Yogi Vishnu Panigrahi

How He Came To The Mat

Vishnu Panigrahi Ji started practising yoga at just 12 years old. His grandfather, who’d built a Radhe-Krishna temple in their village in Odisha, was one of the first people to push him toward meditation, and as a kid Vishnu would serve food and water to the sadhus who visited. He also used to skip school to sit in on talks by visiting swamis in a nearby town, including Swami Avdheshanand Giri, and would meet a close friend before dawn to meditate and chant the Mohamudgaram.

The Years Of Training

At 12, he made the decision to leave home and follow the yogic path full-time. His first teacher was Narayan Muni, whom he met at the Jharsuguda Muni Samaj Yoga Ashram. From there, he studied Jnana Yoga under Swami Niranjan Ji, then moved to Sri Satya Sai Baba’s ashram, where he was introduced to Karma Yoga. A heart surgery around this time changed his outlook on life, and in 2001 he decided to become a monk. He later trained for years under Swami Veda Bharati, himself a disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas, and it was this Himalayan Yoga Tradition that became the foundation for starting his own school.

How He Teaches Today

He has since taught over 10,000 students from more than 100 countries directly, without ever stepping back from teaching himself. Today he leads Bali Yoga Retreats, personally teaching students who come to Bali from all over the world.

He’s also known for the years he spent as a young boy helping care for patients at his local hospital back in Odisha, including one elderly man he personally nursed back to health over several days, an early sign of the same hands-on dedication he brings to teaching today.

The Path