Yoga is an ancient practice, with Indus Valley art dating from around 5,000 years ago depicting basic yoga poses. Patanjali, the figure associated with the formal compilation of yoga practices, lived nearly 2,000 years ago. This ancient form of yoga is now known as Ashtanga or Raja Yoga. As the population of India grew and spread, yoga diversified into several varieties.

In the 1890s, Swami Vivekananda formalized other types of yoga. The more modern varieties also include Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga, all of which are related to the Bhakti Movement and the Bhagavad Gita. Various yogis have introduced other types, including Hatha Yoga and Kriya Yoga. Hatha Yoga was especially popular in the Western "yoga boom" of the 1960s. Yoga is also often compared to other meditation techniques, including Tantra, Buddhist meditation, and Sufism. Find relevant information about yoga and meditation here.