Yoga actually originated in the Indus Valley in what is now Pakistan thousands of years ago. Ancient seals have been found that depict figures in meditation postures and many archaeologists believe this is the beginning of the practice of Yoga. Though there is some controversy regarding Yoga's true origins, Patanjali, an Indian scholar who lived in the second century B.C., is considered the father of Yoga.

Patanjali seems to have developed his system from Samkya which is the oldest of the classic systems of Hindu philosophy. Yoga is now also considered to be one of the six classic systems of Hindu thought. Yoga has had a strong influence upon the rest of Hindu thought and the religions of India and the East, including Buddhism.

It is said that Yoga is a series of techniques or disciplines of asceticism and meditation that lead to the understanding of existence, the one true self called Brahma. The Hindu writings discussing different aspects of yoga include the Bhagavad-Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali which are refined from the Upanishads, Hatha Yoga, the Yoga of postures, Shiva Samhita and Siddha Yoga which is a new refinement brought to the West by Baba Muktananda in the twentieth century. Other forms of Yoga or "ways," are Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Maja Yoga, the Yoga of meditation.

Today, Yoga, in its many forms, can be found all over the world and is enjoyed in many ways by many cultures.