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The earliest form of yoga first appeared in ancient India, and was turned into an organised descipline by Patamjli, widely considered to be the founder of classic yoga, around the time of the beginning of the Christian era.
Patamjli set out 8 aspects of yoga in his Yoga Sutra, and compared them to the branches of a tree: Yama (the ability to communicate actions with non-violence), Niyama (the practice of removing all impurities from the body and the mind and finding serenity), Asana (postures), Pranayama (controlled breathing), Pratyahna (relaxation during which the mind is capable of holding onto a thought without straying from it), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (the ultimate goal to achieve: freedom).
The word yoga means 'union' in Sanskrit, the literary language of ancient India. Yoga combines different spiritual and physical techniques: meditation, control of your emotions, concentration, breathing and postures. There are many different disciplines, but all are based on the same principle.
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