Adiyogi refers to the first yogi (Practitioner of Yoga), who is the originator of Yoga. In the yogic culture, Shiva is known as the Adiyogi: The first Yogi and the originator of Yoga. That’s why lord Shiva is known as the Adiyogi: The source of Yoga. By the means of Yoga, one can attain ultimate nature.
The origin of Yoga
Around 15,000 years ago, a yogi appeared in the upper regions of the Himalayas. He was the first yogi, Shiva-The originator of Yoga. Nobody knew where he came from but people gathered around him because of his phenomenal presence. He sat still, did nothing, said nothing simply sat for months.
Neither he was saying anything nor he did do anything, this made people frustrated and they moved on from there. Even after this only, seven people stayed there, and today we know these seven people as ‘Sapta Rishis’.
Those seven people were the first disciples of the Adiyogi. These seven people stayed there and showed interest but Adiyogi said this is not for entertainment. Even after this they showed their willingness and told the yogi that they are willing to do anything.
Adiyogi gave them some steps to do so and they practised for many years. One day when Solstice was shifting and Sun turned South, he turned South as well and gave the teachings and explained the mechanics of being human.
A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly. This event happens twice a year.
South Solstice happens to be on the 21st of June every year and this was the day when Adiyogi gave his teachings. On 21st June 2015, the United Nations declared ‘International Yoga Day’ because 21st June was the day when Yoga began.
Shiva told the 112 ways by which one can attain his ultimate nature. Yogic culture, even today follows these 112 ways told by the Adiyogi. Different yogis have tried to explore other ways but they couldn’t.
Purpose of the Yoga
What is the purpose of doing Yoga? Is it to perform some yoga postures/positions to attain physical flexibility, peace, or any other thing that most of us believe to be the purpose of Yoga? No, the true purpose of Yoga is to explore the true potential of an individual. Yoga is the means by which, one can explore his true potential.
For Example, if an individual is stuck in a situation where his life is in threat, he reacts and does something that he has never done before or never thought of doing, But he did it in that situation because he felt the need for it to save himself.
Likewise, this human body can do a lot of things that need to be explored. Yoga is the medium by which, an individual can explore his true potential.
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The purpose of Yoga is to explore the full capabilities of the human body. The ultimate goal of Yoga is to unite one’s soul with Brahman, the ultimate truth.
“When the five senses are stilled, when the mind Is stilled, when the intellect is stilled.” That is called the highest state by the wise. By doing Yoga, we learn to control our senses, mind, and intellect.
Different types of the Yoga
People have different temperaments and need so, there are different paths to the Brahman in Yoga. People can follow the path based on their temperament and they can get to the Brahman. All these paths are categorized under four practices, Gyan Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga.
Gyan Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge
Gyan Yoga: The Yoga of knowledge, meditating on scriptural teachings. By doing Gyan Yoga one can realize the truth from untruth. Through Viveka (Gyan or knowledge) one can differentiate between eternal and temporal by experiencing inner knowledge.
Karma Yoga: The Yoga of Service
Karma Yoga: The Yoga of service, According to Karma Yoga one can reach Brahman by doing selfless service and acknowledging the divinity in everyone. In Karma, all acts of service are regarded as an act of worship.
Bhagavad Gita says that the best form of service is the service, in which the individual is not attached to its fruit, where the service is done selflessly.
Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Devotion
Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Devotion, According to Bhakti yoga one can reach Brahman by devotion, expressed through singing, dancing, chanting, and listening to the praise of the divine.
Nine primary forms of Bhakti, explained by Prahlada in Bhagavata Purana are as follows:
- Listening to God’s praise
- Singing
- Chanting
- Rendering Service
- worshipping a murthi
- Paying homage
- Servitude
- Friendship, and
- Complete surrender of the self to the Divine
Raja Yoga: The Yoga of Meditation
Raja Yoga: The Yoga of Dhyana (Meditation), In this form of Yoga one has to focus on meditation, and an individual has to prepare his mind for meditation. One can prepare his mind and body by doing Pranayam.
Benefits of Doing Yoga
In today’s busy life we all are living a hectic life, no matter who we are, a student, business person, homemaker, etc. We all are going through some kind of tension or anxiety.
To live a healthy life one has to get rid of all the stress, whether it is Mental or Physical. People should understand that peace of mind is very important for living a healthy life.
If I have to suggest to you one thing that can help you in getting rid of all the stress, anxiety, etc. issues associated with daily life, that one thing would be Yoga.
Through Yoga, one can explore his true potential and attain peace of mind. Yoga is the magic that can boost your confidence, help attain peace, and get rid of all the stress in life.
By doing yoga, we train our body and mind to relieve stress, anxiety, etc. This training of body and mind can help you in overcoming any problem in life.
No matter, what the situation is our minds will be trained to be cool and calm and can handle any situation. Yoga has a lot of health benefits as well. Yoga improves the flexibility and strength of the body.
We all must have heard that ‘Health Is Wealth’ which means, the greatest wealth of an individual is his health. We can keep our body healthy, Physically and mentally just by including Yoga in our daily routine.
Conclusion
Shiva was the first Yogi, the originator of Yoga. Shiva discovered and taught 112 ways by which one can attain his ultimate nature. Purpose of the Yoga is to explore the true potential of an individual.
The ultimate goal of Yoga is to unite one’s soul with Brahman, the ultimate truth. Yoga is the magic that can boost your confidence, help attain peace, and get rid of all the stress in life.
Excellent! Thank you for opening my eyes into Indian history.
Thank You! Glad you like it.