Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s7.t11.2

v1.c7.s7.t11.2

**Historical Evolution and Foundational Text** - The word “Yoga” comes from Sanskrit and originally means “union” or “conjunction”, and by extension, “conformity with the mento-emotional energy”. As a religious practice, the Yoga school took its rudimentary form as early as the period of the Indus Valley civilisations. At two representative Indus ruins sites, Mohenjo-daro (Mound of the Dead) and Harappa, thousands of small seals have been unearthed, which were mainly used at the time as clan emblems, lucky charms, or identity indicators. A few of them even reflect the religious beliefs practiced then. Some show deities seated in a posture consistent with the popular Yoga posture we become familiar with today. Therefore, it can be established that the practice of Yoga originated from the period of the Indus Valley civilisations ie 2500 BCE.