Introduction to Yoga and Yogic Practices
Domain scope
This unit tests definitions of yoga, its historical development, the major streams, and the practical guidelines that make practice safe. Expect questions that ask you to distinguish classical from modern usage and to match a stream with its defining method.
Core definitions and history
Patanjali defines yoga as yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ (YS 1.2), the stilling of the modifications of the mind. The root yuj means to yoke or unite. The Bhagavad Gita adds yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam (2.50), skill in action, and samatvaṃ yoga ucyate (2.48), equanimity. Historically, yoga appears in Indus Valley seals, Vedic and Upaniṣadic texts, the Gita, Patanjali's codification, medieval Haṭha texts such as the Haṭhapradīpikā, and the modern global diffusion after Vivekananda's 1893 address.
Streams
- Rāja yoga - Patañjali's eight limbs, meditation-centred.
- Haṭha yoga - body-centred: āsana, prāṇāyāma, mudrā, bandha, cleansing.
- Karma, bhakti, jñāna - action, devotion, knowledge paths.
- Mantra and laya - sound and absorption.
Practice guidelines
Practice on an empty stomach (2–3 hours after a meal), in a clean, ventilated space, on a firm mat. Start with warm-ups, avoid forcing, and end with relaxation. Respect contraindications: no inversions in uncontrolled hypertension or glaucoma; no breath retention in pregnancy or cardiac conditions without supervision. Consistency matters more than intensity. A teacher should screen health, demonstrate modifications, and never diagnose.
Worked example
A question asks which stream emphasises ṣaṭkarma, mudrā and bandha. Reasoning: these are bodily purification and lock techniques systematised in Haṭha texts, not in Patañjali's eight limbs. Answer: Haṭha yoga.
Traps
Equating yoga only with āsana; attributing the eight limbs to the Gita; mixing the two meanings of yuj; ignoring contraindications in guideline questions.