Yoga is a system that benefits the body, mind, and spirit by teaching self-control through a series of exercises, as well as through breathing, relaxation, and meditation techniques.

The goal of yoga is to help the practitioner attain his or her complete physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual potential. Yoga also attempts to restore the whole person to balance and to improve and maintain good health.

Yoga is an ancient practice that has undergone a major revival in the late 20th century, especially in the West. The recovery of seals from the Indus Valley that date to around 2000 BC, showing people in recognizable yoga positions, suggests that yoga was practiced at least that early; however, some scholars believe yoga was practiced as early as 4000 BC. Yoga did not gain much attention in the United States until the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago when the charismatic Swami Vivekananda gave a much-publicized...