Where does Yoga come from?

Yoga is both a spiritual practice and a physical discipline. Many practitioners of yoga see these two strands as inseparable whilst others focus either more on the physical side or more on the spiritual side.

People practising yoga can be found in all corners of the globe. Some do so for spiritual awakening, whilst others do so for their health. Nevertheless, all of them are practising a discipline that first originated in ancient India.

The practice of yoga is estimated to be around six thousand years old. However, the earliest main texts that we have that relate to yoga were written some time between 400 BCE and 200 CE. These texts are the Bhagavad Gita. They are texts that are sacred to the Hindu religion, and so we can say that yoga is closely allied to this religion right at its very source.

Yoga is also allied with Jainism and Buddhism, and indeed yoga practices can be followed by anyone, no matter what their religion is.