Most people who practise a seated twist have never heard of the yogi it’s named after. Matsyendrāsana, the “pose of Matsyendra”, honours a teacher whose story, along with that of his student Gorakhnath, runs through the history of hatha yoga, and through the hills and valleys of Nepal.
The Nath yogis
The Nath (Nātha, “lord”) tradition is a lineage of Shaiva yogis that took shape in medieval India and the Himalaya. Nath yogis are known for their large earrings, worn through the split cartilage of the ear, which earned them the name kānphaṭā, “split-eared”. They are wandering ascetics, keepers of fire and teachers of the body as a path to liberation.
The tradition honours a line of perfected masters (siddhas) beginning with Shiva himself as Ādinātha, the “first lord”, and then:
- Matsyendranath, remembered as the first human teacher
- Gorakhnath, his student, the most celebrated Nath of all
Historians place Gorakhnath roughly between the 11th and 13th centuries. Like many saints, he’s surrounded by legend, and dates are uncertain.
How they shaped hatha yoga
Hatha yoga, the yoga of the body and breath, owes a great deal to the Naths. Several early hatha texts are attributed to Gorakhnath, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written around the 15th century and still the best-known hatha manual, opens its list of great masters with Matsyendra and Goraksha.
For the Naths, the body wasn’t something to perfect for its own sake. Postures, breath control, seals (mudrā) and locks (bandha) were ways to steady and transform the body so that the mind could be stilled and awareness freed. The Pradipika says it directly: hatha yoga is a stairway to raja yoga, the yoga of the mind.
Seen this way, much of what you do in a modern class traces back, through many changes, to these Himalayan yogis, who practised it as a spiritual discipline, not a workout.
Gorakhnath in Nepal
Few places carry Gorakhnath’s name like Nepal.
Gorkha. The hill town of Gorkha, west of Kathmandu, is named after him. Below the old Gorkha Durbar, the palace of the Shah kings who went on to unify Nepal in the 18th century, is a cave shrine to Gorakhnath. The Shah kings honoured him as their patron saint, and his name appeared on Nepal’s coins. The word Gurkha, now known worldwide for Nepal’s soldiers, comes from Gorkha, and so from the yogi.
Machhindranath. In the Kathmandu Valley, Matsyendranath is worshipped as Machhindranath, a god of rain and harvest honoured by Hindus and Buddhists alike (who see him as a form of Karunamaya, the compassionate one). Every year, a towering chariot of Rato Machhindranath is pulled through the streets of Patan for weeks, one of the oldest and largest festivals in the valley.
A well-known legend ties the two together. Gorakhnath, offended at not being honoured in the valley, sat in meditation on the serpents that bring the rain, and drought followed. To end it, the king brought Matsyendranath to the valley. Gorakhnath rose to greet his teacher, the serpents were freed, and the rains returned.
Why it matters for yoga today
When people say yoga is ancient, they’re usually thinking of Patanjali. But the body-based practice most people actually do comes much more directly from the hatha traditions of the Naths, and many of their stories, shrines and living practitioners are still found in the Himalaya.
That’s part of what “Himalayan roots” means on this site: not a marketing word, but places you can walk to.
Where to go next
Questions people ask
Who was Gorakhnath?
Gorakhnath (Gorakṣanātha) was a medieval yogi, honoured as a founder of the Nath tradition and a central figure in the development of hatha yoga. Historians place him roughly between the 11th and 13th centuries, though dates are uncertain.
Is Gorkha in Nepal named after Gorakhnath?
Yes. The hill town of Gorkha, the original seat of the Shah kings who unified Nepal, takes its name from Gorakhnath, whose cave shrine lies just below the old palace. The word Gurkha, for Nepal's famous soldiers, comes from Gorkha.
Who was Matsyendranath?
Matsyendranath is remembered as Gorakhnath's teacher and the first human teacher of the Nath line. In Nepal's Kathmandu Valley he's worshipped as Machhindranath, and honoured each year in the great chariot festival of Rato Machhindranath in Patan.
Is the yoga pose Matsyendrasana named after Matsyendranath?
Yes. The seated twist Matsyendrasana, the 'pose of Matsyendra', is named after him and described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
Sources and further reading
- James Mallinson, 'Nāth Saṃpradāya', in Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2011)
- Svatmarama, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 1
- David Gordon White, The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India (University of Chicago Press, 1996)