The word ‘Yoga’ means ‘union’, or ‘to link together’. Yoga is based on the belief that the body and breath are intimately connected with the mind.
Thus Yoga has a positive effect on all these elements of our being. It stresses the importance of containing the activity, the mental ‘chit chat’ of the mind, and learning to focus and direct the mind.
It dates back over 5,000 years, to ancient India. The beginnings of Yoga were developed by the Indus Valley civilisation in Northern India. It was then expanded on in the Vedas, (Hindu Religious texts).
Yoga shares some characteristics with Hinduism but also with Buddhism. Other key texts include Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.