Word journey
The word yoga
a discipline that yokes body and mind
The journey
| Form | Language | Date | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| *yewg- | Proto-Indo-European (reconstructed) · Proto-Indo-European Religion | undated | to join, to yoke; reconstructed |
| *yáwgas | Proto-Indo-Iranian (reconstructed) | undated | yoking; reconstructed |
| yóga | Vedic Sanskrit · Historical Vedic Religion | 1,200 BCE | yoke, harnessing (Rigveda 5.81.1) |
| yoga | Sanskrit (Panini) · Hinduism | 350 BCE | yoking or concentration, samadhi |
| yoga | English · Hinduism | 1785 CE | Hindu discipline of meditation; later a physical practice |
What is certain and what is not
Yoga is a cognate of English yoke. Panini already gave two possible roots, "to yoke" and "to concentrate"; the commentarial tradition prefers the second.