It is believed that yoga began to develop between 3300 and 1900 BC, in the ancient Indian scriptures called Vedas, especially in the Upanishads, a set of Indian religious and philosophical texts composed in Sanskrit language from the IX-8th century BC, until the 4th century BC. 

Initially yoga was primarily a philosophical and spiritual practice, developed by sages and ascetics, to achieve spiritual enlightenment and self-realization; the term “yoga” in fact comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj,” meaning union or connection, and refers to the connection between body, mind and spirit. 

Over the millennia, different schools of thought and traditions have contributed to the development of the system of yogic practices.