Forest Flower September 2013

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CONTENTSLead Article Devotion is Hot Sadhguru on the Divine as a Living Force in Your Life 4

Musings Shivanga Experience Yourself as a Limb of Shiva 7

Mahalaya Amavasya An Opportunity to Express our Gratitude to All Previous Generations 9

In Conversation with the Mystic Of Criticism and Integrity Sadhguru in Conversation with Actor Siddharth 11

Leela Series

The path of the playful – part XLVII: Krishna Lifts Mount Govardhan 13

News & Happenings Sadhguru Offers Inner Engineering in Bangalore 14

Accenture Executives Learn the Art of Inner Management 15 Guru Pournami 2013 A Reminder of Adiyogi’s Offering to Humanity 16

Sadhguru Spot

Ashram Mega Program 18

Sharing Experiences From Toronto City to the Foot of Velliangiri A Greenwood College School Student Shares Her Ashram Experience 19

Upcoming Programs and Events

Isha Yoga – Program Highlights 20

Isha Recipes For Healthy Living Vegetable Dumpling 21

Zen Speaks: The Faster the Slower 23

September 2013

The following is an excerpt from the seven-day “In the Presence of the Master” sathsang at the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences, McMinnville, Tennessee, USA, on 12 May 2008.

Though I am known to be a yogi, very logical and analytical, essentially, I have always lived my life as a devotee. Haven’t I camoufl aged it very well? The very way I walk, speak, and do anything that I do, devotion is one thing that I don’t show. I seem to be reckless, but my life is essentially devotion because everything I have done in the last three lifetimes has been just to fulfi ll my Guru’s will. I did nothing for myself. If this sense of devotion was not there, it would be a very hard path. Devotion is a simple way of clearing up everything in one shot.

People always think if you are a devotee, you must be stupid, but devotion is the highest level of intelligence. Only a juvenile intelligence analyzes things and arrives at a conclusion. If your intelligence is suffi ciently evolved and mature, the more you analyze, the more you realize you are further away from any conclusion than ever before. What you call science today is very juvenile intelligence because they just fragment things and then claim to know them. They broke up water and said it is hydrogen and oxygen. But if you ask them why hydrogen and oxygen become water, they will not have an answer.

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DeVOtiOn is HOt

SADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURUSADHGURU

Sadhguru on the Divine as a Living Force in Your Life

If you look at just anything in existence, take a pebble for example, why is it the way it is? Or if you have no interest in anything else, just look at yourself – how did you become like this? “My father, mother… – here I am.” Why does it become like this? What is the basis of this? If you truly analyze it, the deeper you look at it, the more mysterious life becomes. The foremost scientists in the world have seen that, but the rest of them think they know. If your intelligence becomes penetrating enough, if it gathers the necessary sharpness to look through everything as far as it can, after much, much deep enough looking, you will see you are further away from knowing than you ever were. If you simply sit here and breathe, you know life better than with very deep analysis.

If you simply eat your meal and joyfully sit here, you will know life better than any scientists know it. With all kinds of dissections and analysis, you will only go further away. You cannot get life – you are life. The more you investigate into it, the more you delve into it, the deeper you dig into it, the more you will see it is an endless, unfathomable process. When you look at everything as closely as you can and you experientially realize that every atom, every grain of sand, every pebble, every piece of life from the smallest to the biggest is unfathomable; when you realize that everything is absolutely mysterious and that your whole life has been a mistake, this is when you become a mystic. Naturally, you will bow down in utmost devotion to everything.

Cultures that evolved around great mystics naturally became like this: whether it is a tree, a cow, or a snake; clouds gather, rain comes – you bow down to everything. Either if you are a fool, or if you have looked at life in utmost depth, you will bow down. The difference between an idiot and an enlightened being is very thin – it is about the same thing, but worlds apart. The fool enjoys whatever little things he knows. One who has seen life in utmost depth enjoys it absolutely. The in-between smart people are the ones who are missing everything; they are the ones who constantly struggle and suffer. Something is always behind them, or they are behind someone else or something else, endlessly.

An idiot can sit quietly, a mystic can sit quietly; the smart people cannot sit quietly. You constantly got to do something – this is slavery. If it is by choice, it is a wonderful play; if it is compulsive, nothing is a play.

People think devotion means prayer, but this whole system of prayers that has been evolved by various religions has been the biggest hurdle for devotion. All these methods could be taken away if you truly become a devotee, because that which you refer to as the Divine is never trapped in a temple, a church, or a mosque; it cannot be in Bethlehem, the Kaaba, or Kashi. There is nothing wrong with these places, but there is something seriously wrong when people believe that this is where the Divine is.

Devotion is a simple way of taking away all the hurdles on the way. For those who are struggling to contain the chattering of the mind, if you really become devout, this will just evaporate; it won’t exist within you. “How do I become a devotee?” You cannot try to become one – it is not an act. It is not by saying your prayers that you become a devotee. It is not by doing rituals that you become a devotee. It is not by going to holy places that you become a devotee. You become a devotee when you sort of gave in.

There was a young lady who was popular in the bars of the town. One day, she was in conversation with someone and she said, “I don’t know what makes me so attractive to everyone – is it my hair?” They said, “No.” “Is it my eyes?” They said, “No.” “You think it’s my personality?” “No.” Then she said, “Okay, I give in.” They said, “That’s it.”

You just have to give in. Since it is very difficult for you to give in, we start slowly, step by step. First you must fall in love, and slowly, giving in will naturally happen. To bring you to that level of trust, we blow you up with energy, so that you understand this is not about the physical body; this is not about the mind; this is about something else. Once it becomes experientially clear to you that I am not interested in your body, I am not interested in your money or wealth, that is when a love affair begins. If it matures, it becomes devotion.

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Devotion is not towards someone; the object of devotion is immaterial. It is just that with devotion, you dissolve all the resistance in you so that the Divine can simply transpire like breath. The Divine is not an entity sitting up there; it is a living force in every moment of your life – that is devotion. Devotion is not an act; devotion is not towards this or that – it is just that you have dissolved everything that stands against the process of life. Then divinity is something that you breathe, in and out all the time – you don’t have to look for it anywhere. Otherwise, devotion is limited to certain times – morning time, evening time, sandhya kalas, you are devout; the rest of the time, you are something else.

If we systematize or institutionalize devotion, the most tender parts of it lose their life and vibrance. The words are there in everyone’s mouths, but this doesn’t mean anything because we are trying to do what someone did 2000 years ago. When he did it 2000 years ago, it worked wonderfully for him. But you going on doing the same thing is not going to work for you. It worked for him not because of the words – it worked for him because of the fi re in his heart, because of the truth that was burning within him. Truth is something that burns – it is not a cool thing. Someone recently came to me and said, “You are a real cool Guru.” I said, “What do you mean? I thought I was hot!” Devotion is not a cool thing – it’s hot.

When we say something that does not really burn within us, it amounts to lying. It is better to shut up. Just see how many words you utter in a day – how many of them really touch a chord within you? Words are simply thrown out like garbage, because you have to say something all the time. If you utter words that really touch the core, you will see that every word you utter will make you livelier and livelier.

There was a time when I used to teach four three-hour sessions in a day, and in between, there were so many things to do. About half an hour to one hour before the class, you have to talk to people who come early. After the class is over, at least another 45 minutes to one hour, you have to talk

to people and answer their questions. That means you speak for at least 15 to 16 hours in a day, and out of these, 12 hours at a raised pitch. I spoke to a hundred people without microphone. At the end of four sessions, my throat would bleed. People would ask, “Won’t this kill you?”

The fi rst class started at 5:00 in the morning, and on many days, the situations was such that I would only eat at 11:00 in the night. I would get up in the morning, do my kriya and go, and the whole day, there would not be a minute’s space. But with every session, I would become livelier and better – this is when the words that you utter do not come as garbage that you throw at people, when everything you do comes from the fi re that you keep on within yourself all the time. Just try this – talk to someone with some passion about something that means something to you, and you will see how you are invigorated. If it is just blah, blah, it will exhaust you.

If you continue to not burn with truth but everything that you say is on the surface and a lie, slowly you get buried, barely able to ventilate yourself. This is beginning to happen to a large segment of humanity. If I check people’s breath, most of them are not even breathing freely – even otherwise healthy people. Have you noticed how you breathe when you are continuously happy, and how you breathe when you are constantly in some kind of a distress? Whenever you feel distressed, your chest tightens up. The very breath, the very process of life gets restricted when you live in a certain state of mind.

So devotion means everything that you call as “myself” is dissolved in some way. Then, divinity transpires. How to do this? You cannot do this – you just have to give in.

September 2013

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SHiVanga

The following is an excerpt from a meditator sathsang with Sadhguru in Bangalore on 8 June 2013.

Question: Sadhguru, can you tell us what the Shivanga sadhana involves and how it transforms a human being?

Sadhguru: Shivanga means to be an anga, a limb of Shiva. Shi-va means that which is not. The huge body of that which is not has a few limbs. One may be a galaxy, another one a star, a planet, or an atom, another one may be you, but all these are just limbs of Shiva, because everything has come from nothing. You are a limb of Shiva, but you are living without that awareness. The Shivanga sadhana is structured in such a way that it brings this into your awareness.

Can you exist here without being connected to the rest of the universe, to the nothingness in the universe? You cannot – anyway you are an extension of Shiva. Remove the calendar god from your mind and see Shiva as the limitless expanse of existence, or that which does not exist. Your existence is a limb of that. Whether you are an atom, a man, a woman, a tree, a planet, a solar system, or a universe, you are still a Shivanga, but you are living without being conscious of that connection. Human nature is such that only what you are conscious of exists for you.

What you are not conscious of – however big it may be – does not exist for you at all.

We want to bring this into your awareness – not as a philosophy, not as an ideology, not as a teaching, but experientially. Therefore, a whole process is set up that you go through for about 42 days to establish this experience in your life that you actually are a limb of Shiva. If you felt connected with the whole universe, would there be fear or loneliness in your life? Would you struggle? Only because you think you are an existence by yourself, not connected to anything or anyone around you, there is suffering, there is fear, and there is death.

If you are a limb of Shiva, if you die, you die into that which is not – what is the problem? If you experienced yourself as an extension of this vast nothingness, if this body falls down, you will only become a part of this nothingness. Only because that experience is not there, everything is astruggle – birth is a struggle, growing up is a struggle, getting old is a struggle, dying is a struggle. These are natural processes that are happening by themselves; you just have to facilitate them. All this should happen effortlessly, but you are making such a big fuss out of it because you think you are spinning the planet; you think you are running the whole universe; you think you have to manage everything.

SHiVangaExperience Yourself as a Limb of ShivaExperience Yourself as a Limb of Shiva

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If you are connected to the limitless process of existence, the limited will happen effortlessly. Your body, your mind, your life, your spiritual process, and your mukti should happen effortlessly because that is natural for a human being.

You don’t have to educate a mango plant how to produce a mango. If it is well-nourished, it will produce mangoes. Similarly, if a human being is fully nourished and becomes full-fledged, to be enlightened, to be liberated will be a natural process. That is the nature of life. It is not something that I have to force you to do. Right now, you feel you are a separate existence. You are unconscious of your unity with the rest. Whether your struggle is about health, mental balance, fear, or becoming joyful, it is all based in you having the illusion that you are a separate existence by yourself. If you do not get it, just close your mouth and hold your nose for two minutes, and you will understand you are connected with the rest of existence. If you become truly separate, you will fall dead; you will cease to exist. Your existence is possible only because of the connection. When you are connected with something so tremendous, not being conscious of it, not knowing it, not experiencing the joy of it – I think it’s a crime. Shivanga is just to avoid that crime.

The sadhana will have immense benefits in terms of physical and mental balance, health, and wellbeing, but these are just side effects. This should not even be a concern for a human being, because every cell in your body is geared to be healthy. Ill health occurs only because we somewhere have gone out of tune with the rest of existence. If we get connected to this dimension of life, things like health, wellbeing, and prosperity should happen effortlessly. Above all, living blissfully is a natural process. The Shivanga sadhana is set up to create the right ambience in you. Whatever you do, you need a proper ambience. If the ambience is not right, nothing works properly – that is a fact of life.

If two different people eat the same food, their ability to digest it and absorb nutrients out of it is not the same. If people walk in the sunlight, everyone does not receive the same amount of

life. If they breathe, everyone does not absorb the same amount of oxygen. How much you are able to get out of something simply depends upon the type of ambience you have set within yourself. The Shivanga sadhana is about setting that ambience, so that whatever else you do, you have a fundamental basis that everything can prosper on. Or in other words, you are building a spiritual platform for yourself so that whatever else you do works well.

The Shivanga sadhana is a powerful 42-day vrata (period of sadhana) for men. Initiations are offered on Purnima (full moon day) of every month. Upcoming dates:

Thursday, 19 September 2013

Friday, 18 October 2013

Sunday, 17 November 2013

The Shivanga sadhana will culminate with a yatra to Velliangiri (7th Hill) near Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Upcoming dates:

Friday, 1 November 2013

Sunday, 1 December 2013

Monday, 30 December 2013

For more information, please contact +91-8300015111.


MaHaLaya AmaVasyaAn Opportunity to Express our Gratitude to All Previous Generations

Amavasya is no-moon day or new moon day. No moon means the night is dark; the earth broods on this day, and the life process slows down on the planet. This is a great opportunity because the integration of life happens much better on this day. When a certain slowing down happens, you will notice your body. When everything is going well and you are busy, you don’t notice it. When there is a little ailment, suddenly, the body is an issue and you have to pay attention to it; otherwise you think the body is you. Only when it does not do well, a clear distance arises, and you know, “This is not me – this is just my body that is giving me trouble.”

This is the signifi cance of Amavasya – on that day, because a certain integration of the elements happens, there is a slowdown of everything. It is a day when one can become easily aware of, “What is me, and what is not me?” From there, the journey from untruth to truth begins. Every month, from Amavasya to Pournami, there is a natural opportunity, even for those who are completely unaware. Particularly the Mahalaya Amavasya, which is the most important Amavasya in the year, creates a certain possibility that could lead to one’s victory from untruth to truth.

Mahalaya Amavasya is dedicated to making an offering to express our gratitude to all the previous generations who have contributed to our lives. Scientists say that human beings and their ancestors

have existed on this planet for millions of years. All these hundreds of thousands of generations that have lived on this planet before us have given us something or the other. From the food we eat, to the language that we speak, the way we sit, our clothes, and our buildings – almost everything that we know today has come to us from generations before us. When only animals existed on this planet, it was all about survival – eating, sleeping, reproducing, and dying one day. Then slowly, this animal, which knew only survival, started evolving. Initially, it was horizontal; then it started to stand up; the brain started to grow, and this animal’s ability to do things started to multiply.

The signifi cant thing about being human is that we can use tools, and we grew this ability of using tools into technologies. The day an ape had the necessary intelligence to start using tools to make his life was in some way the beginning of human life on the planet. Then, human beings started structuring their lives so that we could live a little better than animals. Shelters, buildings, and clothes came up – so many things happened on this planet because of human beings. From simple aspects like making fi re to discovering the wheel and innumerable other things, this legacy has been passed on from generation to generation. We are who we are today only because of all the things that have been given to us. Let us say human beings had never worn clothes, and suppose you were the fi rst person who

MaHaLaya AmaVasyaAn Opportunity to Express our Gratitude to All Previous Generations


had to stitch a shirt, it would not be easy; it would take many years to figure out how to do that.

We have taken all the things that we have today for granted. But without the generations that came before us, we would not exist here, and without their contribution, we would not have all the things that we have today. Mahalaya Amavasya is especially dedicated to making an offering to express our gratitude to all the generations who have contributed to our life.

Join us for this year’s Mahalaya Amavasya on Friday, 4 October 2013, with Agni Arpana (offering of fire – from 6 p.m. to midnight) and Kalabhairava Shanti at Linga Bhairavi.

Kalabhairava Shanti is a ritual for the deceased that invokes Devi’s Grace. The ritual begins with certain processes at Linga Bhairavi’s abode and culminates in front of Kalabhairava at the Nirkaya Sthanam (an especially dedicated pond for the ritual, in the Isha Yoga Center).

This ritual can be performed at any span of time after death, especially when the deadlines applicable for the Kalabhairava Karma have passed. The Kalabhairava Shanti is conducted on Amavasya of every month during the midnight Sandhya.

Though performing Kalabhairava Shanti once is sufficient for the deceased person, it is beneficial for the wellbeing of the family to perform it once a year for ten years or more. This special annual Kalabhairava Shanti process will be performed on the particularly powerful Mahalaya Amavasya.

Requirements: A photograph of the deceased, along with their name, date of birth, date of death, sender’s address and contact number.

For more information, please contact us:

Mobile: +91 94433 65631, +91 94864 94865Email: [email protected]

Website: www.lingabhairavi.org


In another edition of the “In Conversation with the Mystic” series, Sadhguru met with young actor Siddharth on 10 January 2013 in Hyderabad under the theme “Youth and Truth.” Here is the sixth and last part of their conversation.

Siddharth: There’s a complaint about India’s youth in general and certain activists in particular, that they are constantly pointing out problems, but when asked for solutions, they just say, “Yeah, but there are more problems.” Where does India stand in terms of the systemic problem of “As long as I do it, it’s okay. When somebody else does it, it’s a crime”?

Sadhguru: About people making a profession out of pointing out problems – this is becoming a serious issue. If you try to do anything in this country, they want to stop it. You want to build a dam, there’s protest; you want a nuclear project, there’s protest; thermal project – protest; windmill – protest. But in their homes, they want 24-hour power supply; they want all the gadgets. This is because we are only looking at the problems.

This is a pre-independence hangover. Mahatma Gandhi brilliantly designed a revolt against the British, not by killing them, not by shooting at them, not by bomb installations, but simply by stopping activity – bandh, hartal, satyagraha came from there. It was a brilliant device for those days. But even today, if you want to become a political leader, don’t try to build a road, a dam, or anything – gather 100 of your fans and block a

highway or stop a train; make our lives miserable, and you will become a leader.

Making the nation go ahead and making the nation stop are two different kinds of technologies. Mahatma Gandhi mastered the art of making the nation stop, and it was contextually the right thing for those times because we were under colonial rule. But today, we are still doing the same thing. Even state governments are demanding the right to call for a bandh; bandh means closure. I cannot understand how an administration can call for a bandh. Close down something and you will rise in your prominence – this must change. Whoever stops something in this nation should never, ever be our leader. Whoever makes things happen in this country must be the leader.

Siddharth: Sadhguru, you have been doing a lot of work to make people’s lives better. What steps are in place for your legacy to continue for centuries, if not a millennium?

Sadhguru: Are you in a rush to send me away? I will not overstay, I promise.

In Isha Foundation, we are over 2.5 million part-time volunteers and a little over 3000 fulltime volunteers. And every one of the fulltime volunteers

Of Criticism and IntegritySadhguru in Conversation with Actor SiddharthOf Criticism and IntegritySadhguru in Conversation with Actor Siddharth


has been put through the works. We have done everything to see that they run away, but they have not. [Laughs] We put them through a conscious process of various challenges, which they have to pass before they become part of the core activity. Of all the things that I have done, the greatest pride is that I have created human beings with such a level of integrity – you put the whole wealth of the world in front of them, they will treat it just as it should be treated. They will not be shaken for a moment.

One thing that has happened to this nation is a loss of integrity on all levels. Particularly in so-called spiritual movements and gurus, the lack of integrity is appalling. This starts from the simplest things. I was in a well-known ashram, and they were showing me around. I saw some nice, big trees. They said, “This is our panchavati,” which means fi ve varieties of trees. I looked and said, “But there are only four.” They said, “Ahh, four, four-fi ve, fi ve….” I said, “What? How is four fi ve and fi ve four?” There are no qualms about anything. How can four be fi ve? There were only four trees, but they were calling it panchavati. Where is the need? There are four beautiful trees, what’s wrong with four trees? No, because somewhere in the tradition, there was panchavati, they make this panchavati, with one imaginary tree. This is lack of integrity.

I have been extremely hard with people, which is not my nature at all, but this has produced people of absolute integrity. You know my travels are such that six months in a year, I am not in the ashram; still everything is in its place. In the last 25 years, I have not signed a single cheque for the foundation; I don’t look at the fi nances, and I am 100% sure everything is on track. I just have to look at the people – that’s all.

Even when people come to Isha just for one day, it has a big impact on them, not because of what we have built – we have built all that because of the people that we have built – it is because we have people of absolute integrity. My focus has always been people, never the organization. If you build the right kind of people, you need not worry about the organization; it will anyway happen. We have

built fabulous people – this is our pride; this is our legacy. [Applause]

Siddharth: Let’s wrap up this evening with a very important question. How does the Indian cricket team perform better? [Laughter] How do we win this series and how do we become a better team?

Sadhguru: Give them to me for three weeks, I will show you that they will perform better, for sure. [Applause]

Siddharth: I’m going to do my best.

Sadhguru: If three weeks are not possible, reduce it to one week initially. Let them spend one week with us, not as cricket stars; just let them listen to instructions.

Siddharth: But please don’t take away their anger; we want them to be angry.

Sadhguru: No, no. Please understand there is substantial scientifi c and medical evidence that your physical coordination is working at its best when you are very calm and relaxed. If you are angry, you want to beat the Pakistanis, but they get you bowled. You don’t have to beat the Pakistanis – you just have to hit the ball. [Laughter; applause]

Siddharth: Thank you so much, Sadhguru, for letting me be a part of your audience. It’s an absolute honor. It has been an unforgettable evening for me. I have two goals ahead of me immediately – one is to get the Indian team to you as soon as possible, and the other is to get a hundred fans so I can block a highway. [Sadhguru laughs] These are short term goals. I leave enriched.

Sadhguru: I hope you are successful only with the fi rst and not with the second. My blessings and good wishes to you.

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Leela Series

The path of the playful – Part XLVII

Krishna Lifts Mount Govardhan

September 2013

The following is an excerpt from Leela, the path of the playful, a unique exploration with Sadhguru into the mystical realm of Krishna, which took place at the Isha Yoga Center in September 2005.

After his Guru Gargacharya reminded Krishna about who he was and what his mission was, Krishna had a certain experience of realization standing on Mount Govardhana. Yet, because of his love for Gokul, the Gos or cows, and the Gopis and the Gopas, his mind was still struggling. Should he really forsake what he knows and loves for this far-away mission? Somewhere within himself, he was looking for a sign to confi rm that what he had realized and what he had been reminded of is worth forsaking all that he loves.

After this revolutionary act of dropping Indrotsav1

and starting the new celebratory process of Gopotsav2, everyone was celebrating at the foothills of Govardhan Mountain. When suddenly a furious storm came up with torrents of rain and the river overfl owed, the simple people of Gokul thought that because they did not celebrate Indrotsav, Indra, the god of rain, got angry with them and was going to drown them with these torrents of rain. The water of the Yamuna kept rising and began to fl ood the whole place. As the situation got dangerous, Balarama and a few of his friends started looking for a safe place they could take everyone to.

From his earlier jaunts, Krishna knew the terrain well, and he had noticed some openings in the Govardhan Mountain. He took the youth of Gokul there. When they started moving some boulders to make more space, they discovered a huge cavern inside the mountain. With great diffi culty, using Balarama’s might, they moved the boulders one by

one to open up the cavern. Everyone including the animals started going into this big cavern, but the space was not suffi cient. Krishna was still waiting for a strong sign to drop everything that was dear to him and that was still clinging on to him. He loved the people around him and he had a certain attraction towards them. Then suddenly the whole mountain rose about six feet above the ground, making this cavern so big that the whole population of Gokul including the animals could enter, and they comfortably stayed there for a few days. Only after the fl oods went down did they come out.

This miraculous escape was a confi rmation for everyone that he is God himself. For him too, after this event, there was no looking back. He was crystal clear about what he needed to do with his life. That was what gave him such strength that though he immensely loved the people and especially Radhe, with whom he was involved to a point where he wanted to marry her, without looking back, he just walked away and fulfi lled the purpose of his life.

Because of this celebrated event, the Govardhana Giridhari, when he made Mount Govardhan rise, Krishna came to be called Govinda.

2 Celebration of the cowherds, introduced by Krishna instead of Indrotsav, the celebration of the fearful god Indra

1 Celebration of Indra, a traditional sacrifi ce for the god of lightning, thunder, and rain

SadHgUrU Offers Inner Engineering in BangaLOreSadHgUrU Offers Inner Engineering in BangaLOre

From 5 to 7 July, Sadhguru conducted an Inner Engineering program in Bangalore. Here’s a recap of the event from the perspective of an Isha Yoga Teacher.

Preparations for the program began two months in advance, and as soon as we started spreading the word about this opportunity to be with the Master himself, inquiries kept pouring in.

In the wee hours of the fi rst program day, the volunteers came together to set up the venue. A great sense of excitement and anticipation allowed a huge amount of activity to fall into place effortlessly. By 5 p.m., we were all ready to welcome the about 300 participants and Sadhguru.

In his inimitable way, Sadhguru began the program by giving an introduction to the ancient science of yoga. By day two, Sadhguru began to open up other aspects of yoga and asanas, and the participants received the preparatory steps for the Shambhavi Mahamudra. By Sunday morning, the participants were fi lled with cheer and exuberance; some stood

up and shared a new sense of connection with Sadhguru and with the people around them. The subsequent Shambhavi Mahamudra initiation had participants sitting in deep meditation, experiencing the exuberant stillness of the kriya.

As the program came to a close, it was obvious that the participants were touched by an experience beyond anything they could have imagined. As Sadhguru left the hall, the tunes of “Alai Alai” played, as if to remind them that their individual “Wave of Bliss” was just beginning.

A participant shares: “I attended a sathsang with Sadhguru about six years ago and I’ve been waiting for this opportunity to attend Inner Engineering with him, and it’s happened today. Things that our parents, our grandparents, our teachers, and our elders haven’t told us, he tells us in so many different ways. I am so thankful to him and to God that I have found him as my Guru. My spiritual journey starts from here with him, with his Inner Engineering program. It was absolutely amazing.”

From 10 to 13 July, the Isha Yoga Center hosted a group of Managing Directors and Zonal Directors from the Accenture Consulting Group for a Corporate Retreat Program. Even though most of them had never done yoga, they participated in each session with a remarkable eagerness and enthusiasm to learn what was being offered.

The activities were not limited to the hall. The group went on a hike outside the ashram and played a good round of games, even during their break. Inspired by Project GreenHands, they also planned to get together at Accenture to start their own tree planting campaign.

In a sathsang for the group, Sadhguru spoke about the importance of leaders focusing on their inner situation because every decision they make affects hundreds, if not thousands of people. With his usual wit and wisdom, he answered many of

their questions, such as how to handle diffi cult co-workers and how to bring the best out of a group.

The group also learnt several yogic practices including Upayoga, Surya Shakti, and Isha Kriya. During the following yoga sessions, the group would naturally sit and meditate as if they had been doing it for years. At the end of the program, many of the managers expressed their commitment to continue with the practices. One participant shared how nice it was to not worry about checking email or scheduling meetings for a few days. Another had a 7 a.m. fl ight to catch on the fi nal morning, so he came in early to make sure he was doing the practices correctly. Some expressed interest in pursuing this further and coming back to take the Inner Engineering class. Though they were only at the Isha Yoga Center for a short few days, their level of involvement ensured they were greatly benefi tted and transformed by the program.

AccentUre EXecs Learn tHe Art Of Inner ManagementAccentUre EXecs Learn tHe Art Of Inner Management

PROGRAM LEADER KEY RESOURCE LEADERSDR. RAM CHARAN SADHGURU – DR. PRATAP REDDY – SAM PITRODA – K. V. KAMATH

23–26 NOVEMBER 2013 ISHA YOGA CENTER, COIMBATORE – INDIATo Apply www.ishainsight.org — [email protected] — +91 – 83000 84888

A unique and powerful business leadership program that brings together, for the fi rst ti me, the tools of professional and personal empowerment.



GUrU POUrnami 2013A Reminder of Adiyogi’s Offering to Humanity

The residents, volunteers, and guests of the Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore, were fortunate this year to celebrate Guru Pournami 2013 with Sadhguru in their midst. The program on the evening of 22 July included an impressive Carnatic vocal performance by Swami Anugrah of Isha Samskriti, the Linga Bhairavi Maha Arati in front of Dhyanalinga, and a Sathsang with Sadhguru at the Adiyogi Aalayam. The following is an excerpt of his talk, along with visual impressions of the day.

Guru Purnima – this full moon night is recognized as the night of the fi rst Guru. Adiyogi is the fi rst Guru, and he is the last one – the in-between ones are just his sidekicks. On this day, for the very fi rst time in the history of humanity, human beings were reminded that if they are willing to strive, every door in existence is open. The human race as a whole is yet to realize the profoundness and the magnitude of this reminder. Adiyogi offered the possibility for a human being not to be confi ned by the simple laws of nature. A human being suffers confi nement more than anything else. It is in understanding this fundamental nature of a human being that Adiyogi spoke about liberation.

This culture adopted liberation as the highest and only goal. Everything that you did in your life was only towards your ultimate liberation because confi nement, whatever its nature, is one thing that a human being cannot take. There is an innate longing for liberation. For the fi rst time, on this day, a few thousand years ago, when fortunately, there was no

idea of sectarian religions on the planet, he not only reminded them, he gave them ways as to how to transcend this confi nement. He made a dimensional change in the way people perceive and understand existence and the source of creation. The journey is from creation to the Creator. He made himself a bridge between a simple piece of creation and the source of creation, or the Creator. If you walk this bridge, there will be no distinction between you and that which you refer to as the Creator.

The source for anything that you can call spiritual on this planet, wherever you may see it, has been Adiyogi. When Adiyogi spoke, he was not speaking religion, nor was he speaking philosophy, nor was he dictating some kind of dogma. He was talking about scientifi c methods through which you can undo the boundaries that nature has set upon human life. Every boundary that we set has the purpose of protection to start with. When you are unaware as to why you set up these boundaries, the boundaries of protection and self-preservation also become boundaries of self-imprisonment.

These boundaries have taken on so many complex forms – not just in terms of psychological boundaries that you set for yourself; also in terms of boundaries set by nature for your protection and wellbeing. But human nature is such, you cannot experience true wellbeing unless you transcend the boundaries set upon you. This is a human predicament – when you are in danger, you want a fortress around you, but the moment the danger is gone, you want it all to

GUrU POUrnami 2013A Reminder of Adiyogi’s Offering to Humanity

collapse and disappear. When the boundaries that you set for your self-preservation don’t go down when you wish, you feel imprisoned; you feel confined; you feel suffocated.

To bring the tools of awareness that will allow you to transcend these boundaries, to build a magical fortress that no enemy can penetrate, and at the same time, you can walk through the fortress – this was Shiva’s work. Using the basic illusory nature of nature itself, he came up with many incredible methods. Unfortunately, not even a handful of human beings have the necessary focus, patience, and interest to explore the intricacy of confinement for a human being, and the way out. They think they can drug, smoke, drink, eat, or simply sleep themselves out of their confines. Creation has such a fantastic design of protection – absolute protection from outside, and at the same time, it allows complete porosity from inside. But one who does not see this, thinks it is complete confinement from outside. You do not know what its purpose is, because you have never been outside.

This day celebrates that something so sophisticated, something so phenomenal began for the human race. We want to use this day from the understanding that the human form – both in terms of limitations and possibilities – is geocentric. Everything that happens to the planet happens to yourself. You either spin yourself into a trap or you spin yourself out of it – that’s the choice you have. Transcending the earthiness of who you are is one way of liberation. Knowing the earthiness of who you are in its entirety is another way of liberation. If you are locked in a room, a shut door symbolizes imprisonment. But if only you knew how to open the door, an open door

symbolizes freedom. Adiyogi deciphered in a highly sophisticated manner as to how that which traps you is also the source of liberation, and how many ways there are to explore that possibility – this is the fundamental of his teaching or his methodology.

This culture was kindling a natural longing within every human being – wanting to be free, wanting to transcend the limitations in which we exist. We cannot call it “Hindu” because this word describes a geographical identity; you cannot put this ID on everyone. We can call it yogic, we can call it whatever we want, but it represents the longing of a human being to become free. Free not just from political oppressors, free not just from mother-in-laws, but free from our own limitations, free from our own minds and bodies, free from the structures that we call “me” and “you” – free from everything, the whole process of life and death. I think it’s once again time that we infect the world with this longing.


Sadhguru SpotMusings from the Master

AsHram Mega PrOgramExcerpted from Sadhguru Spot of 17 July 2013

This weekend has been signifi cant because we had the fi rst mega program in the ashram. This is the fi rst time we had over 3,600 people who came here for their fi rst Isha program. The residents and the 900 volunteers created an atmosphere where these new participants, without being told, maintained a discipline and involvement that is rare for such a large group of people. Their participation in the program was absolute. This is an offering that Isha Yoga Center has to make to everyone, so this will become a regular feature.

These large programs are very signifi cant. In one weekend, the kind of impact it has on people’s lives – this is not a program in their life, this is an event that they will never forget. The aggregate number of volunteers and meditators in a population needed to make a big difference is achievable in the next three to fi ve years in Tamil Nadu. We are getting to a place where in a couple of years, we could hit a number where there is a natural spiritual movement. As part of this, we are also in the process of rolling out different training programs for people to be able to transmit at least a minimum level of spiritual process to others.

Anyone who has an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives also has the opportunity to cause damage to people’s lives – always. Without bringing a certain sense of openness in people, you cannot

make a difference. When people open up, the person that they open up to should have an absolute sense of integrity, which is not externally controlled but internally crystalized within oneself. Because of this, we have been extraordinarily hard on our teachers, but it has produced wonderful results. Our teachers, wherever they go, stand out in their sense of commitment and discipline.

In terms of raising human consciousness, we need events that will completely sweep people off their feet. Not some concept, not some ideology, not some dry teaching, but something that will blow them away. This is needed, so we will be coming up with various large-scale programs. But I would also like to see thousands of people be able to transmit something – at least a small dimension. In the future, we will be conducting three-week training programs in this direction. We are working on making this program simple. The only commitment is that you will never misuse the spiritual process for any personal reason. If that much is taken care of, we can make everyone into a teacher.

Visit: Sadhguru.org/spot for weekly updated “Musings from the Master”

Love & Grace


September 2013FOREST FLOWER 19

On 23 July, a group of 11 students and 2 teachers from the Greenwood College School visited the Isha Yoga Center amidst a busy schedule of volunteering at a nearby rural school. They had the opportunity to tour the temple area, to participate in a Nadha Aradhana, to take dips in the respective Theerthakunds, and to be initiated into Isha Kriya. Before they parted, the teachers expressed that next year, they would surely allocate a larger piece of time to visit the Yoga Center.

Here is what Sophia Weinrib from Greenwood College School had to say about their visit (excerpted from a post on the Greenwood blog):

Today we took a trip to an oasis that was located in the foothills of the mountains surrounding Coimbatore. Deep within the jungle is the Isha ashram. Surrounded by deep jungle it looked as though it was right out of a dream with the peaceful buildings and temples that were built out of stone. The backdrop was jaw-dropping with the majestic mountains looming above, as the rainclouds fl owed over the ridge and spilled into the valley beneath. The surrounding scenery set the tone for the enlightening experience that we had at the ashram.

As we stepped inside the grounds and removed our shoes, there was a new energy that fi lled the air. We started our journey by paying a visit to the feminine deity, which is called Linga Bhairavi. As we entered, we were engulfed with the sounds of chanting in Sanskrit. We got our fi rst glimpse of what meditation was like and how just sitting in a certain space can change your state of mind and cause one to be more relaxed and at peace.

Our next stop was at the Theerthakund. This is a bath that is fi lled with holy water that is meant for purifying the body. In the middle of the tub, there is an energy form made of solidifi ed mercury. The girls entered the female bath temple. We got

put in special robes and walked down to the pool that was underground. The water was cool but once again fi lled us with a certain energy that was overwhelming. The experience was once-in-a-lifetime and the feeling of being in the water was so exhilarating that I think we will never feel that way again.

Our next stop was going to the main deity encircled in a large dome. We participated in a process that involved singing bowls, singers, and drums, which enabled the mind to be fully relaxed and in the moment. The experience was enlightening. Even when I do an hour of yoga, I have never been in a state of mind like I was while meditating in front of the deity [Dhyanalinga]. This continued when we participated in a meditation [Isha Kriya], where we were taught that we are not our body, and we are not even our mind. This removes us from the two types of suffering, which are physical and mental.

The overall experience was amazing and I don’t think anything will ever compare. I left with the feeling of extreme relaxation and peace. I think that everyone was grateful to have a chance to experience the ashram and another part of the Indian culture.

FrOm tHe City Of TOrOntO tO tHe FOOt Of VeLLiangiriA Greenwood College School Student Shares Her Ashram Experience

FrOm tHe City Of TOrOntO tO tHe FOOt Of VeLLiangiriA Greenwood College School Student Shares Her Ashram Experience

FOREST FLOWER

Program Highlights

These programs are conducted in English, unless indicated otherwise. Current at the time of print, however subject to change. For full program schedules and updates, please visit our website: www.ishafoundation.org.

September 201320

Date Program Place Contact

7–8 Sep 2013In the Lap of the Master

Residential Program Conducted by Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore – India

0422-2515300

10–13 Sep 2013Bhava Spandana

(For Ladies, in English) Residential Program


0422-2515300

12–15 Sep 2013Inner Engineering

Retreat Residential Program


0422-2515421 [email protected]

13–15 Sep 2013Sadhguruvudan

Isha Yoga (Tamil) Conducted by Sadhguru

Meenambakkam, Chennai – India

94449 22290 97899 83260

[email protected]

25 Sep–1 Oct 2013 Inner EngineeringMalad (West),

Mumbai – India90229 78995

[email protected]

25 Sep–1 Oct 2013 Inner EngineeringChembur East,

Mumbai – India97692 21305

[email protected]

25 Sep–1 Oct 2013 Inner Engineering Pune, India98814 08561

[email protected]

26–29 Sep 2013Inner Engineering

Retreat Residential Program


0422-2515421 [email protected]

3–6 Oct 2013Inner Engineering

with Sadhguru Residential Retreat

Isha Institute of Inner-sciences McMinnville,

TN – USA

+1-931-622-9437 [email protected]

11–13 Oct 2013Inner Engineering

with Sadhguru San Mateo, CA – USA

+1-408-409-6436 [email protected]

23–26 Nov 2013

INSIGHT – The DNA of Success Residential Program

with Sadhguru and Dr. Ram Charan


83000 [email protected]

FOREST FLOWER April 2013

Isha Recipes For Healthy Living

PREPARATION METHOD

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FOREST FLOWER

INGREDIENTS

VEGETABLE DUMPLING

September 2013 21

Boil potato, cool, and mash it. Chop the cabbage, string the beans and chop them fi nely. Scrape the carrot and chop it fi ne as well. Chop the tomatoes.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a broad pan, add the mustard seeds, and as they begin to splutter, add the dal and curry leaves.

Add the chopped beans, carrot, and green peas, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat until done.

Now add the cabbage and cook it until it becomes soft.

Next add the tomatoes, salt to taste, ground pepper, and turmeric powder. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Finally add the mashed potato and garam masala powder and mix well.

Remove from heat. Chop fresh coriander and sprinkle it onto the above mixture. Mix well.

Cool and divide into small portions.

Put the rice fl our in a pan and roast it lightly. When a nice aroma emanates, remove from heat. Knead the roasted rice fl our in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and water as required to form a smooth, pliable dough.

Roll out the dough on a fl oured surface and cut out small, round dumpling wrappers with a cookie cutter or a small steel bowl.

Place a small portion of the vegetable fi lling on each wrapper and close the wrapper by bringing the sides together in the center and pinching them fi rmly together.

Steam the dumplings in an idli steamer for 10–12 minutes. Serve hot.

1 cup Raw rice fl our1 large Potato¼ small Cabbage7–8 French beans1 large Carrot2 medium Tomatoes3 teaspoons Sesame oil1 teaspoon Mustard seeds½ tablespoon Skinless split black gram (dhuli urad dal) 7–8 Curry leaves1 cup Green peas Salt to taste Black pepper (freshly ground) to taste½ teaspoon Turmeric powder½ teaspoon Garam masala powder4–5 sprigs Fresh coriander leave

22April 2012FOREST FLOWER22 22

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Forest Flower September 2013