Yoga emerged over 5000 years ago. Its origins can be traced to India, where it appeared in the time of forest dwellers known as Rishis, wise men who lived in the Indus Valley. They observe the nature and formulated exercises and postures which man has attained harmony with oneself and the balance between the energy of the body, mind and spirit. Around 400 BC, the Indian scholar and philosopher Patañjali penned a comprehensive rule book, the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, in which he presented yoga as a philosophical-religious system and gave exhaustive instructions on meditation. The Yoga Sūtras consist of 195 short aphorisms known as sūtras. The underlying idea of the different aspects of yoga exercises is reuniting one’s ego (Jiva) with absolute or pure consciousness (Brahman).