History and definition
Yoga has existed for many centuries. Yoga has its mention in the verses of Rig Veda. The first archaeological evidence for yoga dates back thousands of years to Indus Valley civilization (330 BCE to 1300 BCE). Yoga is one of the six Indian Philosophies. Yoga according to Samkhya philosophy is the attainment or realization of the true state of consciousness or self or happiness through systematic practice and detachment of worldly pleasures. One can attain this through Jnana yoga (Knowledge), Bhakti yoga (Emotion culture), Karma Yoga (Selfless action) or cultivating the mind through a systematic process called Raja Yoga.
Sage Pathanjali talks about Raja Yoga by an eight-fold path to attain the state of moksha or liberation. The practices of these steps bring about inner transformation in ones behaviour, personality and outlook to life apart from improving one’s health. It helps replace bad emotions and thoughts with good ones and helps in not only changing the individual but also the community.
Sage Pathanjali talks about Raja Yoga by an eight-fold path to attain the state of moksha or liberation. The practices of these steps bring about inner transformation in ones behaviour, personality and outlook to life apart from improving one’s health. It helps replace bad emotions and thoughts with good ones and helps in not only changing the individual but also the community.
The Eight-fold path also known as Raja Yoga include:
Yoga is not merely a spiritual practice, it’s also a technique that helps calming down the mind as per Great sage Vashishta. Yoga means to join or union of Body mind and Soul. Yoga as a complementary and mind body therapy is being practiced increasingly in both Indian and western populations. It is an ancient Indian science that has been used for therapeutic benefit in numerous health conditions in which mental stress was believed to play a role. The ancient yogis didn't view yoga as a therapeutic modality. For them, yoga was a path to liberation, an end to suffering. They couldn't have helped but notice, though, that everything from aches and pains to resistance to getting sick improved in those who took on the practice of yoga. Since disease was considered an obstacle to practice, anything that improved health was a boon to spiritual development. From a spiritual practice Yoga has developed over the centuries as a science of calming down the mind for health promotion and disease prevention. Yoga is a drugless Indian System of Medicine that lays emphasis on stress management, lifestyle, diet and nutrition to manage the increasing burden of Non communicable diseases like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer etc. in our country and world over.
There are various schools of yoga that have been popular the world over. Some of the great Yogis and their traditions are given below:
Apart from these traditional schools there are several universities that offer certification progams, diploma, post graduate diploma, BA, Bed, MA, MSc, MPhil and PhD in yoga courses. There are approximately 200 such universities and colleges in the country. The medical education of yoga as a system of medicine is being propagated through 5 ½ years Bachelor’s degree in Yoga and Naturopathic sciences a professional course in 18 states and 53 colleges and 3-year MD course in Yoga in 5 colleges across the country.
Due to the Narendra Modi Government's relentless efforts, June 21 was declared as the International Yoga Day by UNGA. On December 11, 2014, the 193-membered UNGA approved the proposal by consensus with a record 177 co-sponsoring countries passing the resolution to establish June 21 as "International Day of Yoga". In its resolution, the UNGA endorsed that "Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being apart from striking a balance between all aspects of life. The wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practising Yoga would be beneficial for the health of the world population."
Global Yoga market is supposed to grow by $66.4 Billion by 2027. It was $37.5 Billion in 2019, according to a report by Allied Market Research. In India the yoga market is $4.0 billion. The yoga market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.6%. According to the website, Statista, yoga mats worth $11.7 Billion were sold in the last one year alone.