Shiv- the source of energy

Shiva and Yoga

Lord Shiva is the original light of reality and the immortal life force.

Lord Shiva, among the great deities of Hinduism, most personifies the practice of yoga. As Yogeshwar, the great lord of yoga, he rules over all aspects of yoga relative to body, mind and consciousness.

Shiva is the lord of asana practice with 84 lakhs of asanas said to have derived from his movements. As Nataraj, the lord of the dance, his dance and gestures also reflect yoga postures.

Shiva symbolises the immortal Prana, the undying force of eternal existence. He is honoured as Mrityunjaya, the one who conquers death. Tantric yoga teachings about Prana relate to Shiva, who holds the inner power of pranayama.

Shiva is the source of all mantras. He is Omkara, the primordial cosmic sound, and from his drum all the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet reverberate.

Shiva is the lord of meditation, depicted seated in deep meditation. In his Dakshinamurti or youthful form, he is the teacher of Jnana Yoga, the yoga of knowledge, through the power of the silent mind, enlightening all the great Rishis.

Shiv Teaching Yoga to Parvati first time

Shastras say that Lord Shiva first imparted his knowledge on Yoga and meditation to his wife Parvati. It is only after this that the cosmic joining of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati happened. On the night of their union Shiva and Parvati started the dance of mystic love. It is described as “ujyate anena iti yogah” which means One that joins is yoga.

On the night when Lord Shiva for the first time shared the secrets of Yoga to his wife, he became the Adi Guru of Yoga. He taught Parvati 84 Asanas of Yoga which belong to the Vedic parampara. These 84 Asanas have the power to give the person the best of the Rajyoga. Now, what Rajyoga is? Basically, these Yogic positions eradicate the doshas in a person’s life and confer their most auspicious results. This enables the person to remain healthy, wealthy, happy and successful.

The eternal love Shiva had for Parvati was so strong that he never wanted to share these Yogic secrets with anyone else except her. However, Goddess Parvati being the symbol of care and affection could not take the sufferings of the people and wanted to share this miraculous secret with them. She believed that the introduction of Vedic Yoga in a proper manner will rectify many miseries of the world.
Lord Shiva was quite reluctant about this act of spreading the knowledge. He thought that the mankind does not have the understanding to respect these cosmic powers. But, with her loving approach Parvati persuaded the God for the same.
 
Then came the creation of Sapt Rishis who were trained and prepared to spread it further. Lord Shiva himself took the initiative and made the Rishis attain 18 Siddhas. These 18 siddhas imparted the divine knowledge to us earthlings. It is believed that this teaching of the 7 Rishis happened on the banks of Kanti Sarovar, near Kedarnath.
This night is celebrated today as Mahashivratri. On this night the planetary positions in the northern hemisphere are such that there is a natural upsurge of energies. If one just stays awake and keeps one’s spine erect throughout the night, it naturally pushes a person towards his spiritual peak.