Potentials of Vedic epistemology for the practice of yoga in the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System)

Abstract

The Westernization, scientification, and
technologization of yoga have led to a dissociation
from elements of its original culture, favoring an
empirical approach aligned with the biomedical
language. These epistemological shifts have resulted
in the loss of yoga as a path to soteriological
knowledge, reducing the oral and symbolic aspects
of the Vedic tradition to practices that are often
decontextualized or inadequately interpreted.
This study aimed to present certain aspects of the
epistemology of this tradition and based on its
understanding, offer possible contributions to the
improvement of yoga practice within the SUS (Brazil’s
Unified Health System). Adopting a theoreticalhermeneutic
and decolonial approach, the research
is grounded in an immersion in the scriptures of the
Vedic tradition, including the Bhagavad Gītā and
the Upaniṣads, to explore Sanskrit concepts such as
śabda and pramāṇa. In the Vedic context, epistemic
validation is experiential, personal, and selfevident,
with soteriological knowledge manifesting
through the inner transformation of the subject
by overcoming ignorance and suffering. Drawing
from the Vedic tradition, this study advocates for
pedagogical enhancements to yoga within the SUS
that encompass relational, ethical, and collective
dimensions of experience, with yoga classes
providing spaces for the sharing and discussion of
affections, desires, needs, and sociocultural values
that impact both individual and collective health—
thus establishing a new field of learning and dialogue.