A history of modern yoga

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Ten ascetics performing tapas - yoga and tantric postures and penance

Shaiva ascetics performing tapas. Source: British Museum. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Not one yoga, but many yogas

From ancient tradition to modern gym class, yoga means many things to many people.

The yogi as hermit, warrior, criminal and showman

How the modern world changed the life and reputation of the yogi.

Vivekananda’s journey

How a young Indian monk’s travels around the world inspired modern yoga.

Yoga gets physical

Modern yoga owes a debt to the physical culture movement that created a world obsessed with health and fitness.

Sun salutations and yoga synthesis in India

Surya namaskars, or sun salutations, have a long history in South Asia, but their place at the heart of modern yoga is more recent.

Yoga adapts to time and place

A yoga teacher in 1930s India inspired today’s transnational practice with his spectacular fusion of tradition and innovation.

About the author

Lalita Kaplish

(she/her)

Lalita is a digital content editor at Wellcome Collection with particular interests in the history of science and medicine and discovering hidden stories in our collections.