Any distinction between "yoga" and "marga"?

[Dominik Wujastyk]

Sadhunathan said:
> ...  Hatha yoga, for example, is part of
> good health, for any stage of life, but is also preparation for
> meditation in the yoga marga.  

The connection between yoga and health is extremely late in the Indian 
tradition. Neither yoga, nor yogic ideas, form part of the classical 
system of Ayurveda until the composition of the Ayurvedasutra, itself
a very late text, possibly almost a millennium later than Vagbhata.

I believe that the origin of the notion of yoga as a *physical* system 
is itself also rather recent, historically. Patanjali has only one sutra
mentioning that one should sit "level" while meditating.  But I don't 
know much about the history of yoga.  What is the opinion of others 
better informed than me?

Dominik


PS: I have a sudden sense of deja vu: hasn't this been discussed before 
in INDOLOGY?  I'll check the archives.