Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a group of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. As a general term in Hinduism Raja Yoga, known simply as Yoga in the context of Hindu philosophy, is one of the six orthodox (āstika) schools of thought, established by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Etymology

History of Yoga
Several seals discovered at Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300–1700 BC) sites depict figures in a yoga or meditation like posture. The most widely known of these was named the "Pashupati seal"

Indus Valley seals
See also: History of Yoga
The main textual sources for the evolving concept of Yoga are the middle Upanishads, (ca. 400 BCE), the Mahabharata (from ca. 400 BC) including the Bhagavad Gita (ca. 200 BCE), and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (200 BCE-300 CE).

Literary sources

Main article: Bhagavad Gita Bhagavad Gita

Main articles: Raja Yoga and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Main article: Hatha yoga Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Yoga in other traditions

Main article: Yoga and Buddhism Yoga and Buddhism
Yogacara (Sanskrit: "Practice of Yoga [Union]"

Zen (Ch`an) Buddhism
Yoga is central to Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma tradition, practitioners progress to increasingly profound levels of yoga, starting with Mahā yoga, continuing to Anu yoga and ultimately undertaking the highest practice, Ati yoga. In the Sarma traditions, the Anuttara yoga class is equivalent. Other tantra yoga practices include a system of 108 bodily postures practiced with breath and heart rhythm. Timing in movement exercises is known as Trul khor or union of moon and sun (channel) prajna energies. The body postures of Tibetan ancient yogis are depicted on the walls of the Dalai Lama's summer temple of Lukhang.

Tibetan Buddhism

Main article: Tantra Yoga and Tantra
Within the monist schools of Advaita Vedanta and Shaivism this perfection takes the form of Moksha, which is a liberation from all worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death (Samsara) at which point there is a cessation of thought and an experience of blissful union with the Supreme Brahman. For the dualistic bhakti schools of Vaishnavism, bhakti itself is the ultimate goal of the yoga process

See also