Yoga is more than a workout. Rich Eastern philosophical traditions made accessible to Westerners through classical yoga's step-by-step guide to enlightenment. It could be argued that many articles about the practice of yoga belong in the Philosophy category more than they do in the Wellness & Style section.

You might have a sense that the yoga of today has changed considerably from its ancient origins, and you’d certainly be correct. However, there have been more than just recent alterations to this ancient science. The long history of yoga has seen its practice undergo many transformations over the age.

The origin of yoga extends back thousands of years. Historically, its teachings were transmitted in the Guru-Chela tradition, an intimate, one-to-one personal manner from Guru (teacher) to disciple (Chela).

In these earliest times, the sole purpose of yoga was the attainment of the highest spiritual goals: self-realization, enlightenment, and the liberation of the individual soul.

Yoga remained in this relatively pure and altruistic form for thousands of years, until as late as around 500 A.D. when many ‘other forms’ began to emerge under the inspiration and direction of several influential masters.

The start of this period marks a significant departure in the history of yoga, as the ambitions of yoga began to concern themselves more with social needs, and the teachings began to be transformed into movements for not only the highest spiritual attainment of the individual, but also for the betterment of society as a whole.

But from about 1500 A.D. onwards, the lofty spiritual aims of yoga had already started to become more and more mundane. Teachers began to shift their primary emphasis onto the physical practices of Hatha Yoga, such as asana (postures) and pranayama (breath control), quite often overlooking altogether the higher spiritual aims and the deeper aspects concerned with personal transformation and self-awareness.