Shivabalayogi

Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj (24 January 1935 – 28 March 1994) is a yogi who claimed to have attained self-realization through twelve years of arduous tapas, meditating in samādhi (state of total absorption) for an average of twenty hours a day.After he completed tapas, he was given the name Shivabalayogi, which means “Yogi devoted to Shiva and Parvati.” In Hinduism, Shiva is God in the form of a yogi. Bala (Sanskrit: child) is one of the many names for Parvati, God in the form of a yogini. The name reflects that Shivabalayogi is a manifestation of both the male and female aspects of the divine (Ardhanarishwara). Generally, devotees called him simply “Swamiji” meaning “respected Master”.
For three decades he traveled extensively in India and Sri Lanka, initiating over ten million people into dhyana meditation. From 1987 to 1991, he traveled in England and the United States. Shivabalayogi’s teaching is based on the Vedanta, emphasizing the need for sadhana (spiritual practice) to achieve Self-realization.