THE ORIGIN OF YOGA

THE ORIGIN OF YOGA

The origin of yoga is found in the ascetic practices of a religious group called the Vratyas in the Atharva Veda [ch. XV].

They are the first mentioned to practice the control of breathing and some sexual rituals with the goal of attaining ecstatic trance states.

The term ‘yoga’ has its root in the Sanskrit word yuj which means ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’. 

In its present meaning it was first used [500 BC] in the Katha Upanishads [KU] where Yama, the god of death, explains to a disciple how to attain the perfect knowledge of Brahman and thus merge with it through restraining the senses and concentration. Yoga is here defined as the method through which the mind can bridle the wicked senses in order that the self may get off the body and be ‘united’ with Brahman, the Ultimate Reality. In the period of the late Upanishads [Yogatattva and some 17 others] composed later than 500 BC, it was considered that spiritual liberation could not be obtained exclusively by the means of contemplation  but had to include certain ascetic techniques.

The Shvetashvatara Upanishad [SU, 2,8-15] had already laid down guidelines for body postures, breathing control and  focusing the mind exercises for being able to perceive Brahman.

In grounding the new yoga school, Patanjali, the foremost exponent of yoga, used the technical elements of these Upanishads as a tool for achieving the goal of the liberation of purusha (spirit) from the bondage of prakriti (matter).

There are two major meanings for yoga in Hindu spirituality.

The first designates the specific discipline organized by Patanjali.

The second has a broader sense, implying any effort undertaken in order to attain liberation [see below], independent of its meaning. Therefore any spiritual discipline aimed at liberating the self can be called yoga.

As a result, the term is used with various meanings [see below] having more or less in common with the darshana (philosophical school) of Patanjali who outlined eight distinct steps, for which the method is also called Ashtanga yoga (the yoga of the eight limbs), which if adhered to, would lead one to experience this union.