I first heard of the name of Adiyogi from Sadhguru – a spiritual master and a fantastic human being. If you have been to Isha Yoga Center – a splendid place in Coimbatore, you would have come across 112 feet tall Adiyogi statue. Adiyogi stands in absolute bliss, bearing a fully black skin tone.

Like many, I had innumerous question – who Adiyogi is, when did he live, where does he come from come, what were his teachings. Please continue reading to find the answers.

Who is Adiyogi?

The yogic science describes Adiyogi as the first Yogi, who through his sheer understanding of the life process propounded 112 ways of Yoga.

It is estimated that Adiyogi walked this land from the great Himalayas to the Hindu sagara some 15,000 years ago. As he walked this punya bhoomi, he thought yogic science to his 7 disciples whom we call as Saptarishis today.

No one knows who Adiyogi is, where he came from, or what he looked like. But our sages and gurus spoke about him and his teachings.  He is popularly referenced in this culture as Shiva.

Adiyogi had a profound influence on our culture. Yogic science had such a deep impact on all our lives that even today – knowingly or unknowingly we continue to popularly use yogic mudras in our day-to-day life.  Namaskar, sitting with folded legs, the way we treat water – all of them come from Yogic postures.

Adiyogi and his ecstasy

People in this land saw Adiyogi as an ecstatic being. His face was always glowing like a full moon and his energies were bursting with bliss. People who gathered around him were craving to experience a bit of his infinite ecstasy.

As people gathered around him, Adiyogi sat in a rock - still and unmoved. Many days, weeks, months and years passed. People started leaving one by one and only 7 people remained, whom we now call as the Saptarishis.

There are many wild stories around Adiyogi’s playful behavior during the state of ecstasy.

Ravana, a great disciple of Shiva through his devotion and love for Shiva attained highest human possibilities. One such story goes where Shiva was in a state of ecstasy and Ravana asks Shiva for Parvati (shiva's wife). Drowned in the state of ecstasy, Shiva opens his eyes, looks at Ravana and grants him as he wished.

Shiva asks Parvati to go with Ravana. While taking Parvati down South, Narada Muni appears before Parvati and asks her to take the form of Badra Kali in order to deceive Ravana. Parvathi takes the form of Badra Kali – scaring the shit out of Ravana. Enraged by this, Ravana takes Badra Kali back to Shiva and asks Shiva to take her back and scolds him for deceiving him. On the way back, Ravana finds Mandodari, misunderstands her for Parvathy and marries her.

There are many other interesting such stores about Adiyogi.  Please check out our blogs for more such stories.

Teaching Yoga to Saptarishis

As Adiyogi sat still for many years, people started leaving him one by one. Only seven people remained, who stood by his side waiting for the grace and teachings. Impressed by the dedication of Saptarishis, Adiyogi started teaching the profoundness of yogic science. He thought them 112 ways of yoga – through which human being can attain the highest possibilities of the existence.

Once Saptarishis attained the highest possibilities of existence – bursting with ecstasy and vibrant energy, Adiyogi commanded them to take his message and spread yogic science across the world for the wellbeing of mankind.

Thus, this culture of yoga spread in various parts of the world in various forms. Among the Saptarishis, Agastya Muni walked down south, spreading the message of yoga and wellbeing in South India.

Adiyogi Statue in Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore

As I mentioned earlier, I heard about Adiyogi for the first time from Sadhguru - a spiritual master and a compassionate human being. He has built a magnificent human face of Adiyogi which is considered as one of the largest human faces on earth. The statue stands tall, an incredible 112 feet in height. The statue is completely made of steel, with a black skin tone and the face is just too magnificent to explain. Check out the video from the below link.

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