Becoming Custodians: A Call to Reverence in Modern Yoga
Yogic Practices of Nath Yogis - Likely from Rajasthan c. 1800–1850
Remembering the Path: Yoga as Practice, Not Performance
In our time, yoga is often mistaken for something far narrower than it truly is. To many, it has become a spectacle—filtered, branded, packaged. Yet yoga is not a performance but a practice; not a trend but a tradition. For too long, the modern world has taken freely from its depths without bowing to its roots. Now, perhaps more than ever, it is time for practitioners not merely to participate in yoga, but to become its custodians.
Today, yoga is frequently encountered in climate-controlled studios under ambient lighting, where nylon-clad bodies move in synchronised grace to curated playlists. The postures are impeccable, the sequences fluid. But beneath the polished surfaces lies a quiet forgetting. The ancient tradition—born in forests, caves, and hermitages—often fades from view. What was once a rigorous path of self-purification and spiritual transformation is too often reduced to a wellness commodity, stripped of its ethical and philosophical core.
"Yogaḥ citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ"
— Yoga Sūtra 1.2
“Yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind.”
To honour yoga is to remember its wholeness. It is not merely a route to flexibility or stress reduction, but a path toward liberation (mokṣa), requiring lives rooted in ahimsa (non-violence), self-discipline, and contemplative investigation. True homage lies not in imitating ancient forms, but in embodying their spirit—by studying texts, respecting lineages, and recognising the sacredness of what we’ve been given.
Foundations in Vedic and Sūtra Tradition
The philosophical bedrock of yoga emerged in the Vedas (c. 1500–500 BCE) and Upaniṣads (c. 800–200 BCE), where early seers spoke of tapas (austerity), brahmacharya (restraint), and meditative absorption. Though these were not systematic yoga manuals, they provided a vision of disciplined inner life that would form the metaphysical foundations of later systems.
The classical system of yoga was codified by Patañjali (c. 2nd century BCE to 4th century CE) in the Yoga Sūtras, which outlines an eight-limbed path (aṣṭāṅga yoga):
"Yama-niyamāsana-prāṇāyāma-pratyāhāra-dhāraṇā-dhyāna-samādhayo’ṣṭau aṅgāni"
— Yoga Sūtra 2.29
“The eight limbs of yoga are: restraints, observances, posture, breath control, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation, and absorption.”
In this system, āsana was not a sequence of movements but a seated posture, primarily for the purpose of meditation:
"Sthira sukham āsanam"
— Yoga Sūtra 2.46
“Posture should be steady and comfortable.”
The Medieval Shift: Body as a Means to Liberation
A major transformation occurred in the early medieval period with texts such as the Amṛtasiddhi (11th c.), which introduced practices now central to Haṭha Yoga: mahāmudrā, mahābandha, and mahāvedha. These methods were concerned with the control of bindu (vital essence) and prāṇa, emphasising inner alchemy rather than outward renunciation.
These teachings influenced later Nāth yogins such as Matsyendranātha and Gorakṣanātha, whose practices are reflected in texts like the Gorakṣaśataka and Śiva Saṃhitā. By the 15th century, Svātmārāma's Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā offered a synthesised, accessible model for practice:
"Yatna-siddhāsana-siddhau sarva-siddhāni sidhyanti"
— Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā 1.67
“Through mastery of Siddhāsana, all attainments become possible.”
The Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā, Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā (17th c.), and Śiva Saṃhitā integrated āsana, prāṇāyāma, mudrā, and bandha into a holistic discipline. These were mostly static postures designed to affect the subtle body, not the flowing sequences found in many modern classes.
The Rise of Modern Postural Yoga
The 20th century saw yoga take on new global forms. Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888–1989) played a pivotal role in developing dynamic postural systems based on traditional Haṭha techniques, Indian physical culture, sūrya namaskāra sequences, and Western calisthenics. From his teachings emerged three major schools: Iyengar Yoga (via B.K.S. Iyengar), Ashtanga Vinyāsa Yoga (via K. Pattabhi Jois), and Viniyoga (via T.K.V. Desikachar).
Pattabhi Jois claimed his method derived from the Yoga Korunta, a manuscript attributed to the sage Vāmana Ṛṣi. However, scholars have found no evidence of this text's existence:
“There is no record of the Yoga Korunta in any catalog of Sanskrit manuscripts, nor any trace of it outside the oral accounts of Jois and Krishnamacharya.”
— Mark Singleton, Yoga Body
Despite these modern innovations, the intent remained the same: transformation of the practitioner through disciplined engagement of the body and breath.
"Āsanaṃ prāṇasya śuddhaye, prāṇāyāmaś cittaśuddhaye, dhyānaṃ tattvāvabodhanāya"
— Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā 2.1
“Posture purifies the body, breath control purifies the mind, meditation leads to knowledge of reality.”
"Yunjann evaṃ sadātmānaṃ yogī niyatamānasaḥ"
— Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 2.15
“The yogi, uniting himself constantly thus, with mind controlled…”
Yoga as Stewardship
Yoga is not only about movement; it is about meaning. The practice is a thread woven through millennia, shaped by sages and seekers across India’s spiritual landscape. We are not merely inheritors of this tradition—we are its stewards.
"Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā. Upadekṣyanti te jñānaṃ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ"
— Bhagavad Gītā 4.34
“Learn from the wise through humility, inquiry, and service. The seers of truth will guide you in knowledge.”
Let us treat yoga not as a product to consume, but as a treasure to preserve—living, breathing, and deeply rooted in the soil from which it came.
Citations
Alter, Joseph S. Yoga in Modern India: The Body Between Science and Philosophy. Princeton University Press, 2004.
Bryant, Edwin F. The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary. North Point Press, 2009.
De Michelis, Elizabeth. A History of Modern Yoga: Patanjali and Western Esotericism. Continuum, 2004.
Mallinson, James, and Mark Singleton. Roots of Yoga. Penguin Classics, 2017.
Saraswati, Swami Satyananda. Gheranda Samhita. Yoga Publications Trust, 2002.
Singleton, Mark. Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice. Oxford University Press, 2010.
Svatmarama. Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā. Trans. Brian Dana Akers. YogaVidya.com, 2002.
Winternitz, Moriz. A History of Indian Literature, Vol. 1–3. Motilal Banarsidass, 1981.
