Buddhists believe the Buddha practiced yoga

Practices and beliefs from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism influenced yoga

Yoga scholars Mark Singleton and James Mallinson’s study, “Roots of Yoga,” collects over 100 core texts on the subject. They found that many different ethnicities and religions practiced yoga in antiquity; Singleton says that the practice was a “floating technology between various religious systems.”

How yoga philosophy inspired Thoreau

In the 19th century, yogis traveling in America emphasized the practice as a philosophical one rather than a purely physical act. Like many Americans at the time, including his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau was intrigued by yoga's mysticism, once writing, "I cannot read a single word of the Hindoos without being elevated."

Some parents have objected to yoga in schools

Yoga has been introduced in some public schools as a form of exercise and emotional regulation. Some parents, however, have objected to its inclusion, arguing that it promotes the Hindu and Buddhist religions. Note that this resource will be paywalled for some readers.

Yoga dates back to about 1500 BCE

The earliest known mention of the word is in the Rig Veda, one of the four canonical Hindu texts. Rishis, or sages, then documented its evolution in the Upanishads, the Hindu scriptures. Much of the modern understanding of Yoga comes from “Yoga Sutras of Patañjali,” which outlines the practice’s eight elements, including physical postures and breathwork.

Traveling yogis spread the practice across the US

After a 1923 Supreme Court decision ruled that Asians were ineligible for citizenship, many South Asian immigrants had relatively few job opportunities and began moving around the country teaching yoga and spirituality. At the time, yoga was viewed less as a physical practice and more as a mystical one, something many of the teachers embraced to attract students. South Asians regained the right to citizenship in 1946.

Stretching and breathing are just two aspects of yoga

Most contemporary yoga studios focus on two of astanga yoga’s eight branches, as codified in the ancient text “Yoga Sutras of Patañjali”: asanas (physical postures) and pranayama (breath control). However, the larger practice of yoga includes six additional limbs: yama (universal ethics), niyama (individual ethics), pratyahara (control of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (pure consciousness).

BKS Iyengar emphasized yoga's physical aspect

The guru’s 1966 book “Light On Yoga” included detailed instructions for over 200 postures, presenting a version of yoga that emphasized it as a form of exercise with controlled breathing, believing that its physicality was the key to unlocking its spirituality. The book was the first mass-market manual to show the poses, furthering the Western impression that yoga was primarily about exercise.

Yoga is believed to improve mental health, but studies are not definitive

Many think that yoga's combination of stretching, focused breathing, and contemplation help treat depression and anxiety, but the data has often relied on small, homogenous sample sizes.

Yoga has become a popular tool for veterans dealing with PTSD

As the practice has become more popular in the West, it’s been incorporated into the Department of Veterans Affairs’ treatment plans for post-traumatic stress disorder. Veteran instructors say that although yoga and the military might seem like odd fits, they share many commonalities, including a rigorous approach. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Bikram Choudhury's abuse dismantled his yoga empire

The guru popularized a form of hot yoga that followed a 26-point script. In the process, he became incredibly wealthy and ostentatious. In the early 2010s, formal accusations against him began, ranging from harassment to rape. He fled the US in 2017 to avoid paying his former lawyer a sexual harassment settlement. In the US, the "Bikram yoga" style has been divorced from its namesake but is still practiced, often as "hot yoga." Bikram still teaches yoga outside the country.

A guide to the most popular yoga styles

Not every yoga class is the same. Many follow particular styles, which dictate the poses, format, and general intention behind the session. This guide breaks down 11 of the most popular yoga styles, including vinyasa (sometimes considered the most athletic) and Bikram (which takes place in a sauna-like environment).

Yoga can be beneficial for aging practitioners

Studies suggest that yoga can help alleviate several diseases associated with aging by lowering blood pressure, reducing blood fat levels, and combating obesity. It has also been shown to increase telomerase activity, which helps slow cell aging.

Richard Hittleman brought yoga to TV

"Yoga For Health" was a 1960s television show that sought to make yoga accessible for everyday Americans. Richard Hittleman, the show's host, walked viewers through basic postures, introducing them to the practice's therapeutic benefits. "We know that within us there's great forces, and great power, and great beauty," he says in this 1961 episode, "and the idea is to bring it out."

Several NFL teams incorporate yoga into their training

Although brawny football players might not seem like obvious yogis, many of the NFL’s athletes have taken to the practice for flexibility and mindfulness. Several teams, including the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Cowboys, make the practice a part of their conditioning routine.

One classical musician arranged a work specifically for yoga

In the middle of a yoga class, Ellen Fishman noticed that sitting closer to a speaker allowed her to feel the music in her body, enhancing her overall experience. She arranged music for a string ensemble with a yoga session in mind. The group, StringFlo, now performs the work live in yoga classes.

Ray Dalio credits much of his success to his transcendental meditation practice

Dalio took up transcendental meditation after learning that The Beatles practiced it on a trip to India in 1968. He says the practice allows him to clear his mind, be more creative, and unlock his subconscious.

In 1927, Oklahoma’s governor was criticized for his associations with yoga

Governor Henry Johnston was already dealing with criticism regarding his administration. When it was revealed that he'd attended a lecture on “Divine Yoga,” given by Deva Ram Sukul, a traveling guru, his opponents leaped at the opportunity to use Johnston's budding interest in non-Western traditions (and, in some cases, the occult) against him.

Read Swami Vivekananda's 1893 speech to the World's Parliament of Religions

The Hindu monk’s appearance at the conference, which many credit with introducing the US to Hindusim, emphasized tolerance and bemoaned religious violence and bigotry. “I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism,” he told those assembled.

Near-death experiences bear similarities to the tradition of religious visions

Near-death experiences are often associated with Christian concepts such as heaven or angels, but people of all faiths (or lack thereof) have reported these events. This in-depth piece by Professor Atif Khalil examines the intersections of religion and science and the common elements in Western, often Christian, experiences with those of Eastern religions such as Islam and Buddhism.

Non-Western performance art developed in its own political context

The medium’s emerging popularity in 1990s China is a perfect example of this. Many Chinese artists incorporated the practice of meditation into their works, combining the Buddhist tradition with various modes of endurance art to comment on divisions within Chinese society and the power of the government.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

A vegetarian diet is part of the Lunar New Year tradition

In keeping with China’s long history of Buddhism, which encourages vegetarianism, particularly on the first and 15th day of the lunar month, many people eat a plant-based diet (or at least a plant-based meal) on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The custom is supposed to increase participants’ good karma, bringing them extra blessings for the year to come.

How a Nazi leader became known as the 'living Buddha' of Nanjing

Nazi party leader John Rabe helped Chinese civilians and soldiers survive Japan’s World War II invasion, earning the title living Buddha of Nanjing, previously anglicized as Nanking. Read more about his efforts in this article.

How to carry more than your own bodyweight

Those images showing a villager carrying an enormous bundle on their back, or balancing a basket of fish on their head—how's that possible? This article dives into the clever tools and habits of strength training some cultures employ as part of their labors, from the springy bamboos used by Vietnamese farmers to the headbound burdens of Himalayan sherpas.

The Maya played a ballgame that symbolized the conflict between good and evil

Played on I-shaped courts across Mesoamerica, the Maya ballgame was a ritualized sport tied to cosmic struggle. Contrary to popular belief, the game did not involve mass sacrifice or basketball-style scoring.

Honda and Yamaha have developed motorcycles with self-balancing systems

Honda's "Riding Assist Technology" was introduced in 2017 and maintains the motorcycle's stability by leaning away from the direction of the front wheel and adjusting the front fork's angle at low speeds. Yamaha's system uses actuators to achieve balance during stops and starts.

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Warren Buffett's former professor Benjamin Graham is known as the 'father of value investing,' a strategy in which investors seek to buy stocks trading below their intrinsic worth.

Salvador Dalí believed he was his own dead brother, who had died nine months before he was born

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

Before writing 'Walden,' transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau nearly burned down his hometown with a campfire that grew out of control.

While the sun's gravity keeps the planets in orbit, their gravity also pulls on the sun, causing it and everything else in the solar system to orbit around a mutual balance point called the barycenter—the true center of the solar system.

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

Doctors differentiate between a phobia and fear by asking patients whether their fear interferes with their day-to-day activities.

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by over 1.5 million Muslims.

See photos of Meteora, a mountainous site in central Greece, home to 14th-century monasteries perched atop soaring outcroppings.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

A small portion of The Winstons' 'Amen, Brother,' an obscure '60s gospel record, is the basis for thousands of hip-hop tracks, making it one of the most sampled records ever that's informally known as 'the Amen break.'

American dance legend Martha Graham, sometimes called 'the Picasso of dance,' refused to perform at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and conceived the piece 'Chronicle' in response to the experience.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

Volcanic activity may have triggered the Black Death by spewing gases that led to crop failures in Europe, thus forcing the import of grain ships with plague-infested fleas.

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

Sunflowers have long been a symbol of nuclear disarmament because they can extract large amounts of radioactive cesium from soil.

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO