Laura Spaulding

(Note: this article was prepared with assistance of AI. The research and views expressed here are my own.)

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Outline: Foundations of Yoga for New Teachers

I. Why Do We Study Yoga History and Philosophy?

• Yoga is more than posture: history + philosophy + lived practice
• What do teachers gain from understanding the roots of yoga?
• Understanding of the cultural and spiritual context
• Important to teach with integrity and awareness
• How history informs modern practice

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II. Origins of Yoga – A Timeline

Pre-Historic Yoga

195,000 years ago - Homo sapiens emerged.
25,000 BCE - Proto-Yoga, Shamanistic tradition.
4500-3100 - BCE First cities appear.
1700-1100 BCE - Rg Veda composed
1500-1000 BCE - Atharva Veda composed and it mentions the Kiratas, Nepalese people of Lord Shiva.
500-200 BCE - Bhagavad Gita composed.
400-200 BCE - Shvetashvatara Upanishad composed.
600 BCE-600 CE - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali composed.
no later than 100 BCE - Brihat-Kathya, the “Great Story”composed.
1st Millenium BC - Age of Lao-Tzu, Confucious, Mahavira, in Jainism, Gautama the Buddha, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle in Greece, Samkhya. Has been called the Axial Age. ¹

Historic Yoga

1250 AD - Hatha Yoga Pradipika written.
1350 AD - Gheranda Samhita written.
1650 AD - Siva Samhita written.
1863-1902 - Swami Vivekananda.
1872-1950 - Sri Aurobindo, Founder of Integral Yoga, Auroville.
1893-1952 - Paramahamsa Yogananda          .
1887-1963 - Swami Sivananda.
1897-1961 - Bhagavan Nityananda.
1908-1982 - Swami Muktananda, founded Gurudev Siddha Peeth 1956 and SMA in 1979.
1914-2002 - Swami Satchidananda, gave invocation at Woodstock.
1916-1993 - Swami Chinmayananda.
1888-1989 - Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.
1915-2009 - K. Pattabhi Jois, met Krishnamacharya in 1928.
1918-2014 - B.K.S. Iyengar, invited by Yehudi Menuhin to visit Switzerland in1954.
1918-2008 - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, came to the US in 1958.
1927-1993 - Swami Vishnudevananda.
1930-2015 - Pujiya Swami Dayananda Saraswathi.
1931-1990 - Bhagavan Shri Rajneesh (Osho).
1944-2018 - Geeta Iyengar.
1944 - Bikram Choudhury, opened The Yoga College of India in Hollywood in 1971.
1971 - Yoga East founded.
1975 - Yoga Journal Magazine starts.           

A. Early Roots

• Indus Valley imagery and proto-yogic symbolism
• Vedic traditions: ritual, meditation, breath, mantra
• Upanishadic shift toward inner inquiry

B. Core Early Themes

• Liberation (moksha)
• Self-knowledge
• Discipline and contemplative practice

Teaching relevance

• Yoga as a system of transformation
• Respecting lineage without dogma

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III. Patanjali and the Classical Yoga Framework

A. Yoga Sutras overview

• Purpose: quieting the fluctuations of the mind
• Yoga as a psychological and spiritual discipline

B. Key concepts

• Citta (mind-field)
• Kleshas (sources of suffering)
• Practice + detachment

Teaching relevance

• Mental focus in asana
• Yoga beyond physical exercise

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IV. The Eight Limbs of Yoga

A. Ethical foundations

• Yama (social ethics)
• Niyama (personal observances)

B. Physical and energetic practice

• Asana (steady, easeful posture)
• Pranayama (breath regulation)

C. Internal practices

• Pratyahara (sensory withdrawal)
• Dharana (concentration)
• Dhyana (meditation)
• Samadhi (integration/absorption)

Teaching relevance

• A holistic map for practice
• Bringing limbs into modern classes

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V. Hatha Yoga: The Embodied Tradition

A. Historical emergence (medieval period)

• Focus on body as vehicle for liberation
• Energetic anatomy and purification

B. Key practices

• Asana development
• Pranayama refinement
• Mudra, bandha, cleansing techniques

Teaching relevance

• Roots of modern posture practice
• Body–mind integration

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VI. Nath Yogis and the Living Lineage

A. Who they were

• Medieval ascetic practitioners
• Influential in shaping Hatha Yoga

B. Contributions

• Emphasis on energetic awakening
• Discipline, tapas, and embodied spirituality

Teaching relevance

• Understanding yoga’s ascetic roots
• Balancing effort and compassion in teaching

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VII. Integration for Modern Teachers

• How philosophy informs cueing and sequencing
• Teaching ethically and respectfully
• Yoga as a lifelong inquiry
• Avoiding reduction of yoga to fitness alone

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VIII. Reflection & Discussion

• How does yoga philosophy influence your teaching?
• Where do you see the Eight Limbs in modern practice?
• What traditions resonate with you?

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Origins of Yoga – Historical Foundation and Bridge to Modern Yoga

·         Early yogic ideas in Vedic and Upanishadic traditions are foundations.

·         Shift from ritual (Mimamsa) to inner transformation (Vedanta) set the stage for further development.

·         Liberation, discipline, self-study became central themes.

·         Yoga evolved as a process of refinement, not performance

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¹ Feuerstein, George, The Yoga Tradition, (Hohm Press, Prescott, Arizona 1998), p. 122.