Wok wv { ee first a s eee cored by the Indus-Saraswati river valley civilisation Were ect yore Yoga was first mentioned in the oldest collection of texts containing, songs, mantras and Yoga was slowly refined and developed by the Brahmans and the Y. in the Upanishads, a huge work containing over 200 ‘Ogic scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita, composed around 50 idea of ritual sacrifice from the Vedas and internalised it, tead self-knowledge, action (karma yoga) and wisdom (Jnana yoga):5,2 Elements of Yoga In Patanjali 's Yoga Sutras, the eightfold Path is called ashtanga, which literally means “eight limbs” (oshta = eight, anga = limb). These eight steps are a guideline on how to live a good life. The focus is on moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline. These are designed to improve health and benefit in spiritual areas of our lives. The first four stages of Patanjali’s ashtanga Yoga concentrate on refining, the body and developing an energetic awareness of ourselves, rocess which deals with the senses, the mind and attaining a our personalities, gaining mastery over to prepare for the second half of this p higher state of consciousness, Mhus, for all practical purposes, Yoga consists of eight separate branches as given below: Yama— Restraints, moral disciplines or moral vows * Niyama—Positive duties or observances + Asana—Posture + Pranayama—Breathing techniques * Pratyahara—Sense withdrawal * Dharana—Focused concentration + Dhyana— Meditative absorption * Samadhi-— Bliss or enlightenment — . Yama