Who was the first yoga guru?
Lord Shiva
In the yogic lore, Shiva is seen as the first yogi or Adiyogi, and the first Guru or Adi Guru. Several Thousand years ago,
on the banks of the lake Kantisarovar in the Himalayas, Adiyogi poured his profound knowledge into the legendary Saptarishis or "seven sages".
Maharishi Patanjali, rightly called
"The Father of Yoga"
The "father of yoga" is widely recognized as Maharishi Patan-jali, an ancient Indian sage. Не is credited with
systematizing and codifying various aspects of yoga through his Yoga Sutras. These sutras are considered a foundational text in the history of yoga, influencing the development
of Ashtanga Yoga, a popular eight-fold path. While some sources also consider Tirumalai Krishnamacharya to be a "father of modern yoga" due to his efforts in reviving traditional
yoga practices, Maharishi Patanjali is generally acknowledged as the figure who systematized and formalized the prac-tice.
Sanskrit Root:
The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj," which means "to join," "to yoke," or "to unite".