Chronology of Indian Literature

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Vedas

Ear ly

300AD 400AD

Early Evidence for Āsana

0AD

300BC

500BC

700BC

1200BC

Chronology of Indian Literature 1500BC

1800BC

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Upaniṣ ads

Mahābhārata

History of Yogic Postures

2. Iconographic Evidence

Bhagavad Gītā

(āsana)

1. Textual Evidence Mahābhārata, Books 12/13, (circa 100-300 A.D.)

Middle

Kuṣāṇa period (circa 1st c. A.D.)

0 -3 0 0 AD

End of Indus Valley Civilization

Buddha Patañjali’s Yogaś ās tra

Dr Jason Birch June 2016

4 0 0 - 5 0 0 AD

Earliest Evidence for Āsana

Earliest Evidence for Āsana

Mahābhārata 13.130.10

Āsana in the Pātañjalayogaśāstra Pātañjalayogaśāstra

“The y oga of cold and the y oga of fire s hould be

(l ate 4th – earl y 5th c.)

Sūtr a 2.46

practis ed by thos e [fores t-dwelling as cetics] who are cons tantly s eated in Vīrāsana; by those

sthirasukham āsanam

ly ing on the bare ground and by thos e whose

Posture is steady and comfortable

minds are [focus ed] on their religion.” Other possible translations:

Coronation of Buddha Ku ṣ ā ṇ a Pe ri o d 1 0 0 BC - 3 0 0 CE

Āsana in the Pātañjalayogaśāstra

Jain Tirthankara Ku ṣ ā ṇ a Pe ri o d

Āsana in the Pātañjalayogaśāstra

Posture is steadily comfortable Posture is steady but comfortable

Āsana in the Pātañjalayogaśāstra

Bhāṣya (list of names) Sūtr a 2.46: sthirasukham āsanam Sūtr a 2.47: prayatnaśaithilyānantas amā pattib hyā m

‘Posture is [made] steady and comfortable, by relaxing one’s effort or by meditative attainment in the infinite.’

1. Pādmāsana 2. Vī rāsana 3. Bhadrāsana 4. Svastika 5. Daṇḍāsana 6. Sopāśraya 7. Paryaṅka 8. Kauñcaniṣadana 9. Hastiniṣadana 10. Uṣṭraniṣadana 11. Samasaṃsthāna 12. Sthitapraśrabdhi 13. Yathāsukha 14. ityevamādī ni

Lotus pose Hero’s pose Auspicious pose The lucky sign Staff posture Supported pose Sofa pose Sitting like a heron Sitting like an elephant Sitting like a camel Even position [A pose in which] attentiveness is established According to what is comfortable And so forth!

Sūtr a 2.46: sthirasukham āsanam Sūtr a 2.47: prayatnaśaithilyānantas amā pattib hyā m Sūtr a 2.48: tato dvandvānabhighātaḥ

‘Posture is [made] steady and comfortable, by relaxing one’s effort or by meditative attainment in the infinite. Then, [the yogin] has no trouble from the ‘opposites.’

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T antr as & Āgam as Dar śanas (Advaita, etc.) Pur āṇas Āyur veda

RĀJA / HAṬ HA YOGA

400AD

Patañjali’s Yogaśāstr a

1700AD

1600AD

1200AD

1100AD

(c irc a 9-10th c .)

[Having adopted either Paryaṅka, Kamala, Bhadra or Svastikāsana], the wise [yogin] places his hands obliquely, in the middle of the shanks, makes [them] upward-facing and evenly balanced, and fixes the right hand on the left, so that the right fingers are at the base of the left [hand]. The two thumbs are bent slightly and should be held together. Having raised and broadened the chest and having made the arms loose, the wise [yogin] should extend his back and raise the region of the shoulders. He should diligently hold the neck still, very steady and straight [but] not too rigid nor bent [to one side]. His head should always be upright. His gaze is towards heaven and earth, and its support is the tip of the nose. His eyes are slightly closed and he does not touch the teeth [of the upper jaw] with those [of the lower, nor] with the tip of his tongue which is located on the middle of the palate. O great sage, [this] Karaṇa has been explained fully and at length in regard to the path of yoga.

600AD

The Mataṅgapārameśva rata ntra

400AD

Chronology of Indian Literature

Āsana in Tantras 100AD

1700AD

1600AD

1200AD

1100AD

600AD

100AD

400AD

Chronology of Indian Literature

T antr as & Āgam as Dar śanas (Advaita, etc.) Pur āṇas Āyur veda

RĀJA / HAṬ HA YOGA

400AD

Patañjali’s Yogaśāstr a

Āsana in Early Haṭhayoga

Āsana in Early Haṭhayoga

Āsana in Early Haṭhayoga

Non-Seated Ās anas in the Vasiṣ ṭhasaṃhitā Text Nam e

Haṭhayogic Āsana from 12 - 15th c.

No. of Āsana

Yogabī ja/Amaraughaprabod ha Dattātreyayogaśāstra

• 2 - 10 postures (most traditions)

(14th c.)

(12-13th c.)

0 1

Vivekamārtāṇda (13 - 14th c.)

2

Śivasaṃhitā (15th c.)

4

Vasiṣṭhasaṃhitā (12 -13th c.)

10

• 84 lākh postures mentioned but discarded

Āsana in Early Haṭhayoga 12th - 14th c.

Text Dattātreyayogaśāstra

2 10

Śivasaṃ hitā

4 15

Haṭhapr adīpikā

17th c.

Yogacintāmaṇi

onwards

Yogacintāmaṇi (17th Ujjain ms.) Gher aṇdasaṃ hitā Haṭharātnāvalī Jogapradī pyakā Siddhāntamuktāvalī Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

Kukkuṭāsana

Haṭharatnāvalī

No. of Āsana 2

Vivekamārtāṇda Vasisthasaṃhitā 15th c.

Mayūr āsana

35

Vṛṣapādakṣepa

110 32 84 84 96 112

17th c.

(l i s te d) (de s c ri be d) (de s c ri be d) (de s c ri be d)

Hav ing laid s upinely , binding the nec k with the fingers , joining the elbows , touching the buttock s on the ground and ex tending one leg, while rotating the other leg to the le ft and right, [ this ] is ’pawing the leg lik e a bull’ pos e. Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

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Vṛṣapādakṣepa Having laid supinely , binding the neck with the fingers, joining the elbows, touching the buttocks on the ground and extending one leg, while rotating the other leg to the le ft and right, [ this] is ‘Pawing the leg like a bull’ pose. Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

Śvottānāsana

Śvottānāsana

Having placed the body lik e a corpse, joining the knees together and bringing [them] onto the navel, clasping the neck with the hands, [the yogin] should rotate [the legs. This is] the up-turned dog [pose].

Having placed the body lik e a corpse, joining the knees together and bringing [them] onto the navel, clasping the neck with the hands, [the yogin] should rotate [the legs. This is] the up-turned dog [pose].

Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

Viparītanṛtyāsana Hav ing plac ed the palms of both hands on the ground and lifting the toes up, [the y ogin] s hould danc e on the palms of the hands . [This ] is the [pos e].

Mārjārottānāsana

Mārjārottānāsana

Hav ing pos itioned [hims elf] lik e an up-turned dog, [the y ogin] s hould touch both k nees with his ears in turn. [This is ] the upturned c at [pos e].

Having positioned [himself] like an up-turned dog, [the yogin] should touch both knees with his ears in turn. [This is] the upturned cat [pose].

Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

Haṭhayoga Viparītakaraṇī

inv erted-danc ing

Haṭhayoga

Haṭhayoga Viparītakaraṇī

Viparītakaraṇī

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Ropes Poses Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

āliṅgāsana

Kapotāsana Having placed the soles of the feet on the ground and having taken the hands [down] along the back [of the body] as far as the shanks, [this] is the pigeon pose. Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

At a distance of three cubits from a wall, [the yogin] should stand and having touched his chest on the wall and expanded [it, ] he should touch [it] again [and again. This] is 'embracing [the wall]' pose. Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

Chronology of Haṭha Yoga 1850AD

Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

1450AD

Adjusting?

Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati

1100AD

Strength Poses

Per sian Adaptations Ear ly

RĀJA / HAṬ HA YOGA

B r ahm anical Com pilations

viratāsana Yoga Upaniṣads

Having placed the shanks and back on the ground and positioning the thighs on the calv es, [the yogin] should touch his backbone [on the ground] again and again. [This] is the pose for one who

HAṬ HAPRADĪPIKĀ

has ceased [from worldly activities].

Chester Beatty Manuscript Baḥr al-Ḥayāt

1700AD

1600AD

1200AD

400AD

“Th e wo rd of r ecollec tion of Nir a nja n. Whe n th e s eeke r wish es t o p erfo rm this activity, he sh ould le arn t he G har ba āsa na. T hey call it t he G har ba āsa na

1100AD

Chronology of Indian Yoga becaus e w hen the chil d is in t he wom b o f t he mot her, it accom plishes it. O ne places the left fo ot on the rig ht foot, h olding th e butto cks on both fe et, holdi ng the hea d evenly b etwee n t he two kn ees, placin g b oth elb ows und er th e ribs , puttin g the han ds ov er t he e ars, brin ging t he n avel t owar d the spin e. T he

RĀJA / HAṬ HA YOGA

breat h o f life that ap pea rs f rom th e n avel t hey c all Nir a nja n, whic h is an expre ssion fo r t he undif fer entia ted. One h olds the br eat h; one b rings it i n t he midst o f th e belly. One takes it ab ove f ro m bel ow, an d b elow f rom abov e, in this exercis e to such a d egr ee th at the in ner ey e, winge d ima ginati on, wan deri ng

Garbha Ās ana Fol i o 18 recto

MODERN Patañjali’s Yogaśāstr a

Com m entar ies

reflecti on, and inco mpa rabl e th oug ht -- all fo ur -- eme rge fr om t heir re strictio ns . They enter witnessing of the spiritual state and become one.” Baḥr al-Ḥayāt Translation by Carl Earnst

YOGA COMPILAT IONS

ORT HODOX B RAHMANICAL T RADIT IONS

YOGA YOGA UPANIṢADS

(Upa ni ṣ a ds Purāṇa s BhG Dha rm aś ās tra s etc .)

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History of Āsana 19th/20th c. developments

History of Āsana

History of Āsana

T r aditional Standing poses

Moder n Standing Poses

1. Standing poses 2. Vinyāsa 3. Sūryanamaskāra Vṛk ṣ ā s a na Gh e ra ṇ ḍ a s a ṃh i ā t - 18 th c .

4. Western Science: anatomy, pathology, physical culture,

Ga ruḍā s a na Yo g ā s a n a mā l ā - 18 th c .

Pā da pīda nā s a na Ha ṭh a ra tn ā v al ī 17 th c .

esotericism/occult, etc.

History of Āsana

History of Āsana

Floor Poses: Aṣṭāṅgavinyāsa

Finishing Poses: Aṣṭāṅgavinyāsa

(Primary Series) Daṇḍāsana

10th c.

Paścim atānāsana

Ha ṭh a p ra d īp i kā , e tc..

Pūr vottānāsana

?

Ta ttv a v a ś i ā rad i, Yog ac i ntā ma ṇi , etc.

Sālam basar vaṅgāsana

18th (possibly 12-13th) c.

Halāsana

17th c.

15th c.

Karṇapīḍāsana Ar dhabaddhapadm apaścim ottānāsana

12-13th c.

A v a ri a ti o n o n Ma h ā mu drā , ha fl -l otu s a nd b i n d i n g o f o n e a rm as n i Bad d ha pa d mā sa na

12-13th c. Jānuśīr ṣāsana A

Si mi l a r fo rm to Ma h ā mu drā . Kno wn as Ard h a p a ś c i ma ā t n ās an a i n th e Ha ṭhā b hy ās a P.

Jānuśīr ṣāsana B

Kn o wn a s Vi p arīta ka raṇ ās a na in th e J o g a p ra d īp ya kā a n d Yog ā sa na mā l ā. It ma y b e Vi p a rīt a ka raṇ ī in the Da ttā tre y a y og a śā stra , Vi ve ka mā rtaṇ ḍ a, etc.

History of Āsana Summary

of Results

Ha ṭh a ra tn ā v al ī, etc.

17-18th c.

A v a ri a ti o n o f Hal ā sa na ? It cl os e yl re s emb l es De v ā s a n a i n the Jo g ap rad īpy ak ā

Ūr dhvapadm āsana

12-13th c.

Piṇḍāsana

17th c.

Matsyāsana

Gh e ra ṇ ḍ a s a ṃh i ā t

12-13th c.

Sa me fo rm a s Ma h ā mu d rā. Als o k no wn as Ma h ā mu d rā s a n a n i h t e Jo ga pra d p ī y ak ā a nd Yo g ā s a n a mā l ā

History of Āsana

Va ri a ti o n o f Vi pa rītak ara ṇ ī a nd Pad mā sa n a

Va ri a ti o n o f Ha l ās an a a n d Pa dmā s an a

18th c.

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