Shiva in the Hindu Tradition
Lord Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism and the Supreme Being in the Shaiva traditions. He is the destroyer in the Hindu Trinity (Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva), but destruction in this context means transformation — the clearing away of the old to make room for the new.
Shiva as Adiyogi
The tradition recognizes Shiva as the first yogi (Adiyogi) who transmitted the science of yoga to the Saptarishis (seven sages) over 15,000 years ago on the banks of the Kantisarovar lake in the Himalayas.