A History Of Yoga: The Nature of Reality
Now that we’ve covered what yoga currently is, let’s discover what Yoga was. To discover this however, we will need to dive a bit deeper into ancient philosophies of Hinduism and how they influenced each other.
The origins of yoga are unclear but sources say it may have developed among monks and ascetics in the first millennium BCE—it is only around this time it is mentioned distinctly from Samkhya. Yoga philosophy is believed to be first mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the oldest Upanishad, and researcher Gavin Flood, translates the experience of union as, “…having become calm and concentrated, one perceives the self (atman), within oneself.”
As mentioned in the previous essay, the path in which the mind is still and the intellect does not waver is called Yoga.
The Yoga school of philosophy is one of the six major schools of Hindu philosophy. The other five being: Samkhya, Nyaya (justice), Vaisheshika (perception – inference), Mīmāṃsā (reflection) and Vedanta (conclusion of the Vedas).
The Nature of Reality
Samkhya philosophy believes in the duality of Purusha, consciousness or witness-consciousness, and Prakriti, matter or nature. Prakriti and Purusha come into contact with each other and the universe explodes into the reality we are all very familiar with. The explosion, to be precise, is into 23 aspects of reality or tattvas.
Some of these are intellect, ego, mind, ears, skin, eyes, tongue, nose, and the colliding factors that give rise to the five elements—earth, air, fire, water and space. These range from the abstract to the concrete. Just as your smartphone contains components from the processor to the screen that work together to create your user experience, these 23 aspects combine to create our experience of reality. Essentially, the experience of reality and the ability to think about that experience emerges from the contact between purusha and prakriti. It is interesting to note that Samkhya doesn’t explicitly believe in the existence of God.
In Indian philosophy, there were six proofs developed by which anyone can discern truth. These are:
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Pratyaksha (Perception): What you experience directly through the senses, the most immediate and reliable source. Ex. The feeling of rain.
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Anumana (Inference): What you can logically reason and deduce based on the facts of your experience. Ex. Wet streets means it must have rained last night.
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Upamana (Analogy): What you can understand about reality by relating it to another aspect of reality.
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Arthapatti (Postulation): Based on the above, you can assume the existence of something, tangible or intangible, to clear up any confusion.
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Anupalabdhi (Non-perception): Knowing about something through its absence. If there’s no smoke, then there’s no fire; no trees, therefore no forest and so on…
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Shabda (Reliable Testimony): Lastly, if someone has already done all the above properly you should be able to take their word for it—this refers to enlightened beings as well as scriptures and of course, peer-reviewed journals.
While Samkhya accepts three of six proofs, namely direct perception, inference and reliable testimony, some yoga schools accept all six. Mostly it is the same three methods of proof that yoga uses too.
The Eight-Fold Path (Ashtanga)
The yoga school of philosophy, in its essence, is nearly parallel to the Samkhya school. In their fundamental views of Purush and Prakriti, their acknowledgement of the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas), their focus on liberation as the ultimate goal of practice and in the process overcoming ignorance or avidya, they emerge from the same foundations and aim towards the same goals. Where they diverge is the common diversion between theory and practice.
While Samkhya lays the metaphysical framework, outlining the concepts mentioned above. Yoga builds upon this foundation, offering practical techniques and a systematic path to achieve the liberation described in Samkhya.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is one of the foundational sources for Yoga philosophy, along with Sankara’s Brahmasūtrabhaśya. It was compiled in the early years of this millennium as the Pātañjalayogaśāstra—including a treatise of texts where many Indian scholars of the time wrote their notes and commentary on it. So, in a way, it was peer-reviewed.
The sutras mention the 8 limbs of Yoga, ashtanga. These are:
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Yama (Abstinences or Restraints): These are ethical things or acts one should resist or avoid.
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Niyamas (Personal observances): Ethical disciplines directed towards oneself
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Asana (Posture): Physical postures practiced in yoga (Postural Yoga). While modern yoga focuses heavily on asana, in the context of the 8 limbs, it’s about finding a steady and comfortable seat for meditation.
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Pranayama (Breath control): This involves regulating the breath through various techniques to control prana (vital energy) and calm the mind.
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Pratyahara (Sense withdrawal): Withdrawing the senses from external distractions and turning inwards to one’s inner self or chosen deity.
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Dharana (Concentration): Collecting or focusing the mind on a single point or object.
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Dhyana (Meditation): This is a state of contemplation or continuous flow of consciousness towards the object of concentration.
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Samadhi (Absorption or Stillness): The final stage, a state of complete absorption where the individual consciousness merges with the universal consciousness. There are different kinds of Samadhi, some where a person can come back, some where they cannot.
Yoga philosophy says that the entanglement of Purusha with Prakriti is the root cause of suffering (dukkha) and the cycle of birth and death (samsara). Isn’t this starting to sound like Buddhism? And so, because we persist on ignorance (avidya), our consciousness (purusha) starts to confuse itself with matter (prakriti), mistaking the transient for the eternal. This leads to attachment, aversion, and a continuous cycle of desires and disappointments.
The Modern Relevance of the Ancient
It’s a welcome surprise that this issue was at the core of these philosophies so many centuries ago. Problems that we assume have a modern source, are more likely the perennial malady of the human being. We have always desired, we have always suffered in attachment and we have fluctuated in the spectrum of pleasure and disgust. In so many ways, nothing has changed.
So, the goal (now and back then) is liberation from all this stuff that weighs us down. Moksha, the holy grail of yoga practice, is the ultimate aim. We are told it is like achieving a state of complete freedom and self-realization. This liberation is not an escape from the world but rather a shift in perspective, recognizing the true nature of the Self (with a capital ‘S’) and allowing it to detach from the material realm. But in all this, moksha does not wish to introduce more separation. Once liberated, a being can understand the true nature of reality and how the spiritual and material, like day and night, imply each other.
What’s interesting here is the Samkhya version—it says that it is actually Prakriti (matter) that binds itself to spirit and so it is not to free consciousness (purusha) but to free matter itself.
Quite a fascinating take, for we so easily think it is this consciousness trapped in the body but what if it is the other way around? What if our body is trapped in this cycle of consciousness and only slowly releasing itself through life eventually ending in death? Something to reflect on, an idea that could offer a valuable shift of perspective.
So to truly practice yoga, we can follow some principles. For our ethical and moral concerns towards the outer world (Yamas): we should avoid harming other beings; be honest and truthful; we shouldn’t steal; we should act with integrity to our environment and social circumstance; and finally we should not get attached to our possessions and not covet others’ as well.
Some of these attitudes towards the external world sound very familiar to those mentioned in the commandments of Christianity, or to Confucianism and its emphasis on social harmony and ethical conduct. They naturally share a common element with the Golden Rule, with the precepts of Buddhism and even some elements of Mayan values and Aztec philosophy. This is because we humans aren’t that different in the end. We all do similarly petty things and societies have urged us to transcend our lower natures and live in harmony with each other. These fundamental human values do not belong to any religion or culture but to humanity itself. Therefore, we must remember that this is why societies have continued to exist and these values are what will help society survive.
Some inner values we can attempt to adhere to (Niyamas) are: attempting to be pure in our minds, speech and body; to be content with oneself and with others, fostering a sense of acceptance of our individual circumstances; to persevere and persist in our spiritual practice; to study ourself, to reflect, introspect; and finally to contemplate the True Self, the greater being, the thing above all things that reminds one of a greater unity.
Adi Sankara, the 8th century scholar, described the Yoga school of thought as “Samkhya school with God.” This addition of Ishwara (often translated as ‘divine consciousness’ or ‘universal spirit’) transforms yoga from pure philosophy into a living practice. While scholars have debated Patanjali’s exact meaning of Ishwara, its practical significance is clear: it represents anything that inspires us to transcend our limited sense of self.
This transcendence isn’t about escaping reality but about seeing it more clearly. As the Yoga Vasistha tells us, there are two paths to this clarity – self-knowledge and the restraint of mental conditioning. Modern yoga has largely focused on the latter, but both paths lead to the same destination: a profound understanding of our true nature.
अथ योगानुशासनम् (atha yogānushāsanam) – ‘Here begins the instruction on the practice of Yoga,’ writes Patanjali in the opening line of his Yoga Sutras. These words, written millennia ago, still resonate today. They remind us that yoga is not just an ancient philosophical system but a living tradition that continues to evolve and transform. Whether through physical postures, breath work, meditation, or philosophical inquiry, yoga offers tools for understanding ourselves and our place in the universe.
The journey from its ancient roots to its modern expressions shows us that while methods may change, the essential quest remains the same: to understand who we are beyond our limited identifications, to find peace amid life’s inevitable changes, and to realize our connection to something greater than ourselves.
This understanding of yoga – as both an ancient wisdom tradition and a living, breathing practice – invites us to engage with it not just as exercise or philosophy, but as a comprehensive approach to living with greater awareness and purpose. In this light, every aspect of yoga, from its philosophical foundations to its practical applications, becomes a doorway to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our world.
We can build towards a future without being attached to the fruits of our actions. We can go through life without resorting to control or frustration when things inevitably change. Not only can we overcome challenging situations but also recognize our apparent smallness on the universal scale. Our existential anxiety comes from being a blink in eternity while yoga reminds us we are eternity as well.
I hope you enjoyed this two-part exposition on Yoga. Stay tuned for more and please share this with someone who’d be interested in reading this too.