But it wasn't until the 19th and 20th centuries that it became popular in the Western world, introduced by Indian gurus, most prominently a Hindu monk named Swami Vivekananda.
Vivekananda touted the philosophies of yoga to intrigued English audiences in the 1890s. Later he was involved in developing yoga, which didn't originally include standing poses, as a form of exercise.
The 1930s through to the 1950s were dominated by Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. An Indian yoga teacher and scholar, he is considered the father of modern yoga and credited with introducing gymnastics and upright positions into practices. His students went on to become teachers, spreading his methods and popularising yoga in the Western world.
By the late 60s, yoga had caught the attention of Hollywood celebrities and over the next 20 years and beyond, it moved from a focus on spiritual liberation to a way to achieve relaxation and improve fitness and physique.
In 2018, a New York Times article asked: did yoga really exist before Madonna? It goes on to detail how fundamental the pop star was in spearheading a resurgence in the practice's popularity in the 21st century.
Now yoga has found a home online. For yogis looking to teach the masses, YouTube has become the perfect platform. It's a go-to for anyone wanting to avoid both paying for lessons and the embarrassment of letting one slip in a class full of people. Or falling asleep and waking yourself up with a loud snort, as I once did.
The science
Early scientific research around the impacts of yoga was published in 1975 in The Lancet. It claimed practicing yoga for relaxation was effective in reducing high blood pressure.
But that was a small study and academics have noted a lack of bigger or longitudinal studies may be because yoga is a difficult subject to define. A Vox article quotes Karen Sherman, a researcher affiliated with America's Group Health Research Institute as saying: "Yoga is many things to many people," ostensibly referring to the vast differences in the calm of yin yoga, the intensity of Bikram, and everything in between.
The reality
I live a busy but sedentary life. During the work week, exercise doesn't go beyond walking two blocks from the bus to the office and back. I sit at my desk all day, in a mental frenzy for the most part. When I get home I cook to wind down, sit to eat, then lie down for the remainder of the evening, with a screen, sometimes two. Physically, it's a sloth's life, and one I'm acutely aware I need to make some changes to.
Having failed at introducing a once or twice a week workout, I wondered if going all in with a 30-day challenge might be what I needed.
It took me about 10 days to get started.
I know, I know. But from the first session, I was hooked. So much so that I let the video roll on to day two's class as well. It was that good. What was most surprisingly satisfying about it was that it made me feel calm. Simple stretches and basic head rolls revealed my shoulders had been living up around my ears. And Mishler's Texan drawl instructing me to clear my mind and simply breathe "in through the nose and out through the mouth" had an instant impact on my stress levels.
As I progressed through the daily sessions, strenuous elements were built in, loosely following a vinyasa flow style - think downward dog, cobra and warrior poses - and left me feeling the burn for a couple of days afterwards.
I quickly found myself genuinely looking forward to indulging in a 20-30 minute session after work. And physically I felt stronger and more invigorated for the rest of my day.
The verdict
It's an extremely approachable way to get moving, I'll definitely try to keep this up, if not for the exercise then for the bit of time it's meant I'm setting aside to just calm the hell down after a hectic day and uncoil myself mentally and physically.
