Shiva’s story begins in a tiny room in southern India.
Long before students from around the world travelled to Kerala to study yoga with him, long
before the rooftop yoga shala overlooking the palms and the sea, long before the teacher
trainings, the retreats and the school that feels like home, there was only a small house in
Trivandrum and a young boy searching for meaning.
The house was simple and small, even by local standards.
A narrow hallway connected a small kitchen to two tiny rooms. This was actually the house
of his grandparents. Later, another room and a private bathroom were added, that he shared
with his parents and sister growing up. The room Deepu, his birthname, moved into by the
age of 14 was so small that it could fit little more than a bed and a few belongings. There
was no desk, no private sanctuary, no place to dream in comfort. Yet it was in this unlikely
environment that the seeds of his future life were planted.
His parents’ relationship was turbulent, marked by financial hardship, emotional pain, and
instability. His father worked in a government position, seemingly creating financial security,
but battled alcoholism throughout most of his life. On his small income, there was rarely
security for the family. The atmosphere at home was often tense. As a child, Shiva learned
early that life could be unpredictable. Questions many people spend their entire lives
avoiding he started asking himself at a very young age:
Who am I?
Why am I here?
What is the purpose of this life?
For most teenagers, these questions remain distant. For Shiva, they became impossible to
ignore. Around the age of fifteen, while many of his friends were focused on ordinary
teenage concerns, he became fascinated by spirituality. He began visiting temples dedicated
to Lord Shiva, he spent hours chanting mantras, he meditated, he sat in silence. And slowly,
something began to change. The world around him remained the same, but his experience
of it transformed. The practices gave him moment of peace he had never known before.
They opened a doorway into a deeper reality, one that felt more authentic than the chaos
surrounding him. The connection became so powerful that eventually he made a decision
that surprised many people around him. He left behind the name he had been given at birth.
Deepu became Shiva. To him, it was not merely a change of name. It was a commitment to
a different path. A new identity rooted not in his past but in the person he felt called to
become.
Not everyone understood. In fact, some people strongly opposed it. The more he devoted
himself to spirituality, the more tension developed at home. Eventually, that tension reached
a breaking point. At an age when most young people still depend entirely on their families,
Shiva found himself forced to leave home. He had no savings. No plan. No guarantee of
what would happen next. Only a deep inner conviction that somehow life would guide him
forward. So he left and walked to Varkala. At the time, he could not have imagined that this
small coastal town would one day become the center of his life’s work and change so many
lives. Nor could he have imagined the challenges that still lay ahead.
The years that followed were defined by uncertainty. To survive, Shiva accepted whatever
work he could find. He worked in restaurants, in construction, in electronics. He learned
stone and cement craftsmanship. Most jobs paid very little and some barely paid at all,
sometimes only in exchange for some food. Yet every experience taught him something.
Every challenge strengthened him. Every setback refined his character. At the same time,
his spiritual practice continued. If anything, hardship deepened it. One of the most unusual
chapters of his early years involved sitting in meditation outside a restaurant where he
worked. The owners did not always appreciate it. Tourists, however, were fascinated. People
began stopping to ask questions. Conversations emerged. Discussions about philosophy,
consciousness, meditation, and the deeper dimensions of life became a regular part of his
days.
Without realizing it, Shiva was already becoming a teacher. Not through certificates, nor
trainings he could not afford anyways. But through presence and experience. Around this
same period, another passion entered his life: Dance. Contemporary dance offered a
different language for exploring the human experience. Movement became another form of
meditation. Another way of expressing what words could not. Eventually yoga entered the
picture. At first, it was simply a complement to dance. The physical practice improved
flexibility, balance, and body awareness. But over time something became clear. Yoga was
not merely helping his dance practice. It was helping him understand himself and deepen his
practice. Unlike many modern interpretations of yoga, Shiva never viewed it as exercise
alone. For him, yoga was always connected to self-inquiry and devotion to Lord Shiva.
The more deeply he practiced, the more certain he became that this path would define his
life. Yet passion alone does not build a future. Along the way, something equally important
appeared. People. Again and again, at crucial moments, individuals entered his life who saw
something in him that he could not yet fully see himself: Artists. Travellers. Friends. Mentors.
Students. Investors. Romantic partners. People from different countries, backgrounds, and
cultures. Some offered guidance. Some offered encouragement. Some offered practical
support. A few offered financial help when there seemed to be no way forward.
Many years later, Shiva still speaks about these people with deep gratitude. He understands
that no meaningful achievement is ever created entirely alone. Every journey requires
companions. Step by step, opportunity began to grow. A small guesthouse near the beach
became his first major project. With only four rooms available, he learned the realities of
hospitality, management, and entrepreneurship. He welcomed guests from around the world.
Some of them still come back today and thank him with little gifts for his guidance and
presence when they first came here and found his little peaceful nest. He listened to their
stories. He learned how people from different cultures approached life, happiness, and spirituality. The guesthouse became more than a business. It became a bridge between
worlds. As confidence grew, so did the vision. Soon he began organizing local tours and
experiences. Then another possibility emerged. What if yoga itself became the center? What
if the teachings that had transformed his own life could be shared in a deeper way? What if
Varkala could become a place where people came not only to rest but to grow?
Shiva Rishi Yoga had been born.
The early years were far from easy. There were long days. Sleepless nights. Financial
uncertainty. Countless obstacles. Yet there was also an unwavering determination and
devotion. A larger guesthouse with 8 rooms just next door became available. A rooftop
space offered the perfect location for a yoga shala.
Two german friends helped create a website, guidebook and the beautiful garden that still
today so many guests appreciate. The dream was becoming real. In 2017, that dream took a
significant step forward. The yoga school officially began to take shape.
What started as a vision in the mind of a young spiritual seeker was becoming a living
reality. Year after year, Shiva continued. Whether two students arrived or twenty, he offered
the same commitment. The same energy. The same sincerity. The same devotion. For him,
yoga was never a performance. It was a service.
Today ,hundreds, nearly a thousand students have passed through the school. Many arrive
expecting to learn postures. Most leave having discovered something far more valuable.
A deeper relationship with themselves. Perhaps that is why the atmosphere of the school
feels different. Visitors often describe a sense of coming home.
Not because the building is luxurious.Not because the facilities are extraordinary. But
because the spirit behind the place is real. Every corner carries the imprint of years of
dedication, sacrifice, mistakes, learning, perseverance, and love. The school is not simply a
business. It is the physical expression of one man’s journey. A journey that began in a tiny
room. A journey shaped by hardship. A journey guided by faith. And above all, a journey that
continues to remind people that our beginnings do not determine our destiny. Sometimes the
most powerful transformations emerge from the most unlikely places. Sometimes being lost
is the first step toward finding your purpose. And sometimes a young boy searching for
meaning becomes the teacher he was searching for all along.
In April 2027 Shiva Rishi Yoga is celebrating 10 years of dedication and devotion to yoga.
The school is becoming a yoga center and is growing and blossoming. Shiva can now
proudly look back onto a journey that does not only offer him a safe place to stay and a
secure income. But he is offering work to more than 10 people in the team, taking care of not
only himself, his guests during their stay and his employees, but the families of his
employees and many more animals and species that too call the Shiva Rishi Yoga school
their home.
Shiva Rishi is married and has a beautiful little daughter. Together with his family he
continues to offer his spirit and service to all his guests and let them be inspired by his
journey and energy.
Om Namah Shivaya
Picture of Shiva with family and students
