Yoga has been listed as one of the Philosophy and religion good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can delist it, or ask for a reassessment.
Article milestones Date Process Result April 3, 2006 WikiProject peer review Reviewed April 17, 2007 Good article nominee Listed August 15, 2008 Good article reassessment Kept July 21, 2009 Good article reassessment Kept Current Status: Good article

	This article is within the scope of the following WikiProjects:
Version 1.0 Editorial Team     (Rated GA-Class) This article has been reviewed by the Version 1.0 Editorial Team. Additional information: GA This article has been rated as GA-Class on the assessment scale. ??? This article has not yet received an importance rating on the assessment scale. This article is a vital article. WikiProject Hinduism (Rated GA-Class, High-importance) HinduismWikipedia:WikiProject HinduismTemplate:WikiProject HinduismHinduism articles Hinduism portal v • d • e This article is within the scope of WikiProject Hinduism, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Hinduism on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.  GA  This article has been rated as GA-Class on the project's quality scale.  High  This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale. WikiProject Religion (Rated GA-Class) ReligionWikipedia:WikiProject ReligionTemplate:WPReligionReligion articles Religion portal v • d • e This article is within the scope of WikiProject Religion, a project to improve Wikipedia's articles on Religion-related subjects. Please participate by editing the article, and help us assess and improve articles to good and 1.0 standards, or visit the wikiproject page for more details.  GA  This article has been rated as GA-Class on the project's quality scale.  ???  This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale. Comments: edit · history · watch · purge well, first i shall tell you that Yoga is hardly a religious practice. It has many goals, Yoga is a path, and a path can take you to many places. I shall also remember to correct one thing: the article sais the tantra sees reality as an illusion( Maya), but for the tantric Maya is "nature", the illusion concept and the goal of joining with Brahman belongs to the Vedanta philosophy. For those seeking about Yoga's goals: Improve strenght, balance, posture, health at pregnancy and latter ages, increasing of Auratic power, (something i'm amazed haven't been talked about in this article). As for how many types of Yoga are there: There are countless, all of them have something in common: Here are a few examples: Hatha yoga, Shivam Yoga, Power Yoga, Astanga, Karma Yoga, Mantra Yoga,etc... there are a ton of them About martial arts:Most chinese and japanese martial arts are based on the energetic phisiology of Yoga. ie. kung fu,ninjutsu... About the creation of Yoga Yoga was created at about 8000 dc. (yes it's that old), by a man called Shiva(Incarnation of indian God Vishnu). Later several Asanas tought first by Shiva, were brought back by a master named Matsyendra. ( One of them is called Matsyendrasana). It's said Shiva tought the ways of Yoga to a fish, and that Matsyendra is the very reincarnation of that fish( Matsyendra means Lord of the fishes) but this part is just a legend. thought the fact that this man existed is true. About Tantra PLEASE !!! ignore what you read about tantra in this article. It's describing Vedanta instead. Tantra is a much more "active" way of life, and a rather complex philosophy. it is even more ancient than Yoga so obviously there are controversies. Yet if anyone has questions please ask me in this very comment page. i'll do my best to answer them, i have good sources. WikiProject Spirituality (Rated GA-Class) SpiritualityWikipedia:WikiProject SpiritualityTemplate:Spirituality projectSpirituality articles Spirituality portal v • d • e This article is within the scope of WikiProject Spirituality, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of spirituality-related subjects on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.  GA  This article has been rated as GA-Class on the project's quality scale.  ???  This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale. Comments: edit · history · watch · purge well, first i shall tell you that Yoga is hardly a religious practice. It has many goals, Yoga is a path, and a path can take you to many places. I shall also remember to correct one thing: the article sais the tantra sees reality as an illusion( Maya), but for the tantric Maya is "nature", the illusion concept and the goal of joining with Brahman belongs to the Vedanta philosophy. For those seeking about Yoga's goals: Improve strenght, balance, posture, health at pregnancy and latter ages, increasing of Auratic power, (something i'm amazed haven't been talked about in this article). As for how many types of Yoga are there: There are countless, all of them have something in common: Here are a few examples: Hatha yoga, Shivam Yoga, Power Yoga, Astanga, Karma Yoga, Mantra Yoga,etc... there are a ton of them About martial arts:Most chinese and japanese martial arts are based on the energetic phisiology of Yoga. ie. kung fu,ninjutsu... About the creation of Yoga Yoga was created at about 8000 dc. (yes it's that old), by a man called Shiva(Incarnation of indian God Vishnu). Later several Asanas tought first by Shiva, were brought back by a master named Matsyendra. ( One of them is called Matsyendrasana). It's said Shiva tought the ways of Yoga to a fish, and that Matsyendra is the very reincarnation of that fish( Matsyendra means Lord of the fishes) but this part is just a legend. thought the fact that this man existed is true. About Tantra PLEASE !!! ignore what you read about tantra in this article. It's describing Vedanta instead. Tantra is a much more "active" way of life, and a rather complex philosophy. it is even more ancient than Yoga so obviously there are controversies. Yet if anyone has questions please ask me in this very comment page. i'll do my best to answer them, i have good sources. WikiProject Alternative medicine (Rated GA-Class) Alternative medicineWikipedia:WikiProject Alternative medicineTemplate:WikiProject Alternative medicineAlternative medicine articles Alternative Medicine portal v • d • e This article is within the scope of WikiProject Alternative medicine, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Alternative medicine related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.  GA  This article has been rated as GA-Class on the quality scale. WikiProject Philosophy (Rated GA-Class, Mid-importance) PhilosophyWikipedia:WikiProject PhilosophyTemplate:PhilosophyPhilosophy articles Philosophy portal v • d • e This article is within the scope of the WikiProject Philosophy, which collaborates on articles related to philosophy. To participate, you can edit this article or visit the project page for more details.  GA  This article has been rated as GA-Class on the project's quality scale.  Mid  This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale. Further information and related task forces:   Eastern philosophy
This article has an assessment summary page.

Archives
1, 2, 3, 4

Contents 1 New Edits 2 Goal of Yoga 3 LIMITS OF YOGA 4 "Pashupati seal" ----> Indus Valley seals 5 Requested move 6 Yoga and Sex 7 Yōga as a Japanese art style 7.1 Yoga is the Union between the Human and the Divine 8 "Possibly Originating in India" 9 Yoga Origins 10 Classification of Yogas 11 Yogas and religions 12 Yoga Types 13 Abuse of references 14 Sufi [citation needed] 15 Neutrality 16 No images of people in poses? 17 Exercise 18 PraiseMoves 19 Encarta 20 Jainism and yoga 21 Yoga as the goal of yoga practice 22 McEvilley 23 Proposed rewrite of archeological evidence 24 Jainism primary source reference 25 Fundamental Christianity

[edit] New Edits

Can someone please look at my material and if you find it not worth inputting, message me - ThermalHeat01

The Vedic Samhitas contain references to ascetics, and ascetic practices known as (tapas) are referenced in the Brāhmaṇas (900 BCE and 500 BCE), early commentaries on the Vedas.^[1] The Rig Veda, earliest of the Hindu scripture mentions the practice.^[2] Robert Schneider and Jeremy Fields write, "Yoga asanas were first prescribed by the ancient Vedic texts thousands of years ago and are said to directly enliven the body's inner intelligence."^[3] Certainly breath control and curbing the mind was practiced since the Vedic times.^[4] It is believed that yoga was fundamental to Vedic ritual, especially to chanting the sacred hymns^[5]

An early reference to meditation is made in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the earliest Upanishad (approx. 900 BCE).^[6] Yoga is discussed quite frequently in the Upanishads, many of which predate Patanjali's Sutras.^[7] The actual term "yoga" first occurs in the Katha Upanishad.^[8] The Shvetasvatara Upanishad mentions it as well.^[9] A Rig Vedic cosmogonic myth declares an ascetic with "folded legs, soles turned upwards" as per his name.^[10] However, according to writer Richard Gombrich, the Buddhist texts are perhaps the earliest texts describing meditation techniques.^[11] James Hastings writes, But "Buddhist 'meditation' is simply Hindu yoga more or less transformed.".^[12]

Important textual sources for the evolving concept of Yoga are the middle Upanishads, (ca. 400 BCE), the Mahabharata (5th c. BCE) including the Bhagavad Gita (ca. 200 BCE), and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (300 BCE-200 BCE). Several seals discovered at Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300–1700 BC) sites depict figures in a yoga- or meditation-like posture, "a form of ritual discipline, suggesting a precursor of yoga" that point to Harappan devotion to "ritual discipline and concentration", according to Archaeologist Gregory Possehl.^[13] According to prof. Egbert Richter Ushanas, concerning the IVC seals he has said, "All the seals are based on Vedas -- Rig Veda and Atharva Veda."^[14][15]

In the translation of "Yogas citta vrtti nirodhah" I replaced "Yoga is the inhibition of the modifications of the mind" with "Yoga requires the inhibition of the modifications of the mind". Yoga needs a quit mind to evolve against the noise of our daily live. But as soon as you reach your yogic state of mind your mind shall let you go through your live. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.77.223.130 (talk) 16:23, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Goal of Yoga

The goal of Yoga is to become God, to know your true identity. It is to forget your individual consciousness and know the truth - that you and everything else are and have always been God. Crist didn't want us to follow him and become a christian, he wanted us to become God, like He became. He said everyone could and should do it - reach the house of the Lord, heaven, which is within. Buddha didn't want us to become buddhist, he wanted us to become Buddha, to reach Nirvana, which is within. Krishna didn't want us to become hinduists, He wanted us to know ourselves to be Krishna, that we all are God, and that He is within. So, a shift of consciousness, that leads to self-discovery and true identification with the universal Love-Light of God present in all. That is the goal of Yoga - rediscover your never-lost unity with God.

It is great to see such a section in a religious practice artical. Could anyone expand on it?

I added the following text to this topic: "To put in simpler terms, the goal of Yoga is to unite the individual mind with the universal consciousness, or in another terms, the the goal is for the individual to become one with the divine principle. This can be derived from the meaning of the word Yoga, which means "Union", and it seems the English word "Yoke" is supposed to have been derived from the original Sanskrit word "Yoga".

Embhee 20:36, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Hello Embhee, I have removed this text, as not all of the major schools of Yoga hold this as the aim. However, in one sense, a union (or reunion) of some form is given as the goal in the majority of cases and thus I added a small line or two to this effect at the start of the section. The detail regarding "yoke" is given in the etymology section. Best wishes, Gouranga(UK) 08:46, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] LIMITS OF YOGA

As same as other epics of our/all releigions, there are a lots of adverse and advance talking in the "Yogshastra". And like all other releigious books there are several hypothecatic topicks init. here are some examples- First of all lets talk about the first and begning of "Yogshutra ". for your kind information let me tell that the Yogshastra has been written on "shutra" form. Shutra is a little and meaningful pharse in Sanskrit language. All the words of the shutra hsa bears a number of meanings, and there is controvercy arises. Through these controvercies it is very difficult to find any deceision. And only because of this weakness there were a lots of hypothecations and myths (an unreal story) arises. These myths develops a new superstition and superstition also produce another myths and vice-versa. Lets talk bout the forst and origin shutra of Yoga. YOGASCHITTAAVRITI NIRODHA. Yogshutra,samadhipaad, shutra-2. Chitta and vrities are the two aspects of humankind. But Yoga calls us to kill the vrities and live only with Chitt. but for your kind information, I have to say that these two (Chitta and Vritties) are not two elements. They are same or two aspects of same thing(humankind).Chitta and vrities are as same as day and night, darkness and light. In the present nature all the existings have their negatives. For example days have night, beautiful lotus have mud. If we remove the dirtynees of mud we will also loss the beauty of lotus. And it is a universal law. All the present things have their negatives. But this is nit woth chitta and vrities. Chitta and vritties are not two things Chitta forms by vritties, it means that no one can prevent it(chita or vritties)as says in Yogshutra. It is very basic and primary weakness of Yoga and through this hole all the establishments aout Yoga feels fiction. While there are several other fictions in Yogshastra- now lets see some of the - look at this shutra - SATYAPRATHISTHAYAM KRIYAPHALASRYATWM. Sadhanpaad , shutra-36, Means ones who live with truth can receive the rewards of any work of any on for himself or anyself. Now you have to deceide that how the result of any work of anyone can be received by another. How it is posible that eat one and satisfy another, not only here but this other can also send this satisfaction to anyone? What is this hypothecation?Imagination?for a false statement? If not so how it is possible? Can anyone describe it? Live with truth is a good mannaer but truth can give this kind of power. I can't beleive it. And through this epic there are several other myths have been published. We have to oppose these kind of statements. While lets look on the another shutra ASTEYPRATISTHAYAM SARVARATNOPSTHANAM Sadhaanpaad , Shutra -37. There is another type of hypothecation and a kind of grid has been offered by Yoga. In this shutra it is stated that ones who lives with ASTEY can get any kind of wealth. Here we have to know about ASTEY, it means nothing receive by anyone. And in Yogshutra it is stated that the 'asteyi' can get everything. Means one who is not ready to receive can get. If this is not a hyothecation then what is this? I am not understand that what yoga says. One who is not ready to receive can get every thing. And if it happened then what kind of cansumption he can made? And there is another major question - Is there a man of this kind? Ones who called Yogi are of this nature. This is an antiprogressive statement and according to thses kind of statements there will be says thatthe Yoga is against the progess of science. Lets talk to another shutra - here Patanjali(author of Yogshastra) says that we can knew our past births through APARIGRAH. APARIGRAHSTHARYE JANAMKATHA SAMBODAH. Sadhaanpaad , Shutra -39. 'Purva Janam' is a fiction and the yoga says about to realise it. All the frauds and business of releigions is based on myths of past borth and heaven.And it can be strongly stated that there is not nay past birth and heaven. Then anyone can knew it, how? Totally fraud! Lets talk to some other Shutra where Patanjali says about the power of yogi and offering a lots of grid to man. BHUWARGYANAM SURYE SAMYT. Bibhutipaad , shutra 27. Means meditate with sun can give knowledge about the world. Here the T.V. and oher communication resources are not necessory , only meditate with sun and knew all about the world! CHANDRATARA VYUH GYANAM. Bibhutipaad , shutra 28. Meditate with moon can give knowledge about the stars, without the help of planetorium , only meditate with moon and knew all bout the stars. DHRUVE TADGATIGYANAM. Bibhutipaad , shutra 29. Meditate with 'Dhruvtara'and knew the motion path of stars. here space telescope is useless? what is this? Lets talk about the another type of hypothecation in Yoga NABHICHAKRA KAYAVYUH GYANAM. Bibhutipaad , shutra 30. Consentration on 'Nabhi'( a place on stomach) can give knowledge about the body. There is no need to study medical science. All the information about human body can be received through consentration on 'Nabhichakar' KANTHKUPE KSUTPIPAS NIVRITI. Bibhutipaad , shutra 31. Means consentration on Kanth(a place on neck) can give the power to live without meal. Is it possible? Any a man also whom called them Yogi can live without mea? Is Patanjali himself were lived without meal? He were eat or no? But it is also as true as Patanjali himself that the took fooding. Then how he told this type of hypothecation.. Not only here but is can also be sys that nobody could follows up Aparigrah as stated in Yogashutra and Astey is also far away from the limits of practice.No such a Yogi who can follow up these situations, and not any kind of persons who fulfill this. lets talk on anther shutra - KURMNARAYAM STAIRYAM. Bibhutipaad , shutra 32. Consentration on Kurma Nari can give the stability of body. MURDDHJYOTI SIDHDARSHANAM. Bibhutipaad , shutra 33 Consentration of light on the top of head ( is there any man who have seen it)can met the Sidhdhays(Yogis).It can be said that there is not any kind of this type of light and not any result of this kind of consentration. this is a false and imaginative statement and we shouldn't have to beleive it. lets look on otherone HRIDAYE CHITSAMVITA Bibhutipaad , shutra 35. Means consentration on heart can gives the knowledge about the mind & thoughts or can give the knowlege of Psycolodgy. But I knew the psycosiololists and they knew it through his labour and practice, not through these kind of consentrations. Lets see on another shutra BANDH KARNSHAITHILYT PARCHR SAMDNACHA CHITASYA PARSHARIRE AVESHA. Bibhutipaad , shutra 39. Here Patanjali told to reach in the mind and boudy of others, which is called 'Parkaya pravesh'. It is totally false and imaginative to reach and capture the mind and body of anotherone. In anther place Patanjai says about to fly in the air and this is receive through the consentration on the light weighted things. KAYA KASHAYO SAMBNDH SANYAMATTLAGUTUL SAMPATTESCH AAKASHGAMANAM. Bibhutipaad , shutra 43. NOW YOU MAY ALSO DECIDE THAT YOGA IS WHICH KIND OF SCIENCE. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.99.17.1 (talk) 09:40, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

by ashwaneebaba. email- tiwaryashwanee@gmail.com

[edit] "Pashupati seal" ----> Indus Valley seals

After adding new material, and the most recent discovery of a "yogi" Indus Valley seal, the "Pashupati seal" in the History section appeared to be much too long. Rather than deleting WP:RS material, I condensed the section - mostly by deprecating the dispute over whether the 'Pashupati' seal represents a proto-Shiva or Rudra figure. More modern authorities are questioning that interpretation anyway. It's also something of a moot point, since this article is more about Yoga, and only tangentially about Shiva and Rudra, and the name 'Pashupati'. This sub-section of the history of yoga should focus on the many yoga-like seals, of which the 'Pashupati' seal is just one. For that reason I also changed the title of this sub-section to 'Indus Valley seals'. Feedback appreciated. ॐ Priyanath talk 15:47, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

It makes more sense (to me) to do it that way. Thanks. Shruti14 ( talk • contribs ) 19:34, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Requested move

(talk moved from Talk:Shirshasana#Requested move
Propose that the article be moved to the seemingly more common name Sirsasana, and that various Sanskrit interpret spellings Shirsasana, Sirshasana, Shirshasana, Shirshasan.. be used as redirects. Anyone have strong feelings and good reason why not?

This is in actuality a Proposed move, not yet a Requested move, and will not be added to WP:RM until a consensus is clear. Murgh^disc. 11:11, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Three leading publications on asanas:

1. The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga (1959) of Swami Vishnu-devananda
2. Yoga Self-Taught (1969) of André Van Lysebeth
3. Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures (1975) of Dharma Mittra

use all different spellings, respectively:

1. Sirshasan
2. Shirshasana
3. Sirsasana

Therefore, I guess it would be a better idea to find a reliable resource on the preferred spelling in English. I don't know where to find this. Isn't there Wikipedia a kind of discussion forum, where this question can definitively be tackled? Davin7 17:23, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Spirituality —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.241.184.2 (talk) 06:26, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Yoga and Sex

believe it or not ,"sex", in certain aspects is itself a yoga. two beings trying to be united. it is also another expression of divinity. but sex is not life itself. it is another aspect of life, among many. so, sex has a cetain imptance in life and we should give thatmuch importance. people try to make one aspect of life as life itself. this doesnt work. after all sex is just the natures trick to reproduce. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.252.14.154 (talk) 08:49, 10 August 2009 (UTC) There's been quite a few articles on the internet recently about Yoga positively affecting one's sex life. Perhaps the article should include a section on this? --24.191.124.134 (talk) 03:45, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

whoops, forgot to login. --Nemilar (talk) 03:46, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

In fact, yoga can have a positive effect on any aspect of life - it depends on what you practice yoga for. But all the mainstream yoga teachers are against boosting your sex-life, saying that it is the foremost obstacle to yoga. So I think a separate section on this is really unnecessary. --Mankar Camoran^talk 11:47, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

This is so strange, as to how the human mind works. Yoga and sex are two different things. As far as I can understand, real Yoga should have nothing to do with sex, in either boosting it or suppressing it. Please keep them separate. Embhee (talk) 18:44, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

Sorry friend, it is your mind that is strange.... and full of innacurate ideas.

Ok, mine is too.

However there are specific yogic practices which are designed to: a) make sex better or b) cure sexual ailments and c) reduce sexual desire.

Do you want a harder errection? There are yogic practices for that. Do you want a wetter vagina? there are yogic practices for that. Do you want to be able to have sex longer? There are yogic practices for that. Do you want to let go for sexual desire? There are yogic practices for that. etc. etc. etc. Hohohahaha (talk) 22:58, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

I agree with you my friend. I agree that there are Hatha yoga practices that are oriented towards sexual pleasures. I only wanted to clarify that it is not the main purpose of yoga. Also, Yoga in general does not "limit" itself to the Hatha Yoga part or the physical part of life. Embhee (talk) 17:40, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

The Yoga,like water and breeze ,belongs to human to overcome their obstacle of their life in both mental and physcial disorder.

In every human.the pleasure may vary, some people by smoke or drink and sex so on. but human can not be happy unless untill if he/she did't feel content inside Even if the human reached his wishes but his wishes keep going in the external world let him/her have 10benz,nice palace to live with servents and with good life style,still they can not be happy bcoz they are not feeling content inside by keep searching for unknowing things.Where the Yoga/Meditation helps you. bcoz the unlimited and infinte happyness possible only when your mind cross time & space The entire world and related things are would get over in the corridor of time and hence you'll end-up in frustration by keep seeking outside. that'swhy the ancient indians find the techniq to cross the time &space by practicing the yoga or meditation,which in turn push your mind to get trancedental to cosmic,the nature evolutionnary force-aligning wth you.

In the initail days it would be little bit difficult to practice and result can not recoganised immd as it grows in you mind or body how your hair/nail growth.which can not be caculated.

If you keep going and practice. all your mental strees or depression will go away ,which reflects in your body as the mind works in your body.

through which your material life would become your servent(possibel only if you pratice) but the brilleitn people won't stop there.they keep go on and on. which leads then eternal pleasere where you loose your body oriented pleaseure,means what are the happiness or pleasure enjoyed by you through body by eat,smoke,drink would be fadded away.

at the same time do not think or afraid that you can not have sex or drink. its like this how a billinor won't bother about a .000......000001$.

By doing the pratice of —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.199.199.155 (talk) 07:02, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Yōga as a Japanese art style

I wonder if Yōga, the Japanese art style should be mentioned on the disambiguation page, becuase if you enter Yoga in the search field it automatically navigates to this page, so it's practically impossible to get to the Japanese Yōga article unless you are aware of the exact spelling (i. e. with "ō"), which, I'm afraid, not many users are —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.66.124.179 (talk) 17:06, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

I think it should be added along with Yōga, Tokyo and Yōga Station. --Mankar Camoran^talk 12:07, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Yoga is the Union between the Human and the Divine

Yoga as presented by Dattatreya Siva Baba is the union of the human and the divine. See this informative video which explains how to make that connection in an easy manner using an ancient mantra. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uyvIrD-gD0 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Itisitsits (talk • contribs) 19:29, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

Stop shilling. --59.93.201.20 (talk) 15:06, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Possibly Originating in India"

This is a ridiculous statement. Yoga DID originate in India. Yoga qua Yoga is an Indian practice. The name "yoga" is Sanskrit and was first recorded in India. All the original major scriptures on Yoga originate in India. There is no controversy here. The existence of similar techniques elsewhere doesn't change this. --59.93.201.20 (talk) 14:58, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

I realize this may have been an unintended wording error, where "possibly" refers to the dating of its origin as 3300 BCE... so I have made a Good Faith Edit. Please see article. Again, this shouldn't be controversial. --59.93.201.20 (talk) 15:01, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

• Exactly. Well done.--VS ^talk 04:50, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

See next section explaining origins, master u 69.121.221.97 (talk) 04:00, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Yoga Origins

See section just above - while most understand the practice apparently beginning in India and logged there as Indian, the actual orgins are Egyptian and esp on Crete 2,500 BC, where we esp see grave goods with small statues in yoga postures.

Those statues are further derived from even further back practices rites as e.g. the Namer pallette detailing such info, which many date to 4,500 BC (others date later). And that info on the Namer pallette is a fully developed understanding of all of the later yoga practices encapsulated into that small area. ...

What we esp see and can understand in yoga practices is a parsing into multiple areas what was once far more simple and unified; and the enlightenment that results can be understood to produce a manic yakiing that so splinters the formerly unified whole into the many different streams that is yoga today.

lil AO jr 69.121.221.97 (talk) 04:00, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

Do you have references? If not, this is all just speculative nonsense. Asherek (talk) 04:18, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Classification of Yogas

We could classify different paths and schools of Yoga according to the types of the techniques they use. Yogacharya (talk) 09:31, 1 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Yogas and religions

I suggest that we leave only the links to the other, religious, practices, such as Buddism, etc. Otherwise, if we list the elements of yoga in every religion, the article can become cumbersome.

After all, yoga is NOT a religion, and is NOT "philosophy". So, all the related stuff should be in the "Related" section, what do you think? Yogacharya (talk) 09:31, 1 July 2008 (UTC)

Agreed, yoga needs to be presented in its genuine Vedic form. The various aspects of Yoga together form Hinduism. But it certainly is a philosophy, a Hindu religious philosophy. There may be some indigenous Hindu religions such as Buddhism that have also adopted parts and possibly evolved the practices. —Preceding unsigned comment added by LordKrishnaMyHero (talk • contribs) 14:26, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Yoga Types

HATHA YOGA: Hatha Yoga makes the spine more flexible. This in turn enhances blood flow so that more oxygen and nutrients are available to the spine. Hatha Yoga is helpful in slows down the aging process, safest and healthiest mode to lose weight, awakens and enhances vision, improves simplicity of feelings, focus and build up powers of attention.

KUNDALINI YOGA: Kundalini yoga gives unique consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system, which is a vital part for yogic beginning. This yoga is practiced strictly under the guidance of an experienced yoga teacher

MANTRA YOGA: Mantra yoga meditation involves chanting a word or phrase awaiting the mind and emotions are transcended and the super awake is obviously exposed and practiced. The essential technique is japa, or mental repetition of the mantra to invoke that energy in our selves.

JNANA YOGA: Jnana-Yoga is the path of Self-realization through the exercise of gnostic understanding or, to be more precise the wisdom associated with discering the Real from the unreal or illusory.

KARMA YOGA: It is the path of selfless service. It is the source of true peace and happiness It means result of an action. There is a unknown power in Karma or action termed 'Adrishta' which brings in fruits of Karmas for the human being. This yoga is the key for making the worldly path a divine path, by helping genuine good people.

BHAKTI YOGA: Bhakti Yoga is the system in which love and devotion to God are emphasized. It is a path of complete surrender You perceives everything as God and God in everything..

RAJA YOGA: It is a practical and systematic path, Raja Yoga known as the eightfold path because it is made up of eight angas, or limbs, they are Yamas, Niyamas, Asanas, Pranayama Control of Prana (life force, vital energy)., Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi. Source : Yoga Training on different Yoga types and Yoga Types —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.162.242.177 (talk) 10:08, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Abuse of references

There is an obvious abuse of references, which are obviously used to promote the sale of certain books that are of no authority at all. If some people who have no idea of yoga is and have never practised it dare to print some books or thesis, it does not mean that they should be given the right to promote their publications through misuse of Wikipedia.

I suggest that we use two categories of refrences:

1. Authoritative ancient texts on Yoga

2. Texts published by the founders of the major contemporary Yoga styles/schools.

Yogacharya (talk) 00:56, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Sufi ^{[citation needed]}

I'm not a sufi, but I know several from different branches of Sufism. Some branches of Sufism may be open-minded. I'm inclined to say that some are more open-minded than others -- I'm not sure I'd call any version open-minded without qualification. Also, I have never once seen any particular inclination of any Sufi group to consider Pantanjali; many are highly critical of yoga, particularly hatha yoga as practiced by Westerners (like me). I suppose that a non-Sufi might see comparisons, for example, between Dhikr and Japa, but this is a lot like my college oriental art professor who compared Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Comparable, maybe, but the comparisons are not apt.

I'm very glad somebody is asking for a citation, and I hope that if one is found that it is a Sufi document being cited, and not some Hindutva treatise such as PN Oak's assertion that Kaabah is a Hindu shrine. Absent some corroborative Sufi or 3rd party source, I think the section needs to be axed. --Nemonoman (talk) 18:04, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Neutrality

Where is the criticism section? Only positive views???Andycjp (talk) 14:17, 7 August 2008 (UTC) :Please explain further. The article has a neutral tone throughout, and is mostly about the history and evolution of yoga. What specifically is not being addressed? Please note that articles are not required to have a criticism section - in fact such a practice is deprecated in favor of addressing criticism in the article body, in context. What in the article specifially is not being addressed? What are the 'positive views' in the article that need to be balanced with 'criticism'?~ priyanath ^talk 02:48, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Please discuss the neutrality/criticism/only positive views question below, under GA Reassessment. ~ priyanath ^talk 16:13, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

If Andycjp can't raise more concerns than his 8 word critique, and that right soon, I will remove the neutrality tag from the article. --nemonoman (talk) 21:36, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

[edit] No images of people in poses?

Is this political or something? Downward dog from the side maybe? Emesee (talk) 19:38, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

No, it's encyclopedic. The Hatha yoga article is that way - all kinds of pretty pictures of people doing poses there. ~ priyanath ^talk 20:14, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Exercise

As far as I can tell, there is no mention of yoga being used purely for exercise in the West. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Findright (talk • contribs) 22:09, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Third paragraph, in the lead section: "Outside India, the term yoga is typically associated with Hatha Yoga and its asanas (postures) or as a form of exercise." ~ priyanath ^talk 22:14, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Noted, thank you. I suggest a See Also section to increase ease of use in this article. Findright (talk) 21:00, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Usually, wikilinks that are already in the article (like the Hatha Yoga link, which is linked prominently a couple of times) aren't included in a See Also section. See WP:SEEALSO in the Wikipedia style guidelines. ~ priyanath ^talk 05:25, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Clearly, I have much to learn. Findright (talk) 00:23, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

[edit] PraiseMoves

What about this new PraiseMoves thing that is just like yoga, but minus the worshipping false idols and going to Hell parts? Should it be mentioned in the article? JIP | Talk 22:08, 7 December 2008 (UTC)

Why? So we can help to push some Christian agenda lol?

Btw, there is no requirement to worship or believe anything in Hinduism. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.238.142.68 (talk) 15:14, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Encarta

Is this a reliable source? Is Microsoft an academic publisher? Encarta has been criticized by a former editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia Brittanica: [1]. Any thoughts on this? I'm bringing this up because I'm not sure what to make of the statement "The strong influence of Yoga can also be seen in Buddhism ... " Mitsube (talk) 10:25, 30 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes I agree Encarta is very unreliable source.--Anish (talk) 06:56, 5 January 2009 (UTC)

Feuerstein is also not an academic source. Mitsube (talk) 19:17, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Jainism and yoga

This article does not discuss anything about Jainism and yoga, considering the fact that Yoga is one of the most importnat concept in Jainism and many texts of authors like Haribhadra and Hemacandra to name a few are dedicated to yoga.--Anish (talk) 06:59, 5 January 2009 (UTC)

PS: As long as it does not have a section on Jainism it will remain POVish.--Anish (talk) 07:01, 5 January 2009 (UTC)

I have added a section on jainism with suitable references.

[edit] Yoga as the goal of yoga practice

"Yoga practice" can refer to Buddhist activities, and yoga as union is definitely not the goal of Buddhist practices. The introduction should be changed so as to not contradict this state of affairs. Mitsube (talk) 08:02, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

[edit] McEvilley

Who is he and why is he reliable? Is the publisher "Allworth Communications" an academic press? Mitsube (talk) 01:11, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

See [2] for journal links. See the journal in the footnote also. There may be other ways to show that there are a fair number of scholars who view those seals as depictions of yoga or yogis, including Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, Heinrich Zimmer, and the current Co-director of the Harappa Archaeological Research Project in Pakistan. Flood disagrees, but only regarding the so-called "Pashupati" seal. Priyanath ^talk 01:19, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

p.s. and apologies for adding back the "goal" meaning of yoga to the first sentence. I didn't notice or forgot your explanation from a couple months ago. Priyanath ^talk 01:28, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

That's alright! Mitsube (talk) 07:14, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Proposed rewrite of archeological evidence

It would be helpful to craft a consensus statement on the archeological evidence. That small section has been the most unstable in the entire article for two years. It's gone from a large paragraph, to being deleted, to growing large again, to being condensed, to having people add nonsense from pop-yoga authors and fringe writers like Egbert Richter Ushanas (which I deleted a few times). It's also gone from a discussion on the long-discredited 'Pashupati' theory, to the more appropriate look at the many seals that show yogi-like figures.

I was fine with the one sentence by Possehl by itself, just because it gave appropriate weight to arguably the most expert specialist in Harappa artifacts, but also appropriate weight to the large number of archeologists who see those seals as suggestive of yoga or meditation. To review:

• Possehl discusses at least sixteen "yogi glyptics" from Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro that depict not only the buffalo god, but a yogi pose that "may have been used by humans and deities alike".[3]
• Kenoyer agrees, and Richard Meadow probably does too (I'm looking for sources for Meadow). Kenoyer describes one as "seated in yogic position" with "the heels...pressed together under the groin."[4]
• The head archeologist (and academic) doing a dig in Cholistan desert agrees with the yogi theory.[5]
• Thomas McEvilley, coming more from the perspective of a cultural historian, artist, and religious history academic also sees the seals (plural) as showing yoga poses.
• Regarding the wrongly called "Pashupati" seal, there seems no reason to rehash that long-discredited theory here, except perhaps that Heinrich Zimmer describes that figure as "seated like a yogi".
• The only academic to even slightly question the yogi connection is Gavin Flood - except that he questions only the one seal, the "Pashupati" one. He gives no opinion on the others.
• So there is a near consensus among academics that these figures on the seals (plural) at the very least suggest yoga and ritual discipline.

My own feeling is that the archeological evidence of the History of Yoga section should be brief, maybe just two sentences. But somehow it needs to show that there is a strong weight of scholars on the side of those seals likely depicting yoga in some form. Here is one suggestion, with supportive references to be added:

"Several seals discovered at Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300–1700 B.C.E.) sites depict figures in positions resembling a common yoga or meditation pose, showing "a form of ritual discipline, suggesting a precursor of yoga", according to archaeologist Gregory Possehl. Most archeologists and academics agree with Possehl's view of these suggestive "yogi glyptics", although Gavin Flood believes that one of the seals (the so-called "Pashupati seal") does not show a figure in yoga pose.

Priyanath ^talk 16:45, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

• And another, which makes the case much more strongly than my suggested rewrite above: Karel Werner says about the Harappa Yogi Glyphs that "The seated deity and other figures, undoubtedly absorbed in meditation, indicate that mental yoga exercises were known and played a substantial part in the religious—or can we perhaps even say philosophical—outlook of the epoch." And "Archeological discoveries allow us therefore to speculate with some justification that a wide range of Yoga activities was already known to the people of pre-Aryan India."[6] I propose that the footnotes include expanded versions of each of these views, including Flood's dissent.

Priyanath ^talk 03:14, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

You have presented a good case. Let us see if dab knows of any more reliably sourced skeptical views. I am not an expert. Mitsube (talk) 05:36, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

I like your suggestion. Keep it brief and to the point. I am all for a detailed discussion of these seals, but not in this article. This is the article on Yoga, a huge topic, the history of which begins with Patanjali and spans the Middle Ages. The Indus seal stuff is just a marginal remark of possible prehistoric predecessors, worth mentioning, but not within the article scope proper. Details should be moved to Pashupati article, or better yet to an Indus seals one. --dab (𒁳) 05:55, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

Thank you both for your feedback. Even though I think it's much more than marginal, it shouldn't overwhelm the textual history in that section, which it keeps trying to do. I'll work on the new version, making it as succinct as I can. And I hope that pointing to this discussion can keep the archeological evidence and claims from taking over again. An Indus seals article is a very good suggestion. Priyanath ^talk 14:54, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

I've published an even more-shortened version to the article, which goes further than my suggestion above. Please read the footnotes to get the full picture. I think that version is much more succinct and also fair. If Flood's objection to the single seal is included, then in all fairness the names of the others should be included also. This would be a longer version that I am also ok with, but isn't as good, in my opinion:

Several seals discovered at Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300–1700 B.C.E.) sites depict figures in positions resembling a common yoga or meditation pose, showing "a form of ritual discipline, suggesting a precursor of yoga", according to archaeologist Gregory Possehl.^[16] Most Indus archeologists (Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, Farzand Mahih)^[17][18] and other academics (Heinrich Zimmer, Karel Werner, Thomas McEvilley)^[19][20][21] agree with that view, although Gavin Flood disagrees regarding one seal, the so-called "Pashupati seal".^[22]

Priyanath ^talk 17:52, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Jainism primary source reference

Anish, could you explain this addition: [7]? Have you drawn this conclusion yourself after reading the primary source? This may be acceptable because there is not as much secondary literature on Jainism. Thanks, Mitsube (talk) 22:25, 22 June 2009 (UTC) Mitsube, you are right there are very few secondary sources in English for Jainism. I will search for better secondary sources.--Anish (talk) 03:58, 23 June 2009

---

The Philosophy of Yoga-----------

Yoga literally means union, i.e union of indivisual self(atma) with ultimate reality(paramatma) however this would be valid only in vedantic sense.Yoga is a tactical philosophy thus the emphasis lies more in spiritual and physical culture than spirtual union with supreme soul(Paramatma).yoga is allied to Samkhya system of indian philosophy, it's practises could be best understood in light of it's deep Philosophical foundation. yoga relies on sankhya's dualistic explaination for explianing metaphysical entities(Prakriti, purusha) and idea of creation, distruction, bondage, and liberation etc.

Patanjalisutra discribes yoga as "chitta vritti nirodhasya yogah:" i.e cessation of modification of chitta. To understand Chitta it is necessary to understand the process of creation as per yogic metaphysics.according to it, the universe and all lifeforms originate due to union of Prakriti(the material principal of universe)and Purusha(the spiritual element).Mahat(intellect) is first evolute, followed by Ahankar(Ego) and later mind(along with other five senses)

Chitta could to understood as combination of mind, intellect and ego.it is the false principal of identity we assosiate ourselfs with. chitta acquires the form of ever thing it is assosiated with due to sensual contact. this continous modification leads to ignorance and bondage since we wrongly try true knowledge in external realities ignoring the absolute knowledge that actually resides in purusha that resides in ourself.

---

Patanjali's Astanga Yoga----------

Patanjali envisaged an eight step path towards attainment of ultimate(differential)knowledge.they are 1.Yama(Restrain) 2.Niyama(dsciplined life) 3.Asana(perfect postures to achieve bodily perfection) 4.Pranayam(Breath control) 5.Pratyahar(control over senses) 6.dharana(withdrawal of senses) 7.Dhyana(concentrated meditation) 8.Samadhi(dissolution of chitta and realisation of perfect state)

[edit] Fundamental Christianity

I reverted User:Priyanath's recent delete of an edit regarding Fundamental Christianity. The Harvest House Publisher is a reasonable publisher of fundamentalist Christian materials, and one can assume the citation is reliable for this fact until proven otherwise. I'd guess it to be MUCH more reliable than the Islamic sources cited in the previous section. I don't regard the new edit to be POV or soapboxing, but rather a reasoably NPOV summary of a widely held belief of many fundamentalist Christians -- at least it's consistent with in my personal experience -- FYI, I live on the buckle of US's Bible Belt, and my wife runs a yoga studio and faces this criticism regularly. ]

However I am removing the Greek Orthodox edits, and asking the editor to provide some sort of translation. --Nemonoman (talk) 00:23, 22 November 2009 (UTC)