Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c12.s3.t4.3

v2.c12.s3.t4.3

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, Yoga school took its rudimentary form as early as the period of the Indus Valley civilisation. At two representative Indus ruins, 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 practised then. Some show deities seated in a posture consistent with the popular Yoga posture we are 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.