Yoga is referred to in the ancient texts of the Vedas when men were interested in the quest for knowledge and self- realization. They realized that when all the sensory organs and the mind were in complete alignment, they felt a state of calmness, which they defined as 'Yoga'. Thus 'Tapa' - Rigorous Austerity, Meditation and Supernatural Awareness became yoga. However, this was a highly puritanical view of yoga.

Around 200 BC, Rishi Patanjali, compiled and refined the system of yoga. He was the first person to put into writing all the verbal teachings of yoga, which came to be known as the 'Yoga Sutras'. He laid down 8 steps of classical yoga. They include: