Yoga (/'jo?g?/; Sanskrit: ???

, Listen) is a physical, mental, and spiritual prac

tice or discipline. There is a broad variety of schools, practices and goals[1]
in Hinduism, Buddhism (including Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism[2][3][4]) and Ja
inism.[5][6][7][6] The best-known are Hatha yoga and Raja yoga.
The origins of Yoga have been speculated to date back to pre-Vedic Indian tradit
ions, but most likely developed around the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, in anc
ient India's ascetic circles, which are also credited with the early sramana mov
ements.[8][note 1] The chronology of earliest texts describing yoga-practices is
unclear, varyingly credited to Hindu Upanishads[9] and Buddhist Pali Canon,[10]
probably of third century BCE or later. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali from first
half of 1st millennium CE is one of a key surviving major texts on Yoga.[11][12
] Hatha yoga texts emerged around 11th century CE, and in its origins was relate
d to Tantrism.[13][14]
Yoga gurus from India later introduced yoga to the west,[15] following the succe
ss of Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th and early 20th century.[15] In the 1980
s, yoga became popular as a system of physical exercise across the Western world
.[14] Yoga in Indian traditions, however, is more than physical exercise, it has
a meditative and spiritual core.[16] One of the six major orthodox schools of H
induism is also called Yoga, which has its own epistemology and metaphysics, and
is closely related to Hindu Samkhya philosophy.[17]
Many studies have tried to determine the effectiveness of yoga as a complementar
y intervention for cancer, schizophrenia, asthma, and heart disease. The results
of these studies[18][19] have been mixed and inconclusive, with cancer studies
suggesting none to unclear effectiveness, and others suggesting yoga may reduce
risk factors and aid in a patient's psychological healing process.
Contents [hide]
1 Terminology
2 Goal of Yoga
3 Schools of Yoga
3.1 Buddhism
3.2 Hinduism
3.2.1 Yoga (Philosophy)
3.2.2 Hatha yoga
3.2.3 Shaivism
3.3 Jainism
3.4 Tantra
3.5 Modern wellness
4 History
4.1 Origins (before 500 BCE)
4.1.1 Pre-Vedic India
4.1.1.1 Indus Valley Civilisation (before 1900 BCE)
4.1.2 Vedic civilisation (1700-500 BCE)
4.1.2.1 North-eastern India (before 500 BCE)
4.2 Vedic period (1700-500 BCE)
4.2.1 Textual references
4.2.2 Vedic ascetic practices
4.3 Preclassical era (500-200 BCE)
4.3.1 Upanishads
4.3.2 Greek historical texts
4.3.3 Early Buddhist texts
4.3.4 Uncertainty with chronology
4.3.5 Bhagavad Gita
4.3.6 Mahabharata
4.4 Classical era (200 BCE
500 CE)
4.4.1 Raja yoga
4.4.1.1 Samkhya

4.4.1.2 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

4.4.2 Yoga Yajnavalkya
4.4.3 Jainism
4.4.4 Yogacara school
4.5 Middle Ages (500 1500 CE)
4.5.1 Bhakti movement
4.5.2 Tantra
4.5.2.1 Vajrayana Buddhism
4.5.3 Hatha Yoga
4.5.4 Sikhism
4.6 Modern history
4.6.1 Reception in the West
4.6.2 Medicine
4.6.2.1 Potential benefits for adults
4.6.2.2 Physical injuries
4.6.2.3 Pediatrics
5 Yoga physiology
6 Yoga compared with other systems of meditation
6.1 Zen Buddhism
6.2 Tibetan Buddhism
6.3 Christian meditation
6.4 Islam
7 International Yoga Day
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
11 Sources
12 External links