What is Preclassical Yoga?
- Preclassical yoga refers to the early development of yogic practices and philosophy that emerged prior to the compilation of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. This period of yoga history is believed to have lasted from around 3000 BCE to 200 CE, and it includes a variety of different practices and traditions. Some of the most notable preclassical yoga practices include:
- Vedic Yoga: The earliest known references to yoga can be found in the Vedas, a collection of ancient Hindu scriptures that date back to around 3000 BCE. Vedic yoga focused primarily on ritualistic practices and was closely linked to the worship of the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon.
- Upanishadic Yoga: The Upanishads are a series of texts that were composed between 800 BCE and 400 BCE. They describe a variety of yogic practices, including meditation, self-inquiry, and devotion, as means of achieving liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
- Bhakti Yoga: Bhakti yoga is a devotional practice that involves the worship of a chosen deity through prayer, chanting, and other forms of devotion. It emerged as a distinct form of yoga in the Bhagavad Gita, a text that was written between 400 BCE and 200 CE.
- Jnana Yoga: Jnana yoga is a path of self-inquiry and intellectual inquiry that aims to achieve liberation through the cultivation of knowledge and wisdom. It was first described in the Upanishads and was later developed further by the philosopher Shankara in the 8th century CE.
- Overall, preclassical yoga represents the earliest stages of yoga history and encompasses a wide range of practices and traditions. These practices laid the groundwork for the development of classical yoga as outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.