Capturing a period of around 3000 years of Indian intellectual history is a monumental task, and hardly any specialist in Indology has dared to undertake it so far; most have only addressed a segment of the development. Therefore, this book fills a gap. It impressively breaks down yoga in all its aspects and makes its developmental roots comprehensible from a philosophical standpoint. Thus, a unique compendium of the yogic spectrum has emerged, covering all branches of Buddhism, Vedanta and Samkhya philosophy, Tantra and Chakra teachings, as well as the confrontation between Eastern and Western ways of thinking, the incorporation of Eastern ideas in the West, and the formation of an integral yoga, complete with necessary explanations of Sanskrit terms and literary references. A book that is, on one hand, of great use as a reference work.