Two general theories exist on the origins of yoga. There is a wide variety of schools of yoga, practices, and goals in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and traditional and modern yoga is practiced worldwide. Yoga ( / ˈ j oʊ ɡ ə/ ( listen) Sanskrit: योग, lit.'yoke' or 'union' pronounced ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciousness untouched by the mind ( Chitta) and mundane suffering ( Duḥkha). Statue of Shiva meditating in the lotus position
