Yoga And Wellness Tourism

The word Yoga first appeared in the oldest sacred texts, the Rig Veda, derived from the Sanskrit root “Yuj,” which means join or unite.

- Sankha Subhra Devbarman

According to the Yogic scriptures, the practice of Yoga leads an individual to the union of consciousness with that of universal Consciousness. It eventually leads to a great harmony between the human mind and body, man & nature.

Essentially a spiritual discipline that centralizes on subtle science that focuses on achieving harmony between an individual’s mind and body.

Over 5,000 years ago, the practice of Yoga was started during the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Northern India. It was first mentioned in Rig Veda, a collection of texts that consisted of rituals, mantras, and songs mainly used by Brahmans, the Vedic priests.

Brahmans slowly developed Yoga, who eventually documented their practices and beliefs in the Upanishads that have over 200 scriptures.

Yoga in Vedas means a yoke. In some early writings, Yoga was mainly used in describing a warrior dying and transcending into the heavens while at the back of his chariot to the gods and the higher powers of being. During the Vedic times, Vedic priests were generally self-disciplined and avoided any forms of indulgence; instead, they performed sacrifices known as yajna. They used poses that most researchers believe are the precursor of the kind of Yoga poses we use today in the modern world.

In the 3rd Century BCE, “yoga” became common in other religions like Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist writings. In Mahayana Buddhism, the practice of yoga for both spiritual and meditative use was known as Yogachara, which consisted of eight significant steps of meditation called “insight”.