There is considerable evidence to support the idea that the images show “a form of ritual discipline, suggesting a precursor of yoga” according to archaeologist Gregory Possehl. He points to sixteen other specific “yogi glyptics” in the corpus of Mature Harappan artifacts as pointing to Harappan devotion to “ritual discipline and concentration.” These images show that the yoga pose “may have been used by deities and humans alike.” Possehl suggests that yoga goes back to the Indus Valley Civilization.

The most widely known of these images was named the “Pashupati seal”by its discoverer, John Marshall, who believed that it represented a “proto-Shiva” figure. Many modern authorities discount the idea that this “Pashupati” (Lord of Animals, Sanskrit pasupati) represents a Shiva or Rudra figure. Gavin Flood also characterizes these views as “speculative”, saying that it is not clear from the ‘Pashupati’ seal that the figure is seated in a yoga posture, or that the shape is intended to represent a human figure. Authorities who support the idea that the ‘Pashupati’ figure shows a figure in a yoga or meditation posture include Archaeologist Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, current Co-director of the Harappa Archaeological Research Project in Pakistan and Indologist Heinrich Zimmer.