The Origins of Yoga

The movie “Origins of Yoga”

Nowadays more and more people become interested in the Eastern culture, religion and traditions. The philosophy of yoga attracts many followers due to its beneficial impact on the body and mind. However, the essence of yoga is much deeper than one may think. Its origins date back centuries and yoga in the Western world is far from the real yoga practiced by Indian sages. Furthermore, despite the popular belief, yoga is not merely a set of physical exercises but a spiritual path of becoming closer to the Divine.

The movie Origins of Yoga” comprises exciting information about the lifestyle of yogis and shows how complex and meaningful meditation is. Although thousands of people from the Western world practice yoga, few of them fully understand where this tradition came from. In the modern society, yoga is often put along with different kinds of sports like shaping or stretching. Yet, yoga in its original state is far from an exercise regime or a set of breathing algorithms. Of course, physical benefits of yoga cannot be overestimated and yoga teachers constantly emphasize that yoga is good for the posture, figure and flexibility, but the real value of yoga lies not in its physical advantages but in its mental and spiritual value.

The origins of yoga are shrouded in the mist of time. The movie mentions that the first yogis appeared approximately seven thousand years ago. Many scientists claim that Indus Valley civilization encompasses the images of people depicted in the typical yoga posture. Yoga is the rocess of controlling the mind abilities, and the person who can control the mind is called a yogi. First yogis lived in Himalayan caves far from the settlement of people. Today’s yogis in India continue the ascetic way of life led by their predecessors. Renunciation from worldly desires and concentration on inner self are the main principles of yoga that resemble not mere philosophy but a way of life. Indian yogis give up everything that connects them with the world and never stay in one place for a long time. They believe that sticking to one place brings selfish desires and evils like greed, lust, envy, anger and fear. By leaving their family, relatives and usual way of life, they start their quest for the spiritual welfare that continues to the end of their lives. They believe that moving from one place to another purifies them like the river keeps clean by flowing. True yogis are always travelling and leading ascetic way of life not bound by worldly vices and desires.

The film itself is a real masterpiece of documental cinematography. It does not consist solely of bold facts or uninteresting numbers; it depicts a real life and real people. The viewer can observe the lifestyle and customs of Indian people as well as hear the interviews with real yogis with extraordinary appearance and unbelievable physical abilities. Film episodes are accompanied by the commentaries of the presenter who explains and adds useful information. These commentaries help the viewer to understand the prehistory of modern yogis and provide a sort of interaction with the audience. It is necessary to admit that the presenter Georg Feuerstein Ph. D is rather authoritative, knowledgeable and deeply interested in the customs and traditions of Indian people. He believes that yoga is a secret science that aims at knowing the inner self. The main difference between a yogi and an ordinary person is that the yogi takes full responsibility for the wholeness of the human being. The unity with nature and God provides them strength not to harm the environment and leave in peace and harmony with the world. Unlike true yogis, western people practice just the small part of ageless yoga tradition that comprises not only postures but plenty of other notions.

That is why it is hard to pass the philosophy of yoga to the western civilizations. We can learn physical part but the core of yoga is spiritual growth. The main principle is to develop ourselves more than we are now. Such development can reveal the potential we never suspected, because our nature is always present in us but is often hidden away. Another vitally important principle of yoga is to get rid of certain things that have anything to do with our nature. This step is much more difficult because people are used to acquiring things, but not shedding them. The modern world teaches us only to accumulate information and knowledge but not to let it go. The principles of the educational system and working infrastructure suggest the thought that the more you know, the more successful you will become. However, few people enjoy the real happiness and freedom being pressed by constant duties of learning. True knowledge acquired by yogis lies not in the amount of information they are able to remember but in the spiritual growth that allows them to merge with nature and God and become free and happy. That is why the most difficult thing while becoming a yogi is to learn to let go preconceptions and notions about who we are and give up the social labels that make us behave and act according to worldly norms. These are fundamentals of yoga. When yogis give up everything that makes them conventional human beings, they reach peace of soul, freedom and happiness. Therefore, the key word of yoga is renunciation. The goal of yoga is to discover the true human being, also called the ultimate reality, transcend itself. Yogis claim that the main benefit of yoga is having pure heart and leading a virtuous life.

Although the world became modern, there are still many yogis in the mountains, in the jungles, near rivers, and in the forests who are totally devoted to God. The word yoga means to unite. Yogis believe that through their spiritual quest they merge with God and get true wisdom and knowledge. According to the film, there are more than fifteen millions