The Ancients Origins of Yoga
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Oct 30, 2025 Dr. Jim Mallinson, Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford, delves into the ancient roots of yoga, tracing its origins over 3,000 years back. He discusses the significant differences between ancient practices and modern interpretations, highlighting asceticism's role. Mallinson examines early yogic texts, the influence of the Shramana movement, and critical works like the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. He also explores the connections between breath, meditation, and the evolution of yoga into a transformative spiritual practice.
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Earliest Secure Dates Start With The Vedas
- Yoga's reliably datable history starts around 1500 BCE based on Vedic texts, not prehistoric claims.
- Claims of 5,000–10,000 year antiquity rest on weak evidence and are often exaggerated.
Vedas And Upanishads Frame Early Yoga
- Early Sanskrit texts (Vedas and Upanishads) are primary sources for ancient yoga ideas.
- The Upanishads increasingly focus on inward reflection, breath, and liberation concepts central to yoga.
Indus Seals Are Suggestive, Not Conclusive
- Indus Valley seals showing seated figures are intriguing but don't prove continuous yoga practice.
- A 3,000-year gap separates those seals from later textual evidence, so direct links are speculative.
