The True Origins of Yoga

Study Online

~~~~~~~
Practise & Learn in Community

~~~~~~~
Read Christopher’s Books

~~~~~~~
Stay Connected

~~~~~~~
Explore the Blog

#yoga #nonduality #awakening #natureofreality #sanskrit #consciousness #awareness #meditation #guidedmeditation #tantra #tantrasadhana #classicaltantra #liberation

[McIntoshYoga]

I'm 83 years old and have been doing yoga for many years and if there is one thing I've learned about myself is that I'm never too old to learn new things. So, thank you for this presentation.

[biltuhalder]

YOG is a gift to humanity from INDIA 🇮🇳 and it's SADHUS.
HARI OM 🙏

[OfficialGOD]

it's been 5 years, this series needs to be on YouTube I think

[gauravshukla]

It was so intriguing..But the roots of yoga have been dated in the vedic period(maybe not so much in vedas but in later vedic period)..Epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata do describe multiple rishis meditating in yogic postures..And in today's India there is no distinction between buddhists, hindus and jains...They are considered to be sects of a 5000 years old cultural civilization..Religion is a very foreign term to the Indians..We see ourselves as cultural entity and not a religious one..

[AmberCampion]

This was a beautiful teaching - I will be sharing. And I love how you end it. I agree about the 'stunningness' of the breath. It is where I go when I feel lost, overwhelmed, alone, etc. and again and again, it acts as a tender hand holding me up. How miraculous we have this power within us.

[DharmaDeviShaktiDanceUSA]

You explain thing so well!! I studied at the University of Rome Sanskrit and Hindi as well as Hindu philosophy and literature. Even some of my teachers couldn't put together the info so well! I wish you were a professor at The University of Rome La Sapienza :-)

[thevineshop]

Origin of yoga and meditation in India

[BlindfoldedSight]

i would say yoga is a religion as its goal is the same as all major religions. eternal life, immortality. Moksha, what jesus demonstrated. The rainbow body of tibet etc etc.

[CodoHere_Now]

Fantastic. The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra led me here to seek a better way of approaching the books information. Well I led myself here for that understanding… anywho, Very over my head for now. Headed to your commentary on that next. 🎉🙌

[gribele]

Excellent and illuminating lecture, concise, elegant and eloquent as always. Understanding the origins of yoga is key to enrich one's practice by going beyond asanas and adding regular meditation and breathing exercices, not just on the mat but throughout the day. The focus on breathing and a meditative state is what makes yoga quite unique in its spiritual dimension (leaving religion aside for now).
I am making this remark in particular for non-practitioners who may think yoga is mostly about flexibility.
Thank you Hareesh for making this available to all.

[BlindfoldedSight]

freedom from suffering is freedom from death. once you achieve enlightenment or moksha, pain is one thing you leave behind. You become immortal and in complete competent control and awareness of the effects to your causes.

[yes-yogaearthstories]

Amazing to see Westeners like you taking so much interest in my culture as to actually make a living out of it while most Indians follow the Pet Shop Boys "go west life is peaceful there....". Great to see you spread the true yoga message. Just one note: "Hinduisum" was a word coined in 1830s by the Indian freedom fighters. We always called it the "Sanatana Dharma". Probably the idea/name came because we lived on the banks of the Indus river (therefore Indus Valley civilisation) which was actually the river "Sindhu".

[akshaysharma]

Yoga is first mentioned in the Rigveda and also referenced in many Upanishads.The first known formal appearance of the word "yoga", with the same meaning as the modern term, is in the Katha Upanishad, probably composed between the fifth and third century BCE.Yoga continued to develop as a systematic study and practice during the 5th and 6th centuries BCE, in ancient India's ascetic, Śramaṇa movements (Buddhists, Jainas and Ajivikas) and during the Mahabharata period.The most comprehensive text on Yoga, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali date to the early centuries CE, while Yoga philosophy came to be marked as one of the six orthodox philosophical schools of Hinduism in the second half of the first millennium.Hatha yoga texts began to emerge between the 9th and 11th century with origins in tantra.

[ljohnson]

This may be the best talk on yoga and “mindfulness” I’ve heard

[cliffpakiry]

Consciousness is all the same in any living. Thank you Sir

[janetownley]

Throughout the explanation for “how long has yoga existed”, no mention of whether you’re using the word “yoga” to mean yogasana, as is so common. I kept listening for some mention of what you mean when you say “yoga”!

[Boocake]

What's wrong with nationalism exactly? I understand it's an artificial cognitive barrier, however in the practical realm if there was more "Hindu" nationalism then perhaps the Kashmir valley, Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan would continue to be Hindu instead of falling to Islam. I'm sure you're far more aware than I am of the countless, priceless texts lost, such as when the university of Nalanda was destroyed.

[justinfinch]

this is great, honestly could listen to Chris' expertise for hours

[garykim]

All my life, I would always say I hate history. It's dull, there's not much practical utility for me today, etc. The way you explained the origins of yoga was exciting, interesting, and I definitely thought it's valuable information. I am very grateful that you shared such valuable information that took you much effort and time to gather.

[Skeed]

To access the state of being in awareness or to move from beta to medium alpha as you say.... is easy with a little practice. Our culture is unfortunately designed to keep us in beta. To much beta or these days "normal" State seems also to be the place of dis ease and until there is a collective acceptance of this and we move to change there will always be a fight to be at peace. 🕉 I love your work, thank you 🙏 There is a difficult thing between evidence and belief or interpretation of evidence based off beliefs just look at the Sphynix for example.