where did yoga originate

Yoga originated in ancient India over 5,000 years ago. The earliest mentions of yoga appear in ancient sacred Indian texts called the Vedas, especially the Rig Veda, which is one of the oldest collections of hymns and mantras. Yogic practices were refined and developed by sages and Rishis who documented them in texts like the Upanishads. Legendary accounts in yogic lore also attribute the origin of yoga to the figure Shiva, considered the first yogi, who passed down knowledge to seven sages who spread it further. Yoga's roots likely extend back even further, with connections to the Indus Valley Civilization (around 3500-1500 BCE), but its fullest cultural expression was developed in the Indian subcontinent. The practice encompasses physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines aimed at achieving union of the self with the higher self, which is reflected in the Sanskrit meaning of the word "yoga" ("to unite").