History of Yoga

(90 min; dvd; 2012; Hindi)
Directors: Ramji Om and Deepika Kothari

Opening with Patanjali's exposition of yoga as a means of achieving mastery over the senses and modifications of the mind, the film traces yoga's development from Harappan times, in Vedic, Jain and Buddhist doctrine, through mediaeval hatha-yogic practices to counter disease, aging and death, up to the point when its potential is acknowledged within the framework of modern science. Observations by scholars and images of archaeological remains, manuscripts, reliefs and murals from 80 sites and 35 museums are interwoven with meditative dance and music.