Yoga Before Religion | The Original Science of Union
Long before any religion, there was yoga. It came before Judaism, before Christianity, before Buddhism, before Hinduism. Long before temples or doctrines, human beings observed the relationship between breath, body, and consciousness.
The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj – to unite or join. It is not a belief. It is a method of integrating the mind, body, and spirit through discipline, awareness, and direct experience.
Traces of “yoga” appear as early as the Rig Veda (c. 1500–1200 BCE), where yuj describes the act of “yoking” – joining the human and the divine. These hymns show that the earliest Vedic people already understood yoga as a bridge between physical life and higher consciousness. (Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; The Whole U, University of Washington)
By the time of the Upanishads (c. 800–500 BCE), yogic concepts of breath control, self-inquiry, and sensory restraint were established parts of spiritual practice. The Katha Upanishad describes the senses as “horses,” and the mind as the reins to be guided with awareness - a clear metaphor for yogic control of the inner world. (Hindu American Foundation; The Whole U)
The Bhagavad Gita (c. 400–200 BCE) expands the scope of yoga beyond the ascetic life. It introduces karma yoga (discipline of action), jnana yoga (discipline of knowledge), and bhakti yoga (discipline of devotion) as integrated paths toward self-realization. Yoga becomes not only a method of withdrawal, but a way of living consciously in the world.
One of the most influential systematizations, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, took shape between roughly 200 BCE and 200 CE. Patanjali gathered centuries of earlier teachings from ascetic, Samkhya, and Buddhist sources into 196 concise aphorisms. In his definition, yoga chitta-vritti-nirodha – yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. This statement separates yoga from religion. There is no conversion, no doctrine, no external savior. The practice itself is the laboratory for direct knowledge of consciousness. (Encyclopaedia Britannica; Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy; Wikipedia)
Religions form around revelation. Yoga begins with observation. It does not ask for belief; it asks for practice. Its purpose is to see clearly the ultimate truth and to liberate oneself from suffering.
Later, classical yoga evolved through practical systems such as Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written between the 14th and 16th centuries CE. This text details the physical and energetic techniques that prepare the body and mind for meditation: posture, breath control, internal locks, and purification. These practices link physiology with consciousness through direct regulation of energy flow (Wikipedia; Yoga Journal Research Library)
Across centuries, the yogic method was adopted and reinterpreted by different traditions – Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and even early Sufi mystics. Yet yoga itself remains independent. It is a science of union that anyone can approach, regardless of belief or background. (The Christian Century; Feuerstein, The Yoga Tradition, 1998)
At its core, yoga studies what is universal – the human experience of mind and consciousness. Because of that, it is accessible to everyone. It does not conflict with faith, and it does not require one. It offers a structure to understand how thought, emotion, and awareness interact.
Yoga is a living science. While its fundamental practices - posture, breath, concentration, and meditation - remain unchanged, their significance evolves as we integrate them into modern life. The goal is not merely to attain a higher state of spirituality, but to achieve greater alignment, well-being, and happiness.
When the mind, body, and spirit align in harmony, balance is restored. The system gains steadiness, clarity, and a sense of liberation.
References
Rig Veda (c. 1500–1200 BCE) – earliest use of yuj, to join or yoke (Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, The Whole U)
Upanishads (c. 800–500 BCE) – breath and self-inquiry as early yoga (Hindu American Foundation, The Whole U)
Bhagavad Gita (c. 400–200 BCE) – karma, jnana, and bhakti yoga as universal disciplines
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (c. 200 BCE–200 CE) – foundational text on mental discipline (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Hatha Yoga Pradipika (14th–16th centuries CE) – classical text on physical and energetic yoga (Wikipedia)
Feuerstein, Georg. The Yoga Tradition, 1998
Eliade, Mircea. Yoga: Immortality and Freedom, 1958
The Christian Century, “Is Yoga Religious?”, 2011
