Sadhguru

Sadhguru, hmmm am at a loss of words when it comes to describing what and who he is and what he means to me. 

Am a spiritual junkie, name it and have done it, tired it. Done Reiki, Art of Living, Pranic healing, EFT, Kaya Kalpa Yoga, Hatha Yoga from two different schools, the Kriya Yoga as espoused by Yogananda and the list shall hopefully carry on, but from all these experiments what remains with me is what I learnt from this man.

Am a believer, of the world of energy, of the limitless universe, of sidhas and saints, that there are realized souls. That the world that we live in is a superficial one, an interesting one but there is a far deeper land that awaits us, and it is totally upto us to reach into it or skip it as a  result of calling all this hocus pocus, religious crap or choosing to be an atheist or the host of other labels that you may choose to ascribe to be scientific n rational.

All I know is that when I close my eyes, breathe as prescribed, something happens. I slow down, the edge of tension that seems to shadow me daily, slips off like water and am left calmer. Everything seems all right, the world seems all right, its larger, subtler and quieter. This is yoga for me, this sense of calmness is what remains and the emptiness seeps out. 

Wish I was a better more disciplined practitioner than a talker. But the time for that shall come, in this lifetime, yoga will continue to play a critical role in my life. The gut says so.

Isha foundation is his center(http://www.ishafoundation.org/).  A regular lad, he was a rebel drove a motorbike, studied married did all the stuff that we all do. Yet in his eyes he always saw a reflection of some hills and assumed that is how everyone saw the world. Hilly. Till one day, he saw the Vellagiri hills that’s when he knew. The term “sadhguru” means the one who knows or gets realized without the painstaking process of reading all the texts. His knowledge from the past lives, where he was a disciple of a saint came to him, and he then knew that the reason he had come to earth was to consecrate the DhyanaLingam. (to read more seehttp://www.dhyanalinga.org/ )

That is the theory, pointless unless there is a personal experience. Went to the isha ashram last year, he was conducted a Satsang. 2000 people from as far as Lebanon, were there to hear him, to be in his presence. The cynic in me was sort of rolling my eyes at the “be in his presence” bit, but liking the overall feel of the place I went.

What happened next, there is no logical explanation for, everyone was fed, roomed and given the best facilities free of cost. We all flied into the large garden waiting for him to commence his discourse. He arrived to the sound of music, everyone was still and quiet, he whispered into the mike, just blew into it…..and…….pop went some people. He said Om, pop went someothers, people were yelling, hooping, flinging themselves, were senseless, their energies not within their control. 

It is not something that makes sense when you read it. The best explanation is that their kunadlini (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundalini) was rising, heightened and hastened by his presence,  and they were living the brief minutes of ecstasy when nothing else matters.

The noises that they made, were uncannily similar to the ones people make during an orgasm. Tantric sadhus believe that sexual intercourse is the easiest available source for humans to get a mere glimpse of what nirvana/bliss/dhayana is about. When the self dissolves and all you can think of is nothing can only be.

I sat there, eyes closed, heard and sensed everyones whistle singing. Gender, class, race, education were not any bar to who went into a trance and who did not. I did not, but at that point of time all I wanted was to be able to yell and loop without being aware that is what I was doing. Wanted my brain to permit me to loose control, wanted the soul to be in the driving seat….. someday the ego shall not be so edgy.

Yesterday, was Mahashivratri. They say if you stay up this night, and say shiva’s name even by mistake, that which is not possible for you shall become possible. Went to the isha gathering, surrounded by hundreds we meditated on the name of Shiva, we heard the thunder of Sanskrit chants to the beat of drums, and I glimpsed a truth larger than me.

In life, whenever am low. I pull out my yoga mat, sit and breathe there. Have been doing this for 4 yrs. This simple act, lets me release my doubts and know that in the infinity of life, all is well, everything is whole and complete and this moment is perfect as is.

Acceptance and surrender, the jewels I wish I wore more often.