Home| StoriesA history of modern yogaSeriesshow credit information for image 'Shaiva ascetics performing tapas'Shaiva ascetics performing tapas. Source: British Museum. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).Not one yoga, but many yogasFrom ancient tradition to modern gym class, yoga means many things to many people.The yogi as hermit, warrior, criminal and showmanHow the modern world changed the life and reputation of the yogi.Vivekananda’s journeyHow a young Indian monk’s travels around the world inspired modern yoga.Yoga gets physicalModern yoga owes a debt to the physical culture movement that created a world obsessed with health and fitness.Sun salutations and yoga synthesis in IndiaSurya 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 placeA yoga teacher in 1930s India inspired today’s transnational practice with his spectacular fusion of tradition and innovation.
