Synopsis: How to seek internal peace?  

Synopsis: I was wondering if physical ailments are cured, or at least helped by yoga?  

Synopsis: My question is that you mentioned before that just the belief without clarity is not a good thing. And I’m absolutely impressed by the amount of volunteers, like millions of volunteers. I cannot even imagine how many people come to learn and volunteer. It’s a lot. Do you think they are all driven by clarity? And the search for clarity? Or they believe that once they...

Synopsis: So when I was a medical student, I was a pastor of a church here at the time. And I would write my sermons on a hospital note paper. This was before EMRs. So I’m writing my sermon at the nurse’s station, and my attending physician came to me. And he said, “Dolittle, physicians are the priests of today.” And I said, “What? What do you mean?” I was offended....

Synopsis: I’d like to get back to the practice of medicine just for a question. I tell my gang, whom I adore, my resonance with my students is close to my heart. I adore them. I say, “Medicine is easy. Medicine is easy, but healing is hard.” Because in medicine, you know we have our portions. And if we don’t know an answer, we do a test. And if we don’t know what the...

Synopsis: Can I ask your thoughts on this? In many ways we are the inheritors of our traditions. And they do influence us and shape us. Is there a positive role for the traditions from when we come? For example, if I’m going to try to inner engineer my inner life and try to get some direction, and meaning, and faith, and hope, and values, I can’t do it alone. And there are...

Synopsis: I actually want to talk about being a prophet. Let’s go there. Because one of the things about being mindful of the inner life. So, I wouldn’t say you’re a prophet. I’m talking about the Judail Christian tradition of prophecy. So, in the Hebrew bible, in the old testament, there is the role of those who speak truth to power. Who speak out against injustice. Who...

Synopsis: Let’s talk about the inner life and the outer life. One thing that strikes me as so powerful about your mission in the world is that you seem to successfully broker both of those worlds. You successfully pursue both of those worlds, if you will. The Isha Foundation educates the young and plants trees. And then you also teach people about inner engineering. And I think...

Synopsis: So, I was really interested in the title of your book. ‘Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy’. And, those are some words that you don’t usually see often so close together. I’m thinking about engineering and joy. And a yogi. Right. Engineering, yogi. And I like that word, engineering. You need to know there are some of the top engineers at the university,...

Synopsis: So let’s talk about making soup. So this soup of life, if you will. You know, tonight, there is a nurse, or a physician, who has come home. And they told a family member that their loved one just died. Or they treated a child who’s undergoing chemotherapy. Or they’re in a clinic where they’re taking care of someone who doesn’t have enough insurance to cover...

Synopsis: I would love to hear your thoughts on a number of topics. The one that is near and dear to my heart, as an educator, and as a position, and a pastor, is this area of wellness and burnout. Physicians today, a big study came out, 54% of physicians in America meet criteria for burnout. And nurses are in the same boat. And you’re here at a medical school, and we’re looking...

Synopsis: Then tell us, how do we get to a point of consciousness? How do we not take our impulse from smoking to something else?  

Synopsis: You had been talking about developing an equanimous mind. That made me think about the daily life of a border person. A border man is under constant stress on the border. His life is constantly in danger, he’s separated from his family, living conditions are harsh, the weather is very unpredictable. So he has been in lots of problems like this. There are a few incidents...

Synopsis: We often talk about anger management, anger control. But if our soldiers don’t show their anger, how are they going to fight wars on the border?  

Synopsis: Pranam Sadhguru. My name is Ashok. In the beginning you mentioned that we can bring chemical balance, if not mental balance, through intellectual and spiritual education. I would just like to mention that years ago, I heard one of your discourses in Sathya Sai International Auditorium. There you gave an example of a guru and a donkey. That was regarding how to develop...

Synopsis: Sadhguru, I’ve heard in your talks, and read in your books that you talk a lot about death. You have even experienced it. When we are at the border, we also see and experience death. So how is it similar or different? And how do we deal with it?  

Synopsis: How to have a balance between extreme conditions and family? How to have a balance between the commitment to the borders and the commitment to the family? How do we deal with all this stress?  

Synopsis: ...

Synopsis: Pranam Sadhguru, You’ve been saying this for a while and I’ve been listening to you for a long time. The eye is more powerful than the iPhone. And the iPhone in the box comes with a user’s manual. And you’ve also said a lot of times that you’ve not read the user’s manual. So where is the human being’s user’s manual? Because iPhones come with the user’s...

Synopsis: Sometimes my longing for enlightenment, or to touch the peak of life, it bubbles up sometimes. It goes too high, I get tears in my eyes, and then it shuts down. My question is how to keep that longing constantly high so that I can touch the peak of my life constantly?  

Synopsis: Whenever I’m talking to you, or listening to your speeches, or following you. It feels like life is really simple, you know. And it’s beautiful, it’s full of love everywhere. We are love, things around us have life. But, how difficult is it for people to understand that life is simple? And why do you think the smallest of the things have been complicated by the...

Synopsis: You mentioned survival and you talked about aesthetics of life. I would request you to elaborate on aesthetics of life. And my second question is for my friend. She asked me to do so, so I’m asking. What is the purpose of this universe?  

Synopsis: So, for all of us, give us in clear, simple sentences, do this, and you will be at least on the way to be blissful or happy or aware or living in a nice, conscious way.  

Synopsis: Sadhguru, you said something about health. And you said, you do certain things for yourself. One, you’re given health, and then it is how you maintain it is, you eat well, you exercise, and then you remain healthy. Now, to be loving, maybe in a household, any situation, maybe outside. Like you said, outside forces are not pleasant. It doesn’t come easily, to then,...

Synopsis: I’m fascinated and I want to know about your life. And I’d like to know, that, were you just born brilliant? Did it begin from that very moment? I’m from the movies, and I can’t help thinking, was it like it is in story books? A vulnerable sage came to your home, and when he looked at your mother he said, there is going to be born a guru. Rejoice. He will lighten...

Synopsis: I’m wondering, one of the things you were asked is, as people are recovering from certain kinds of processes, maybe they’re entering different states of consciousness that science has not yet learned about. I’m wondering if that theory is necessary because we know at the plasticity of the brain, and extraordinary things that the brain can do to recover, functions...

Synopsis: How do we counter-balance the power of social structures put on by popular culture? It feels like it sometimes holds youth in ignorance and has them carry out a sweet perception of self-worth. And can also lead people to destructive behaviours, drugs, and alcohol, because it’s ‘cool’. This is the most common thing amongst us young people. Marijuana, alcohol, bad...

Synopsis: So my question is, that we learn that we are sophisticated machinery and that we must learn how sophisticated machinery works. But how do we approach that? How do we go about learning how this sophisticated machinery works?  

Synopsis: So Sadhguru, going back to what you were saying, that we need to be part of the solution. And going back to what Daniel was saying that mental health is such a problem here. At UofT we are constantly challenged by new ideas, by some of the great minds in the world. And in such a competitive environment, which I sometimes describe as a rollercoaster ride we got onto knowingly...

Synopsis: So Sadhguru, a lot of our students take leadership roles at school. A lot of them are just good friends, and are part of families where problems do exist. And they take the caretaker role a lot. So, what they’ve asked is, how do you take care of yourself when you are usually the one taking care of others?  

Synopsis: Nobody goes through life unscared. Everybody has had a past experience with a person or a situation that left a permanent scar on them. Such that, whenever we are reminded of this, the sadness, or loneliness, or pain associated with the memory comes back regardless of how much time has passed. Is there truly a way for us to move on from things that have hurt us in the...

Transcript: One simple thing is this, first and foremost processes, that's why we put out this process called Isha Kriya. This is to distance yourself from your physiological and psychological process. There is something called as you, which exists. This is not a composite of all your thoughts and emotions and physiological processes. Beyond that, there is you. If you close your eyes, even if you cannot see anything,...

Transcript: Do other things have influence on us, particularly inanimate objects? The gems and the diamonds and things like that, and also the planets. See, the nature of the planet has a certain influence on the life upon it. You will see, on full moon days and new moon days, many animals behave in certain specific ways simply because they are influenced by it. You know the whole ocean is rising. When ocean,...

Transcript: Do you know? In about, if you live for about 60 years, you're, on an average most human beings are eating anywhere between 1,100 to 1,400 tons of food. So that means, even what you think is my body, is not this. It's changing every day. New input is happening and old things are going away. So 1,400 tons. You don't have to carry that much of weight right now. So obviously, what you have as a body right...

Transcript: If we use this neem and turmeric on an empty stomach, one aspect is, it has the power to transform one dimension of energy within you to another. In the sense, in the yogic culture, this must be understood with proper perspective. The doctors say that if you consume excessive neem, it will destroy the sperm cells. Which is good proof for what we have been saying for thousands of years. That is, see...

Synopsis: On the note of what we’re consuming and what we’re putting in our bodies, one of the things that I would like to know the truth about is the increase in addiction. I would say, in the US, is the length that I’m looking at. It’s something that has personally touched a lot of the loved ones in my family and friends. And I see it as a growing trend amongst my generation...

Synopsis: You cook yourself. I believe Isha has also published a cookbook. Can you talk a little bit about food from the yogic diet perspective? Or what are things that we should be actively doing on a daily basis when it comes to food? What are tenants of the diet that we should be looking at? And, if you have a favourite recipe.  

Synopsis: So then if peace is the basic requirement, what’s a better way of being? Ecstasy, ecstatic?  

Synopsis: I feel a compulsion to entertain people. Does that make any sense to you?  

Synopsis: You thoroughly enjoyed watching the football. But what do you think about, what is your take on sports? It’s competition, it’s, isn’t it based on one-upmanship? Aren't you telling young kids that it’s about winning, you know? As a child, I didn’t get any kick from winning. It was very minimal for me. I used to really just enjoy playing cricket, playing football....

Transcript: So what kind of food you put in, it's not just about your culture. Cultures might have evolved according to the survival needs of that place. Cultures in different parts of the world have evolved according to what was available in the place and survival needs, how the economies were, what was happening, what was the main form of livelihood. Accordingly, cultures have evolved. Cultures are never perfect....

Transcript: So about health. The fundamental mistake that modern medicine systems have made is, kind of absolutism about health. That, this is health, this is not health. Now they tell you, your whatever, whatever chemistry. Blood chemistry must be this, this, and this. Then you're healthy. Believe me, most of you or many of you, may fit into those parameters and still not be healthy. Because, health is a certain...

Synopsis: How does one truly find their values, and then eventually stick by their values? Or should they even be sticking by those values that they find throughout their life?  

Synopsis: So in working towards our ambitions, we sometimes forget to enjoy the present, experience life as it is. And we strive towards making a beautiful future. Now how do you recommend that we think about balancing the two? That is, enjoying the present versus working towards a future.  

Synopsis: ...

Transcript: The uniqueness of neem, especially when it is taken along with turmeric, any kind of parasital life which is there, all these things get eliminated. It facilitates that, that your transmission of energy is evenly across. And once you start noticing this, then by choice you can move your energies where you want. So the neem and turmeric together has the power to break down the sperm cells and make it...

Synopsis: Sometimes, we’re in a situation where we’re surrounded by people who have a very high expectation of us. And when you can’t fulfil their expectation, you start feeling a very terrible feeling of guilt. And, it’s okay when it’s your mother-in-law, I’m kind of cool with that. But, sometimes it’s your parents, for example. Sometimes it’s the people who are...

Synopsis: How do you think positively in circumstances or, you know, external factors that are very negative?  

Synopsis: Sadhguru, my question is about boundlessness. Earlier today you mentioned that there is something within us that is seeking to express in different ways and it comes as different forms. Every morning when I get up, there are always two voices at least, and while I know that, I’m sorry. One of the things that you said is, ultimately you’ll have to come to yoga because...

Synopsis: My question is regarding, because I’ve been following most of your videos. So, you always mention a need for collaboration of other people to be successful. You always mention that, to be successful, that’s the only time that we need the collaboration of other people. For other things, like our energy and our emotions, everything can come from within. My question...

Synopsis: Tell me, you also mentioned that your first visit here, your trip to Australia. And, my first impression of India was that there are a lot of people. And there’s also, in India because there are so many people, there is so much energy. Human energy. Chances are, that if you’re having a bad day, it’s like the whole India is having a bad day. Because there is so...

Synopsis: ...

Synopsis: How to learn to accept the truth? Because most of the time, truth is bitter and it is a hard path. So I always tend to make few adjustments and assumptions, which will make my life little easy, but I’m far from the truth. So how do I start learning to accept the truth?  

Synopsis: Human body is made up of an unimaginable number of atoms, particles, and molecules. And, even the mind is really very complicated. With these two complicated instruments, how is one expected to live a simple life?

Synopsis: Sadhguru, a lot of us youth, how do we make time for it? How do we make time to do sadhana? Because, we’re so tied up. We probably stay up a little late completing projects and assignments. Not just the youth, a lot of the seniors also. They probably stay up till 12 O’clock, 1 O’clock and then wake up again by 6 O’clock in the morning, and then rush to their...

Synopsis: In helplessness, many youngsters start thinking about taking the extreme step of ending their life. On this topic, many questions were asked. One of them is, many of my close friends are suicidal. What could I do to help my friends to get rid of this thought? And, they don’t want to do yoga.

Synopsis: There are times when you feel worn out. It might be because of the external pressure, or emotional trauma that we’re going through. Or because of the lack of inner strength. In such a situation, or such a circumstance, what do you think would help us get back our interest and enthusiasm in life?

Synopsis: I often find myself in a situation where I’m not happy with myself. I compare my abilities, achievements, and even my appearance, with that of others. Also, I think since I’m a humanities student, people around me constantly compare me with my other friends who have taken up medicine or engineering. And that really puts me off. And I think that’s one reason for...

Synopsis: Taking forward the theme, Sadhguru, about the process inside and work outside. When we look around the country today, we see so many problems affecting our fellow Indians. Poverty, discrimination on the basis of religion and caste, and inequality. And of course, when I look inside myself also there are problems. I’m very far from having a good process, I’m definitely...

Transcript: The idea that we need to protect this planet itself is a convoluted idea. Because it is not because of us that the planet is there, it is because of the planet we are there. Even to think, me and the planet, is a completely wrong notion because what you call as myself, the physical presence of who you are, is just an outcrop of this planet. Whatever you experience as a part of yourself, with that,...

Transcript: Truth is a natural happening. If you invent it, that's called a lie. Truth is not something that you invent, truth is something that you realize. Lie is something that you invent. So you don't have to say truthfully, naturally, what is natural is truth. So should one follow the precepts of the past or should one come to something new? There should not be a compulsion about breaking the rules of the...

Transcript: Most of the yoga being taught in the world is not right

Transcript: The way the water has to be kept in one's home, there is a whole science about it. How to keep it, in what kind of material, how to treat it. Nobody drinks water, traditionally in the East, without first bowing down to it. Because how the water behaves, depends on how you treat it. The volume of memory and intelligence that the water carries, and every molecule of water, and every body of water, is...

Transcript: So in terms of dance, see, I must tell you this. We come from a culture where all our gods dance. Everywhere else god is a serious guy, a very serious guy. But in India, if he doesn't dance, we won't treat him as a god. All Indian gods, male and female, always dance because if they can't dance, he can't be god. Because dance essentially means that life is happening, see dancing in a particular style...

Transcript: So my question, it's a little personal, based on where I live. So I live in Montana. Much of Montana is very rural, they're only about 900, 000 people in the whole state. There are more cows than people in Montana. But there's a lot of poverty in Montana, people really struggle to earn a living there. So people often are working 2-3 jobs, very busy, not such great access to fresh food or good food,...

Transcript: See, you see. Right now, I'm sure even in Ahemdabad it's true. Every city, it's true. At 40 degree centigrade, he's selling fruit. How much of it will be left? Even if the fruit is there, nothing is there in it because fruit is 90% water. There is substantial medical evidence to show you, any food that you eat, its water content should be higher than your body's water content. You must eat water, not...

Transcript: So fruit is an important part of our diet. As far back as, Megasthenes, when he came, and Hsuan Tsang, when he came, and Kautilya, when he wrote his treaties. All three of them have mentioned how in the Indian diet there is an unusually large segment of fruit. It seems, Hsuan Tsnag somewhere says, I have not read it myself, it seems he says that Indian people are unusually intelligent mainly because...

Transcript: Dealing with the spine, being a chiropractor, I'm just wondering if the physical body can put limitations on what you commented on. I really don't know what a chiropractic does. I'm not aware of it, I just see the boards, chiropractic clinic, I just inquired what this is. And whatever people have told me, that's all. I really don't know what they do, but whatever they may be doing their knowledge of...

Transcript: Well, from the age of 12, I started a process. A powerful system of yoga called Angamardana. Angamardana literally means to have complete mastery over your limbs. This is a powerful way of strengthening your sinuses. This has kept me intact through the various rigours of life, variety of injuries, all kinds of mad things I have done with my body. Well here's my breakfast. It's very important that every...

Transcript: This 60s business. The beauty about this is, a whole generation, at least a part of the generation, realized the existing society here, whatever they're talking about, they knew nothing. Stupid people talking all kinds of nonsense with great confidence. Not just about the world, about the other world, and the heaven, and the hierarchy in the heaven, everything they're talking but they don't know a...

Transcript: So you need to understand what's colour, first of all. The colour of any substance is not because of what it is. It is what it rejects, or what it gives away, or what it reflects. Something looks red not because it's red. Because of the seven colors, that the white light contains, it holds back everything and reflects red. So it looks red. So red does not mean it is red. Red means it is not red. Do...

Transcript: See, we have a biology, we cannot put it under the carpet. It's there. It's best we address it for what it is. But right now the problem in the world is, because certain religious institutions in the world took this attitude, that the very biology of the human being is wrong. Because of this, culture started hiding it under the carpet. Well in this culture we never had it, but after the British came...

Transcript: If you observe the natural cycle of the body, there is something called a mandala. Every 40-48 days, the system goes through a certain cycle. Every cycle of this, every single cycle, in this, three days will appear, where your body does not need food. If you are conscious of how your body functions, you will become aware that today my body does not need food. And without any effort you can go without...

Transcript: Whatever cleansing process that happens in the body, whether emptying your bowels, or emptying your bladder, or exhalation, or sweat. These are all different ways the body is trying to clean itself. In all these things, different bodies have different levels of efficiency. If you are in good health, if you're in very good health and if you're eating the right kind of food, when you empty your bowels,...

Transcript: In this country, we made food like this. If you have to do only physical jobs you eat one way, mental things another way. But today none of us are in that condition. We have to be both physically sharp and mentally sharp, isn't it? That exclusivity of just physical work and mental work is gone. All of us need to be physically good and mentally good. So eating the right kind of food becomes very necessary....

Transcript: Today it's become like this. Sunrise means they watch it on the phone screen, sunset means they watch it on the phone screen. Yes? So losing connection with all that supports and manages our life is going to be a serious challenge of the future. But, this is one thing that you can do, if you have children. Vacation means don't take them to Mumbai, Bangalore, Dubai, some other place. Just take them,...

Transcript: Within the human being there is a certain allotment of energy for action, certain allotment of energy for intellect, certain allotment of energy for emotion. Like this there are various allotments. This differs from person to person. But generally the amount of energy allotted for, particularly, for physical action and emotional dimension, these are two things which are going completely unused in today's...

Transcript: Most people develop relationship with the soil only after they die. But it's very important to develop relationship with the soil when you're alive. I would say especially now, with this virus around, believe me, those of you who are in some way in contact with the soil. Here we call this prithvi prema seva, that means getting involved with the soil in a very loving manner. Well, your ability to live,...

Transcript: Of all the things, a ground nut, you know. I'm particularly passionate about the groundnut because there was a period of my life when I just lived on groundnut and banana. That's all. Because it has everything you need. Just soaked ground nut, one handful, this much of groundnut soaked overnight, one banana. My entire day would go and perfectly active, more active than most people will ever imagine....

Transcript: You must take enormous care about the water because it's 72%. And it has tremendous memory. If I open this water, or even without opening, if I say something to this water, it remembers. There have been lot of experiments in this direction. So, if you take this water, from wherever the water works is, and pump it to your house. Let's say, it went through 50 bends, forced. Pumped forcefully, with a...

Transcript: So the punya puja is to enliven the house. The space in the house should become alive. If you have lived in such a way in your home, that every moment your own, with love and light within you, then no punya puja would be needed. But today you have built homes which are so large. It's very difficult to make them alive, just by living. If you just had a one-room house and you lived in great sense of...

Transcript: So, see, when we say adventure, you can have ventures in your life, or you can have adventure. Adventure means, you don't know where your next foot is going to be. That's adventure, that means there is danger. No danger, everything's safe, there is no adventure, isn't it? It's a venture. I'm not against ventures but you're talking about adventure that means you want to step into something that you...

Transcript: So Sadhguru, I love tattoos. I have a lot of tattoos. And I'm sure a lot of people in this room do. So, when I got my first tattoo, there was a lot of clash of opinions between me and my parents. We fought a lot. They were like, why did you get this? So my question to you is, is getting tattoos something which looks unprofessional? Or is it something which lacks gravitas? Or, why? Why is this clash...

Transcript: Yes and no. In the sense, it is not the sexuality which limits it. But it is the excessive identity with the physicality, which limits it. So, it is not sexuality per say which becomes the barrier, but the attachment it creates to the physicality, which definitely becomes the barrier. This question is coming from certain amount of bits and pieces, the gossip that you have heard about how you could...

Transcript: One thing is, I must say this, you know, we are a sacred ash people. We're always ash-made, one way or the other. There are different types of ashes, if you know how to use it. I can't go about giving you instructions of this, over the, on the web. But, if you learn to use it properly, it helps. Neem is available almost right across the country except in the mountainous places. Daily consumption of...

Transcript: This question is from Chaitanya. Sadhguru, the cases in India are increasing and with the lockdown opening, it might pick up the pace. I would like to know, if I get Corona, how do I deal with it emotionally? Oh! The virus does not understand your emotions. So, don't deal with it emotionally. First thing, don't get it. But it may happen. Once you're out on the street, it may happen. So please don't...

Transcript: The intelligence of the body is such, if you already do not know this, if a woman delivers a male child, the quality of the milk that she produces is in a certain way. If she delivers a female child, the quality of the milk is totally different. If she delivers twins, one male and one female, one breast will ooze certain type of milk, another breast will ooze another kind of milk. This is the level...

Transcript: He kept his fist just three inches away from the journalist's body and hoo! The man went and fell in the pool. Because you're using the Manipuraka, hoo. The man will just fly. Bruce Lee, heard of him? He was not a yogi, okay? He gave a demo. So a journalist came and asked him, he was still not yet so famous in Hollywood, he had just come to Hollywood and talks were going on because he gave some demonstrations...

Transcript: Everytime I hear this, particularly when I'm in United States, I still can't come to terms with it. People calling earth as dirt. Dirt is trash, isn't it? Yes or no? Even in America dirt is trash. No? Something that you don't want. But soil, here we call it thaimanna, mother earth. And, when I hear this word dirt, I've heard it a thousand times. But still, something cringes in me. Once you make the...

Transcript: If you can find a place where there are no sounds of machines and your cell phone will not ting ting. Quietly if you can listen to the sound of the trees, the breeze, the water. Just the natural sounds. If you pay enough attention, tremendous things will happen to you. Many times I've been in the South Indian, you know, their kind of tropical rainforests. The longest I've been there, through the jungle,...

Transcript: If you cook honey, it'll become poisonous. Honey should not be cooked. I know people are baking it, cooking it in cakes and other things. It's not a good thing to do. Certain part of the honey turns poisonous if you cook it. You should put it in warm water, not in boiling hot water. If you put it in hot water, it sets off a certain kind of enzymes, behave in a certain way in the honey, that it tends...