The History of Yoga: Part 1

The Vedas

The Indus Valley civilization eventually vanished. The reason for the decline remains unknown. Some speculate a severe drought was the cause. People from Central Asia called the Aryans soon migrated into northern India during a time referred to as the Vedic Period. The foundations of Indian civilization took root during this period. The Aryans brought with them specific religious traditions. They worshiped many gods and goddesses. Scholars suggest that the beliefs and practices of the Aryan people formed India’s oldest Sanskrit scriptures known as the Vedas.

Veda means “knowledge.” They are considered one of the oldest religious works in the world. The wisdom in these scriptures is said to have always existed. There was not just one person or group who acquired the Vedas. Instead, they came to be understood by sages in deep meditative states. The Vedas formed the Hindu religion’s foundational writings, which was gradually taking shape during the Vedic Age.

The Vedas began as an oral tradition, meaning the material within these texts were chanted, memorized, then passed down. Much of the material holds prescriptive rituals for daily life. Conducting external ceremonies was central to Vedic life and society.

This knowledge has been well preserved for thousands of years. To this day, particular families, specifically the boys, get assigned Vedas to commit to memory. It is a very elaborate, precise, and rigorous memorization system that involves hand gestures and body movements. The massive body of scriptures become inscribed within the very mind-body of those who preserve them.

There are four primary Vedas that consist of:

1. Rig Veda
2. Sama Veda
3. Yajur Veda
4. Atharva Veda

The Rig Veda holds the earliest contextual reference to Yoga. The term in this context refers to a bringing together or yoking of two things. Particularly joining a word and it’s meaning. The Vedic period may have had yogic-like practices; however, the word Yoga itself does not suggest a mental state or physical practice, as evidenced in the Rig Veda.

The Upanishads

The Upanishads are another body of literature composed towards the end of the Vedic Age. Some of the earliest teachings on Yoga are located here. This ancient text is a collection of deep religious and philosophical concepts found in the Vedas. The Upanishads are considered the “end of the Vedas (Vedanta). They expand upon Vedic concepts through narrative dialogues. 

The Vedic period is when textual evidence of Yoga as a spiritual discipline emerges. The early Vedic period’s external ritualistic ceremonies begin to shift to internal practices found in the Upanishads. Here, Yoga appears as an achieved state when the senses are “yoked” and no longer pulled outward and distracted.

Early Yogis

Early Yogis were a bit rebellious (and nuts if you ask me). They sought to escape traditional Vedic teachings. They existed on the fringes of Vedic society and renounced some of this time’s social values and religious practices. Instead, they retreated into the forests and sought answers to life’s most important questions. These forest-dwelling ascetics would engage in various techniques to build heat (or tapas) in the body generated by certain yogic practices. These methods included fasting, holding bodily postures for a significant amount of time, or enduring extreme temperatures while remaining calm. They would use the body to escape the body and push the mind past its limits. All of these practices were performed in the name of spiritual growth. 

Alexander The Great and his followers came across some of these practitioners some 2,000 years ago. He recorded how impressed he was by some of their extreme practices. They observed the naked men in different standing, seated, or supine positions. They remained in these positions until evening. Alexander and his entourage described the unbearable heat. Yet the men they observed were standing on the hot ground without shoes for hours and appeared unaffected. These ascetic practices and methods were still not called “Yoga.” Yet, they were associated with using the body in a disciplined manner to cultivate power and transcend the body and mind’s limitations. 

Summing Up The Vedic Period

Literature from approximately 2,500 years ago- that emerged from Northeast India, where the Ganges River runs- begins to describe Yoga’s practices. This period was around the time of the Katha Upanishad and the Buddha. Many of India’s great religious traditions (Hindus, Buddhists, Jains) also emerged. A variety of spiritual practices and religions were in conversation with each other. These various schools of philosophy were attempting to understand the teachings of the Vedas. Through the interreligious dialogues that took place, the very disciplines and ideas of Yoga were born. 

The growing body of literature presented in the Vedic Period helps us better understand Yoga’s earliest ideas and practices. These practices were still not considered “Yoga practices,” but are now various methods included in this tradition. Some of these methods include:

• Meditation
• Fixing the senses on an object to cultivate presence 
• Chanting mantra (OM) 
• Use of Breath Control
• Seated & Non-Seated Postures (mostly held for an extended time)
• Building spiritual heat (tapas)

This time period also presents various philosophies that are now a part of the Yogic tradition. These ideas stemmed, branched off, and expanded from the original body of knowledge found in the Vedas. Some of these concepts include:

• Brahman (Life Source)
• Atman (Individual Soul)
• Karma (right action leads to right results; bad actions lead to bad results)
• Dharma (individual duty or responsibility)
• Reincarnation (rebirth)
• Samsara (the cycle of birth and death)
• Moksa (liberation)
• The illusion of duality (good/bad, right/wrong, like/dislike)
• Illusion (avidya) which creates the feeling of separateness