JaneSmith105
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The origin of most ancient Indian contributions to philosophy, the arts and science are lost in time. The Vedas (sacred texts), treatises on performing arts, or indigenous medicine were orally transmitted down the generations and only later preserved in the written form. So it was with Yoga, the holistic, mind-body system of exercise that has seen an upsurge of interest in the modern world since the twentieth century.
Between 300 BCE and 100 CE, the sage Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutras wherein he defined how the practice of certain techniques allowed an individual to gain control over his mental processes and cleanse his body of accumulated toxins, thereby achieving a state of psychological and physical well-being.
Patanjali though, did not claim to be the originator of Yoga; he was merely the first to compile its practice in an organized form. Yoga is not necessarily a Hindu practice, but as with most classical Indian traditions, it is approached with a deep sense of devotion. Perhaps, the wise ones who devised these traditions felt it necessary to imbue their works with a sense of the sacred, in order that they may be preserved and valued down the generations. Mythology played a powerful and important role in this thinking.
Between 300 BCE and 100 CE, the sage Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutras wherein he defined how the practice of certain techniques allowed an individual to gain control over his mental processes and cleanse his body of accumulated toxins, thereby achieving a state of psychological and physical well-being.
Patanjali though, did not claim to be the originator of Yoga; he was merely the first to compile its practice in an organized form. Yoga is not necessarily a Hindu practice, but as with most classical Indian traditions, it is approached with a deep sense of devotion. Perhaps, the wise ones who devised these traditions felt it necessary to imbue their works with a sense of the sacred, in order that they may be preserved and valued down the generations. Mythology played a powerful and important role in this thinking.
