Lord Shiva is said to have invented the seven forms of yoga that sage Patanjali assimilated. Today, these seven forms have become the stairway to enlightenment for people around the world.
There are many theories about the origins of yoga, and most of these credit the learned sage Patanjali with creating the yoga asanas and meditation techniques that we practice today. But this is not true – Patanjali did not invent yoga. Yoga was already in existence, and it was propounded by none other than Lord Shiva. However, Patanjali can certainly be credited with giving this early knowledge a definite structure and taking it forward so that the world could learn about it.
Patanjali’s yoga sutras are said to be a direct derivative of the yoga knowledge that the Saptarshis (Seven Sages) preached. The Saptarshis were said to have received their tutelage in yoga from Lord Shiva himself. However, Patanjali took these rudimentary lessons in yoga and backed them with research about their benefits, and how yogic breathing influenced each asana. Patanjali’s yoga sutras also deal with the benefits of a holistic lifestyle, the power of meditation in transforming life and the ways to attain moksha through the practice of yoga.
Yoga in today’s day and age
Though hundreds of types of yoga are practiced all over the world today, they are all derivatives of Patanjali yoga sutras. However, modern yogis have devised their own smaller forms of yoga to suit different needs. Also, not all forms of yoga can suit each practitioner. The trick is to find the form that best resonates with you, so that you can find the physical and emotional fulfilment that you seek.
But whichever form of yoga that you adopt, it must be practiced daily with complete faith and surrender to the universe. It is only when you practice it with a heart full of joy and a mind open to every possibility, that you can begin to find the first glimpses of the ultimate salvation that you seek. Each asana is its own meditation form, and each breathing exercise cleanses your body. The adoption of yoga into your lifestyle can have a tremendous impact on your psyche, transforming your thought processes, changing how your body looks and feels, and also how confident and fulfilled you feel as a human being.
Thus, by transforming you, yoga transforms your relationship with the world. All your love for material possessions and wasteful relationships falls by the wayside when a higher truth enters your life. This is the crux of what Patanjali enumerated centuries ago – the onus is now on you to adopt his teachings and transform your life!
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