{"id":14299,"date":"2016-10-14T16:15:16","date_gmt":"2016-10-14T23:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=14299"},"modified":"2016-10-14T16:15:41","modified_gmt":"2016-10-14T23:15:41","slug":"sadhguru-the-way-out-is-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/sadhguru-the-way-out-is-in\/","title":{"rendered":"SADHGURU: \u201cTHE WAY OUT IS IN\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (c) surrounded by followers. (All photos, courtesy: ISHA Foundation)<\/p>\n

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Without once referencing the scriptural texts, mystics or holy people, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev captivated nearly 3,000 people here last week with his message: Don\u2019t be a slave to the external world; it will not bring you joy, writes Viji Sundaram.<\/b> \u2013 @siliconeer #siliconeer #community #IshaYoga #SadhguruVasudev #ISHAFoundation #ISHA #SiliconValley<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe worst form of slavery is letting someone else or something else determine your emotions,\u201d Sadhguru said.<\/p>\n

His two-hour interactive presentation on \u201cinner engineering,\u201d a technique he said can help a person to get out of his perceived limitations into a boundless state of joy was peppered with jokes. He told how people come to him and tell him that they have a spouse, a job, a house, plenty of money but \u00ad\u2013<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A follower practicing \u201cKriya.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe need to kick the but,\u201d he roared from the stage, pointing out that people\u2019s entire focus is on fixing things on the outside, forgetting that by doing so they will procure comforts and conveniences but no \u201cwell being.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThough we are the most comfortable generation, can we claim we are the most joyful?\u201d he asked rhetorically.<\/p>\n

The Sadhguru is a man of many stripes. In his native India, the he can be seen moving around in long flowing robes and a turban. Or he could be spotted wearing a T-shirt and swinging a golf club (he is passionate about the game), or flying a helicopter, or riding his motorcycle. At other times he wears a simple dhothi<\/i> and works alongside impoverished villagers in Tamil Nadu. But no matter where he is, his hearty laugh never forsakes him.<\/p>\n

\"Nearly<\/a>
Nearly 3,000 followers filled the auditorium to listen to Sadhguru in Silicon Valley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He makes statements that might make some Indians uncomfortable. Like when he was addressing a United Nations meeting on International Yoga Day earlier this year and proclaimed:<\/p>\n

\u201cYoga is not Indian, it does not belong to India any more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it originated in India,\u201d he told the multinational gathering of diplomats and international officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Indians we are proud of it. But it does not belong to India. The very fact that the UN has declared an International Yoga Day means India has gifted it to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, yoga is \u201can absolute science and technology for well-being,\u201d he went on.<\/p>\n

\u201cScience cannot be Indian\u201d because of its universality and absoluteness.<\/p>\n

Now who can argue with that?<\/p>\n

\"Sadhguru<\/a>
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (c) surrounded by followers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 59-year-old mystic, who has thousands of followers worldwide, is spearheading environmental, health, education, conservation and a plethora of humanitarian projects all over India through the Isha Foundation. Started by him, Isha Foundation is a non-religious, not-for-profit organization with over 200 centers worldwide and over one million volunteers.<\/p>\n

Sadhguru was recently honored with the Indira Gandhi Award in recognition of his Project GreenHands initiative, a massive public reforestation effort.<\/p>\n

He shared with the audience his moment of awakening on Chamundi Hills in his home state of Karnataka. He rode his motorcycle up the hill, parked it and sat on a rock, he said. His years of practicing yoga helped him to sit steadily for what he thought was 10 minutes but turned out to be four-and-a-half hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil that moment,\u201d he writes in his most recent book, \u201cInner Engineering: A Yogi\u2019s Guide to Joy,\u201d \u201cin my experience my body and mind was me and the world was \u2018out there.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut suddenly I did not know what was me and what was not me. My eyes were still open. But the air that I was breathing, the rock on which I was sitting, the very atmosphere around had become me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sadhguru<\/a>
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev speaking to followers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cInner Engineering\u201d made the Washington Post\u2019s<\/i> best-seller list.<\/p>\n

The book offers a guide to self-empowerment based on the teachings and principles of classical yoga, a science he said that should be used to elevate our consciousness. He describes yoga as a system of self-empowerment that is capable of harnessing and activating inner energies in such a say that the body and mind functions at their optimal capacity.<\/p>\n

Because most people think of yoga as a mere exercise that involves body contortions, they don\u2019t reap from it the rich benefit that it\u2019s meant to provide: a sense of being in absolute harmony with existence. Physical and mental benefits are a byproduct of that.<\/p>\n

Bay Area resident Ravishankar Nilakantan could testify to that. Five years ago, after watching a video of the Sadhguru\u2019s yoga program on YouTube, the then 23-year-old college student, enrolled in a two-day Inner Engineering workshop in Atlanta during the Sadhguru\u2019s visit there. He said he was so impressed and inspired by the \u201clogic of the program\u201d that he began practicing the kriyas<\/i> (the yoga of transforming energies) everyday.<\/p>\n

In three months, he said, he lost some 40 pounds \u201ceven though I had not changed my diet.\u201d The crippling asthma that had plagued him since childhood went away, allowing him to throw away his inhalers.<\/p>\n

Best of all, he said in a very short time he began noticing that he wasn\u2019t getting stressed out by things that had previously stressed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to take a step back and enjoy the drama around me,\u201d said the electrical engineer.<\/p>\n

Sadhguru has been named one of India\u2019s 50 most influential people. He has served as a delegate to the United Nations Millennium Peace Summit and the World Peace Congress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (c) surrounded by followers. (All photos, courtesy: ISHA Foundation) Without once referencing the scriptural texts, mystics or holy people, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev captivated nearly 3,000 people here last week with his message: Don\u2019t be a slave to the external world; it will not bring you joy, writes Viji Sundaram. \u2013 @siliconeer #siliconeer…<\/p>\n

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