Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda

Nithyananda had the privilege of studying yoga as a young boy under the tutelage of Yogiraj Maharishi Raghupati Yogi. Raghupati Yogi had attained complete Mastery over Yoga, and would express many different powers of Yoga. He had amazing strength and unimaginable physical power, which he expressed so casually. He would tie an iron rope around his chest and exhale deeply; the rope would shatter into pieces! Nithyananda himself has witnessed the great Yogi levitating, not once or twice but at dozens of times. Raghupati Yogi would inhale deeply and hold his breath. The moment he did that the body would lift from the ground!

Raghupati Yogi would emphasize that the optimal period to truly imbibe the truths of Yoga so that they become a solid experience, is before the age of 14; accordingly, he trained Nithyananda starting from age 3 for a period of 10 full years. Raghupati Yogi taught Nithyananda traditional Yoga postures (asanas), breathing practices (pranayama), and meditation. To prepare Nithyananda’s body for its great work ahead, Raghupati Yogi also taught purifying Yogic Kriyas (techniques) and other esoteric and secret Yogic methods, such as techniques to resist hunger and thirst. This knowledge would prove to be invaluable during the intense later years Nithyananda spent wandering as a renunciant in harsh conditions.

Besides Yoga practices, Raghupati Yogi also trained Nithyananda in vigorous exercise. He would have Nithyananda climb, with only one hand, the twenty tall stone pillars in the temple hall where he trained. Nithyananda could never understand the logic behind such unusual training, and, he jokes, He is yet to find a reference in any classical Yoga texts that mentions that climbing pillars is Yogic technique.

Raghupati Yogi would at times tell Nithyananda to be silent and be peaceful. Then he would immediately instruct Him to run around the 25 acre temple while holding onto that idea strongly. Nithyananda used to think this was quite contradictory. However, by the time Nithyananda had finished running, the idea of peace would become deeply rooted and recorded in His system.

Nithyananda explains the rationale behind such unusual with this revolutionary concept, 'Our body itself is made out of memory. Our muscles store memory. Whether we believe it or not, accept it or not, we are an expression of our own self-hypnosis. Even if you strongly believe that by only sitting you will have health, and you sit just for health, simply good health will happen in you.'