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Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is one of the most profound mystics and yogis of modern times
and firmly believes that his life is an endeavour to help people manifest their
divinity. In ancient Sanskrit, " Guru" means dispeller of darkness, and "Sath" means
within. This enlightened Guru affectionately called Jaggi, possesses a presence
and energy that is a source of inspiration to many.
Jaggi Vasudev was born in Mysore, India. A different and independent child who did
not fit into the logical ways of the world, he started yogic practices like Pranayams
and Asanas under the tutelage of Shree Raghavendra Rao popularly known as Malladihalli
Swami as early as the age of 13 years. The son of a physician, he received tremendous
support from his family, who saw in him something beyond an average child. He graduated
from Mysore University in Karnataka. When he was 25 years old he had a deep experience
of the Self that made him renounce all the material prosperity that he had achieved.
He recalls: " One day I went to the Chamundi hills in the afternoon and sat on a
huge rock, my usual place. I sat with my eyes open and after a few minutes, I did
not know where I was. I felt myself spread everywhere, no longer bound by my body.
I was in the rocks, the trees, and the earth. Everything was me. Tears flowed down
my cheek in a torrent. I thought this had lasted for a few minutes. But when I came
to, it was late in the evening. I wondered if I had hallucinated, but in the days
that followed, this experience recurred and each time it left me in a state of utter
bliss."
"After each such episode, I would not sleep for the next three or four days, nor
would I eat. Also the urge to share that bliss with the world grew each time. "
From then onwards he has dedicated his entire life to the sharing of those experiences.
His important teachings revolve around the spiritual unfolding of the inner being
and have relieved thousands of lives of their physical and mental sufferings.
Creation of the Dhyanalingam
In 1992, the Sadhguru along with his band of seekers founded the Isha Yoga Centre
and Ashram at the foothills of the sacred Velliangiri Mountains at Poondi near Coimbatore,
India. Spread over a 50-acre area, the Centre houses the magnificent 13ft Dhyanalingam,
a meditation shrine and multi-religious temple completed in 1999 (see article for
details). The powerful energies around the Dhyanalingam have the quality of curing
diseases leading to well being and prosperity, giving an individual opportunity
to move into higher joyous states of being.
The Dhyanalingam is a reservoir of energies emanating from people who have gone
into deep meditation, the shape of the lingam is said to be the distilled essence
of yogic sciences. Visitors are allowed to sit in meditation at the shrine for any
length of time and bask in spiritual warmth. The creation of the Dhyanalingam, according
to scriptures, can happen only through a grihastha yogi. An intense process of prana
pratishta has gone into its creation. As the Sadhguru simply states, "The very purpose
of life is to reach the highest possible flowering. Dhyana or meditation is the
path to flowering and the Dhyanalingam prepares every individual to embark on a
spiritual journey." The Centre also houses the Isha Foundation that administers
more than 25 yoga centres, a medical centre and an orphanage in India and 3 yoga
centres in United States.
Isha Yoga
A firm believer in the ancient principal that the body is the temple of the Spirit
and that good health is fundamental to spiritual development, Jaggi Vasudev has
devoted his life to helping individuals break through all limitations into their
natural state of freedom, love and joy. He does not advocate renouncing the world
but believes he can teach people to live life to the fullest within their sphere
of existence. Jaggi Vasudev has synthesized the techniques of meditation and Pranayam
(controlling vital energy) into a dynamic program called Isha Yoga that allows people
to engineer their inner energies and bring them into balance. Once given the tools
to rejuvenate and balance their energies, people can optimise their physical, mental
and spiritual health.
The Sadhguru belongs to no particular tradition of yoga. He offers yoga in its purest
form as a way to find fullness in one's life from within. This form of yoga does
not require physical agility or previous knowledge or experience with yoga. His
programme called Sahaj Sthithi Yoga, which literally means "natural self" is experiential
and can be easily integrated into one's daily life. The programme aims at the improvement
of the creative potential, efficiency, and level of self-fulfilment of an individual
giving an individual greater ability to concentrate but in a relaxed frame of mind.
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