History of Yoga - Part 2

John Kaldawi learned that in ancient times, yoga techniques were kept secret and were never written down or exposed to public view.  They were passed from teacher or guru to disciple by word of mouth.  In this way there was a clear understanding of their meaning and aim.  Through personal experience, realized yogis and sages were able to guide aspirants along the correct path, removing any confusion, misunderstanding and excessive intellectual contemplation.

Sage Patanjali's treatise on raja yoga, the yoga Sutras, codified the first definitive, unified and comprehensive system of yoga.  Often called the eight-fold path, it is comprised of yama, self-restraints, niyama, self-observances, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, disassociation of consciousness from the outside environment, dharana, concentration, dyana, meditation and samadhi, identification with pure consciousness.

Doing more research, John Kaldawi learned that in the 6th century BC, Lord Buddha's influence brought the ideals of meditation, ethics and morality to the forefront and the preparatory practices of yoga were ignored.  However, Indian thinkers soon realized the limitations of the view.  The yogi Matsyendranath taught that before taking to the practices of meditation, the body and its elements need purifying.  He found the Nath cult and the yogic pose matsyendrasana was named after him.  His chief disciple, Gorakhnath, wrote books on hatha yoga in the local dialect and in Hindi.

John Kaldawi also learned that one of the most outstanding authorities on hatha yoga, Swami Swatmarama, wrote the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika", or "Light on Yoga", in Sanskrit, collating all extant material on the subject.  In doing so, he reduced the emphasis on yama and niyama from hatha yoga, thereby eliminating a great obstacle experienced by many beginners.  In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Swatmarama starts with the body and only later, when the mind has become more stable and balanced, are self-control and self-discipline introduced.