Yoga is a tantric tradition that teaches mastery of the body. This includes not only control of bones and muscles, not to mention the mind, but also, of subtle aspects or energies such as the "winds," "drops" and "channels." In other words, it comprises much more than the stretching and breathing exercises usually called Hatha [practice] Yoga. The most dramatic proof of accomplishment that the general public is likely familiar with is known as "raising Kundalini."
Himalayan Buddhism has strong links with the yoga tradition. Indeed several contemporary Buddhist masters are yogis in their own right. Also, the founders of many ancient lineages -- Buddhist or other -- were known, during their lifetimes, as mahasiddhas (Skt. for greatly accomplished) a description that means people able to perform wondrous activities through mastery of yoga.
The teacher of the great Tibetan Yogin, Milarepa, was Marpa the Tibetan translator, whose own guru was the Indian Naropa, and among his teachers was Tilopa, from
The origins of yoga probably pre-date by thousands of years the life of sage Patanjali, who is generally estimated to have lived between the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE. He is the one credited with codifying yoga in a 4-chapter work called Yoga Darshana, a sutra that comprises a mere 196 lines of Sanskrit. (More ...)
