English 'yoga' comes directly from Sanskrit 'yoga' (union, yoking, discipline), from the root 'yuj' (to yoke), from PIE *yewg- — the same root that gave English 'yoke,' Latin 'iugum,' and Greek 'zugón,' revealing that the ancient practice of yoga is etymologically the 'yoking' or harnessing of the mind.
A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline involving breath control, meditation, and specific bodily postures, widely practised for health and relaxation.
From Sanskrit 'yoga' (योग), meaning 'union, yoking, discipline,' from the root 'yuj' (to yoke, to join, to harness). The term appears in the Rigveda (c. 1500–1200 BCE) in the sense of 'yoking' draught animals, and by the time of the Upanishads (c. 800–200 BCE) it had acquired its spiritual meaning of disciplined union of the self with the divine. The Sanskrit root 'yuj' is a direct cognate of Latin 'iungere' and English 'yoke,' all from PIE
English 'yoga' and English 'yoke' are cognates — both descend from PIE *yewg- (to yoke, to join). The metaphor embedded in 'yoga' is that of harnessing or yoking the mind, just as one yokes an ox. Latin 'iugum' (yoke) gave English 'conjugal' (yoked together) and 'subjugate' (to bring under the yoke).