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The History of 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).

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Not one yoga, but many yogas

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

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The yogi as hermit, warrior, criminal and showman

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

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Vivekananda’s journey

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

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Yoga gets physical

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

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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.

Thermographic yoga sequence

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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

@LalitaKaplish

Lalita is a digital content editor at Wellcome Collection.

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