“The Naths are an ancient order founded by Shiv Mahadev who is also known as Adinath. The next teacher was the great Matsyendranath, who was the teacher of the famous Gorakhnath. The yogi called Balaknath in the Nath tradition, because he always appeared like a teenager, is none other than my Master Sri Guru Babaji. The Naths were yogis par excellence. All the important works on yoga, like the Goraksha Shataka, the Gheranda Samhita, the Hathayoga Pradipika, and so on were written by Nath yogis. The asanas, pranayama, kriya yoga, bandhas, and mudras were practiced and perfected by them. They were usually itinerant yogis and were popularly called Kaanphatas or torn eared ones because they punctured the cartilage of their ears and wore large earrings as I (Maheshwarnath Babaji) do. You don’t have to because you have to go back to the world and live like an ordinary man. The Naths light Dhunis wherever they live. You are given special permission. You need not keep a Dhuni burning always because the nature of your work is such. You may light a Dhuni on special occasions if you wish to.”

– An excerpt from Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master – A Yogi’s Autobiography by Sri M