Yoga was brought to the West through a combination of factors, including the global spread of Indian culture, the influence of key individuals, and the growing interest in Eastern spirituality and alternative healing practices.
One of the earliest and most significant influences in bringing yoga to the West was the Indian spiritual teacher Swami Vivekananda. He traveled to the United States in 1893 and gave a series of lectures on Hindu philosophy, including yoga. His teachings on yoga and Vedanta attracted a great deal of interest and helped to establish yoga as a legitimate spiritual practice in the West.
In the early 20th century, a number of Indian yoga teachers began traveling to the West to teach yoga. One of the most influential was Swami Sivananda, who founded the Divine Life Society in India and wrote many books on yoga and spirituality. His teachings attracted a large following in the West and helped to popularize yoga as a health and wellness practice.
In the 1960s and 70s, there was a surge of interest in Eastern spirituality and alternative healing practices in the West, and yoga became increasingly popular as a form of exercise and meditation. This was in part due to the influence of cultural figures such as the Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who introduced Transcendental Meditation to the West.
Yoga has become a widely recognized and popular practice in the West, with millions of people practicing yoga regularly for its physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. However it is important to honor the sacred traditions and origins of the practice.
