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CONTENTS
Lead Article
Keep or Dump?
Sadhguru on Break-Up Thoughts 4
Musings
Enjoy the Drama
Sadhguru on Meditation and Day-to-Day Problems 6
Living in a Consecrated Space
A Phenomenal Difference 7
In Conversation with the Mystic

Sadhguru in Conversation with Actor Siddharth 8
Leela Series
The path of the playful part XLIV:
Draupadis Plight 11
Project Feature
Join Green Hands in Celebrating World Environment Day! 12
News & Happenings
India A Phenomenon of Possibilities
Sadhgurus Talk at Emory University 14
Sadhguru at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 15
Grace Multiplied
Pournami Pooja and Sathsang with Sadhguru at iii 16
Sadhguru Spot
The Exuberance of Yaksha 18
Upcoming Programs and Events
Hata Yoga A Way of Life and of Making a Living 19
Isha Yoga Program Highlights 20
Isha Recipes For Healthy Living
Watermelon Juices with a Twist 21
Zen Speaks: Matter is Empty 23
June 2013
The following is an excerpt from a Q&A session
with Sadhguru during a meditators sathsang at
the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences, McMinnville,
Tennessee, USA, on 15 June 2009.
Questioner: After starting on the spiritual path, I
found that my partner is not right for me anymore.
How to handle that?
Sadhguru: Dump him and pick up the next
guy. No, this is not my advice. This may be
your idea; not just for spiritual reasons for any
reason. You pick up one person for romance, one
for spirituality, and yet another one for pleasure.
Once human beings become material for you that
you can pick up and dump, you have missed the
fundamental point of life. There is a price for this.
Every action has a consequence.
It does not matter how modern you get, you still
suffer pangs of jealousy and pangs of loss. Have you
become absolutely all-embracing consciousness,
that it does not matter where your wife or your
husband goes and what happens? It does matter to
you. You may have dumped a dozen people but still
it matters to you when you are getting dumped or
looked over.
For thousands of years, everywhere in the world,
people settled for some kind of marriage arrangement.
Different societies handled this in different ways,
but they all settled for a committed structure. Once
two human beings share a certain intimacy, it must
happen in a committed atmosphere. If intimacy
happens without the necessary commitment, it
leads to disorganization of the human being and in
turn disorganization of the society.
Krishna spoke about this subject 3500 years ago
it was child psychology at its best: Once people
have uncommitted relationships and children grow
up without a sense of belonging to their parents,
they may not become great human beings. This is
not an absolute judgment but a general tendency.
If children have no parents but they are integrated
within themselves, they may still grow up well.
But if children have this confusion in their minds
during their formative years, they will live with this
confusion for the rest of their lives.
June 2013 FOREST FLOWER
Keep or Dump?
SADHGURU
Sadhguru on Break-Up Thoughts
Keep or Dump?
Sadhguru on Break-Up Thoughts
4
Above all, the physical body has its own memory,
which is called runanu bandha in yoga. Whether
it is the kind of food you eat or the atmosphere
you are in, the body remembers it all. Suppose
you come back for another lifetime I hope you
dont your body will remember everything. This
runana bandha is particularly strong when a certain
physical intimacy happens.
In the East, people were always particular about
what kind of atmosphere you are in. Therefore,
different aspects were set up in certain ways, like
how you should start your day, how your house
should be kept, and that in your house, always a
lamp should be burning.
Even if you do not have the necessary brains to
choose the right thing but your body carries the
right kind of impressions, it can draw you in the
right directions. If it carries the wrong kinds
of impressions, in spite of you, it will take you
somewhere else. Even touching a person leaves
a certain imprint. You know they say, Till death
do us apart, because without commitment, there
should be no intimacy.
In the name of modernity, we are loosening this,
for which we will pay a huge price. This situation
creates a high level of emotional insecurity.
When you are emotionally insecure, neither your
body nor your brains function properly. The
level of psychological imbalances will fare up
dramatically in one or two generations unless we
do something to fx it.
If your relationship has gone bad in every way, if
you have done everything to make it work and still it
does not work because you have become completely
estranged, or it is getting violent or abusive, you
have every right to come out of it. If you come out
of a relationship, give yourself substantial time.
Whatever went bad, you contributed 50% to it.
Give it at least six months to one year to fx those
50%. You left one ruin behind you; before you
create another one, fx your contribution to the
destruction that is a responsible way to live.
Irresponsible living in the name of spirituality
has happened plenty. Do not use spirituality as an
excuse to change your partner. If you truly want to
grow, it is a great advantage to live and work with
someone who you do not like. In work partnerships,
I always put people together who cannot get along
with each other, which complicates many things
in Isha Foundation. My life is not about extracting
work from people; my life is about fxing their lives.
We want work to happen, but the most important
thing is if people are growing in the process of doing
this work, or are they getting entangled? If that
is not taken care of, why should they work here?
Let them work in a corporate house where they
are well paid. You come here because you want to
grow, not because you want to work. Work needs to
happen because there are millions of other people
who also want to grow and we need to provide a
platform for them. But the most important aspect is,
are you going beyond your limitations, or are you
enshrining your limitations?
Saying, He doesnt have the right energy or some
such nonsense is not a good enough excuse to
drop your husband. If things have gone really bad,
everyone has the right to come out of a relationship,
but do not whimsically drop people like bad apples
there is always a possibility to turn them around.
In the Western world, I see a deep sense of hurt
in most people. Only a few people are enjoying
trustful relationships. Everyone else is in a certain
level of insecurity, all the time. This is not freedom.
Being emotionally insecure is a terrible bondage.
To do something worthwhile, to be truly focused
and productive, every human being needs a certain
level of stability. If you do not need any kind of
relationship, if when you close your eyes, you are
just fne, you have the freedom to leave everyone.
Hopping from one to another is not good. I have no
morality in me; I have only life in me. We must do
what works.
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Enjoy the Drama
Sadhguru on Meditation and Day-to-Day Problems Sadhguru on Meditation and Day-to-Day Problems
The following is an excerpt from a meditators
sathsang with Sadhguru in Delhi on 7 August 2012.
Questioner: Im going through some relationship
problems at the moment. When I sit and meditate
in the morning, and I get an answer to the problem,
where does the answer come from? Is it an akashik
answer, a divine answer, or just my own mind?
Sadhguru: My whole life effort has been to present
what is mystical in a simple, logical way so that you
can grasp it. But there are a whole lot of people who
are trying to make the simple mystical. When the
chimes ring, when a fower falls, or when the power
goes off, they think there is a mystical dimension
to it. Instead of bringing down the mystical within
reach of human beings, they try to export simple
aspects of life to other dimensions.
First of all, do not try to use your meditation to fnd
solutions for your problems. Why should you not
use meditation to settle your problems? Because it
is like you have a common cold and you take a little
chemotherapy to make it go away. This is a silly way
to handle life. Common cold can be handled with
tissue paper. You just have to blow your nose for a
few days, drink some ginger tea or pepper tea, and
it will go away by itself. When you start meditating,
you are trying to address the most fundamental
problem of human existence do not try to use that
for petty things.
If you address the most fundamental problem of
human existence, all other problems will look silly.
If you have not come to the point to see this, thats
fne. But still, trying to treat your cold with chemo is
not the way. It is unfortunate if only after meditation,
you have a little clarity in your mind and the rest of
the time, you are one big buzz. The reason for this
is a fundamental confusion, which we are trying to
settle in a very simple way with the Isha Kriya: Im
not the body. Im not the mind. If you understand
this experientially, all these problems will be gone
in one shot.
You have a little family problem today and you are
upset. Dont try to treat it with meditation; take
a walk, swim, come to your senses. After all, you
gathered the family around you for your wellbeing.
If it is working against your wellbeing, you really
need to look at what you are doing wrong with the
whole affair.
Did you get married out of charity? You gathered
people around you because you are incapable of
living alone. If someone is your crutch and you kick
the crutch, you are the one who is going to fall fat
on your face. Oh Sadhguru, its not so simple. You
dont know what all happens on a daily basis. I know
all these things. Still, you are losing the perspective
in your life. Your meditation is not about handling
these petty problems; it is about addressing the most
essential problem of human existence.
You do not know why you are here and what the
nature of your existence is. If you knew the nature
of your existence, all these things would be just
play. You could play this drama whichever way you
want, to whatever extent you want, according to
your needs. Everyone need not play the drama to
the same extent. Some people like to be engrossed in
the drama; some people like to dabble with theater
a little bit. Oh, youre calling my family, my work,
and my profession drama? If you dont understand
this now, you will know it when the curtains come
down. You better get it now. At least enjoy the
drama; if you suffer the drama, it is such a waste.
Enjoy the Drama
FOREST FLOWER
7
June 2013
A Phenomenal Difference A Phenomenal Difference
The following is an excerpt from a session with
Sadhguru during the consecration of Linga Bhairavi
at the Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu,
India, on 29 January 2010.
Consecration is a live process. It is like this: If you
transform mud into food, we call this agriculture.
If you make food into fesh and bone, we call this
digestion. If you make fesh into mud, we call this
cremation. If you can make this fesh or a stone or
even an empty space into a divine possibility, that is
called consecration.
Since the world accepts only what is backed up
by modern science. Modern science says that
everything is the same energy, manifesting itself in
a million different ways. If that is so, what you call
the Divine, what you call a stone, what you call a
man, what you call a woman, what you call a beast,
what you call a demon it is all the same energy
functioning in different ways. The same electricity
can become light, sound, and so many other things,
depending upon the technology you use. If it is the
same energy functioning in different ways, what
you make out of it is just a question of technology. If
you have the necessary technology, the simple space
around you can be made into divine exuberance.
You can make a simple piece of rock into a god or
a goddess. This is the phenomenon of consecration.
Particularly in this culture, an enormous amount
of knowledge about this dimension of life was
perpetuated. Creating consecrated spaces was held as
the most important thing. No matter who you are or
how you live at some point, you will want to get in
touch with the source of creation. If that possibility
is not created across the planet, if that possibility is
not available to every human being who seeks, then
the society has failed to provide true wellbeing for a
human being.
That is why in India, consecrated spaces were created
everywhere. The idea was that no one should be in a
space that is not consecrated. Today, unfortunately,
Tamil Nadu has taken on a completely negative
culture, but earlier, in every signifcant town here,
frst a grand temple was built, and then the houses.
What kind of dwelling you live in is not going to
make an ultimate difference in your life. But if you
are around a consecrate space, it is going to make a
phenomenal difference in your life.
We want to establish consecrated spaces in as many
places as possible. It is my dream that someday,
the whole of humanity should live in consecrated
spaces. Your home should be consecrated; your
street should be consecrated; your offce should
be consecrated. Wherever you spend time, those
spaces must be consecrated. This is the beauty of
being human: your evolution need not stick to the
Darwinian scale if you live in a consecrated space,
you can simply leapfrog.
Living in a Consecrated Space Living in a Consecrated Space
Create a consecrated space in your home or
offce with a Linga Bhairavi Yantra!
Next Yantra Ceremony with Sadhguru:
23 June 2013 at the Isha Yoga Center.
For more information:
94425 04720; yantra@lingabhairavi.org
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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 third part of their conversation.
Siddharth: A lot of us, and especially young people,
give a lot of importance to what we look like from
the outside, what people think when they see us.
You are being judged by your looks, being taken
seriously for what you represent. For example, I
particularly put on a black suit today so I would look
a little more intelligent I might be wrong but I
think it works. [Laughter]
A lot of regular human beings regular in the
sense of not being yogis or Gurus depend on the
mirror. After they wake up in the morning, they
look at the mirror, and many more times during
the day. The mirror talks to them; they talk to
the mirror. A certain understanding of who they
are comes from looking at a mirror. You are able
to see a lot of stuff with your eyes open and with
your eyes closed what do you see when you
look into the mirror? Does the mirror tell you
something else? And secondly, when did you start
looking like such a cool Guru? This is something
that I really need to know.
Sadhguru: My life is such that I am constantly
engaged with people, without distance. When I sit
here, in many ways, I sort of physically touch them
it is diffcult to understand this. Because of this, I
shower two to fve times a day, depending upon the
level of activity not to wash myself off of people; it
just becomes necessary to shower. After the shower,
do I have to look into the mirror? No, I look the
same every day. You have the problem of different
levels of facial hair you have to trim it; you have to
shave it; you have to keep it in a certain way. I just
have to arrange my beard a little, which does not
take a mirror I know where it is, and I am done.
The mirror does not play such an important role for
me because I dont look different on different days.
If I close my eyes and just feel through my system
for one moment, I know how I look. Whether I
radiate or not is decided by that. If it has not worked
properly yet, I just have to close my eyes for another
few seconds thats all. The question is, do you
want to look good or feel good? How wonderful
you feel within yourself is more important than
how wonderful someone feels by looking at you.
If you really feel wonderful, everyone will feel
wonderful in your presence. If you are blissed out,
everyone who comes in touch with you will begin
to experience that, one way or the other.
If you look good, maybe you are a piece of art,
nothing more. Sculptures can look good; art can
look good; anything can look good. I am not saying
looking good is a bad thing, but how much time you
invest on it in your life clearly tells you who you are,
because if you have something of substance within
Look Good or Feel Good?
Sadhguru in Conversation with Actor Siddharth
Look Good or Feel Good?
Sadhguru in Conversation with Actor Siddharth
9 FOREST FLOWER June 2013
you, looking good will not be such a relevant thing.
This does not mean that I do not take a little care to
look good obviously I do. The important thing is
what proportion of attention is going into looking
good, and what proportion into feeling good.
Today, people cannot take their hands off their hair
for a moment. This is simply because there is not
enough substance. If you create enough substance
within yourself, it does not matter if your hair is up
like this or that; people will still love you for who
you are. If you want to make an impact in the
world, whether as an actor or something else, the
impact will happen because of your intensity and
your substance, not just because of the arrangement
of hair facial or otherwise. [To the audience:]
This is a feud between us about facial hair please
dont take it seriously.
Siddharth: Its been a feud between me and nature
for 20 years. There is just nothing happening on
this face. Back to my question there is a common
perception that one can be happier when one is
more comfortable being oneself. What I am getting
at is, I wish I were different in terms of physical
appearance and.
Sadhguru: I can suggest a doctor to you. [Laughter]
You know, I sometimes teach programs in Los
Angeles. When I look around there, a lot of women
all look the same. Now I know who the doctor is.
In earlier times, if all of them looked the same, we
would have thought they have a common father. It
is better today it is just a common doctor.
Siddharth: Where does the urge of wanting
something that was not given to you by nature come
from? Did you ever wish you had other capabilities
that you have not had at that point? Like for example,
did you ever think, I wish I could sing better? Has
this thought ever crossed your mind, to be in some
way different than you are right now?
Sadhguru: I have always thought, I wish I could
sing better. I have never invested even a day to
learn some singing, but since I am utterly shameless,
I simply sing. [Laughter] Because I do not consider
people as people; I consider them as myself. If I sit on
the stage and sing, for me it is like a bathroom song.
Everyone is a bathroom singer, because there is no
one else around. For me, there is no one else around
at any time, so I simply sing. I dont have raga, tala,
or anything I simply sing, and people seem to like
it. [Laughs] Thats their musical appreciation.
You know, I grew up in the 60s, on rock n roll,
Beatles, and stuff like that. We went for that music
because of the lyrics, and it made your body jump
around a bit. But when you sat down and listened
carefully, it was such an incoherent sound. My
parents were steeped in classical music, and we
hated it. If my father turned on Mani Iyer, we turned
on Jethro Tull. [Laughs] We did not want classical
music to fall on our ears and spoil our rock n roll.
When I became meditative, classical music
suddenly captured me, and I thought I should have
learned this this is something profound. Since
then, it has become so much a part of my life, just
by listening to it. I always thought I must take
three or six months off, go to some Ustad and learn
proper music. This has been a dream that I do not
think I will ever fulfll because of the kind of life
and activity that I am in. But I have still not given
up. When I meet top musicians, I still tell them,
One day, I will come to you, hoping that they
will drag me one day and I will learn.
Yes, I always think I wish, I wish, I wish there
are too many I wishes. I am not saying I wish
out of frustration, but people believe that I am
already into too many things: Sadhguru, you are
greedy for life. You are doing too many things.
You may kill yourself. It is not that I need to do
more. If I close my eyes, I can sit here till I fall
dead. Right now, the world exists for me and I am
absolutely involved. If I close my eyes, the world
just vanishes for me in one moment.
The need for action is not there in me, but once I have
chosen to do action, I do not know how to do it half-
heartedly. My action is always 100% because I do
not know how to live life half-heartedly, and no one
should know how to live their life half-heartedly.
That is why, even in spiritual programs, we bring
games and sport, because you can go to work half-
heartedly, you can get married half-heartedly but
you cannot play a game half-heartedly. If you enter a
game, you have to throw yourself into it; otherwise,
you will be total rubbish.
We always try to encourage people to play some
game so that they know what it means to get into
something with some sense of abandon. If you do
not know this sense of abandon, you will never
know what spiritual process means. You have
seen those calendar images a man sitting with
a constipated look on his face, and of course, he
also has a beard. [Laughs] This is not it. Spiritual
process means a very heightened level of abandon,
where you do not abandon life, you abandon your
little personality that you created. Only if you
abandon all the little stuff that you have created,
the Creators creation will touch you in ways
that you have not even imagined possible. The
immensity of being human has been lost, simply
because humans are continuously dabbling with
petty creations of their own.
Siddharth: Sadhguru, it is fascinating when you
look at a really famous and revered person from
a distance, and like you said, there are images of
Gurus being very serious and very.
Sadhguru: I said constipated.
Siddharth: Yes. Then suddenly you meet someone
like that at close quarters and he is very childlike.
Sadhguru: Childlike means I did not grow up?
Siddharth: The child that I used to be when I
was young. [Laughs] You are so childlike and I
dont think it comes from a conscious need to be
childlike. Like you said, You cant beat me at riding
a motorcycle. I am actually eager to try that out
next time I see you.
Sadhguru: Dont try that.
Siddharth: I am going to be prepared.
You speak beautifully; you love music; you are
tremendously attractive are you romantic at heart?
I am a romantic actor. Is Sadhguru a romantic Guru?
Sadhguru: Lets understand the word romance.
Romance means a very deep involvement. But
unfortunately, people have brought romance down
to only a young male and a young female. No, I
am defnitely an absolute romantic, romancing
the whole universe. Why not? Why just the
neighborhood girl? The neighborhood girl has
become magnifed in your eyes because your
intelligence has been hiacked by your hormones. If
your intelligence is not hiacked by your hormones,
the whole universe, every piece of creation is worth
involvement, isnt it?
If you pay enough attention, you will see something
as small as an ant is a phenomenal creature. If you
just see it as a little machine that is moving around
and you look at its capability; if you pay attention
to it for a lifetime, you will still have things to learn
from these mechanics. If you pay enough attention,
you cannot help being a romantic. To wonder and
be involved with just everything around you is a
natural process for human intelligence.
To be continued
11 FOREST FLOWER June 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.
What happened in the previous episode: With
the intention to defeat and humiliate the Pandavas
and Draupadi, Duryodhana and Shakuni invited
the eldest of the Pandava brothers, Yudhisthira,
for a game of dice. Yudhisthira staked and lost not
only all their wealth and the kingdom but even his
brothers and their wife Draupadi.
The second of the Kaurava brothers, Duhshasana,
went and dragged Draupadi by the hair into the
court. Such a thing had never happened before
in the history of Bharat Varsha. Everyone was
disgusted and shocked. But the Kauravas argued
from a technical standpoint: They lost the game.
Shes a slave woman now. We can do what we want
with her. Karna went one step further and said,
Even the clothes that you fve brothers and this
woman are wearing belong to us. You must drop
them. The fve brothers dropped their outerwear
and stood in their undergarments. Draupadi was in
a single garment (a sari). They wanted to disgrace
them to the limit and tried to disrobe her right there
in front of everyone.
When Draupadi, in her distress, called out Krishnas
name, a miracle happened: however much
Duhshasana pulled at her garment, it seemed to
extend endlessly, and he gave up at some point. The
Pandavas and Draupadi were released and given
back their wealth and kingdom, but Yudhisthira
agreed to one more game of dice and lost it again.
This time, they had to go into the forest for 12 years
and subsequently live incognito for a further year.
If they had been discovered in that one year, they
would have had to go into exile for another 12
years. They went through this and came back after
13 years, demanding back their kingdom. When
Duryodhana refused, Yudhisthira, who did not
want a war, said, For the fve of us, just give us fve
villages. Duryodhana still declined, saying, I will
not even give fve needlepoints of land. This fnally
led to the Kurukshetra war.
When Duhshasana tried to disrobe Draupadi, Bhima
took a vow: One day, I will tear open your chest
and drink your blood. And Draupadi said, I will
not tie my hair again until one of you brings me
Dhuhshasanas blood. Only many years later, when
Dhushasanas blood was applied on her hair like oil,
she tied it again. She was a very fery woman. She
was wise and intelligent, and involved in all the
affairs of the state, but she was also burning with
rage for what she had been put through.
How to fx injustice against women today? In cities,
the law may work to some extent. In remote, rural
areas, it is still only social law, and not legal law that
works. Many terrible things happen, but not only to
women. It just seems more unjust when it happens
to a woman because she is physically more helpless
than a man. Injustice, pain, and disgrace happen to
anyone who is powerless, whether it is a man or a
woman. It is better to address injustice as such rather
than making it a gender issue. Injustice has to stop
on all levels, or at least we have to see to it that it is
minimized. Either we work for establishing dharma,
or we condone adharma. It is not just about not
doing anything wrong; it is also about not allowing
wrong things to happen. Maybe, we cannot stop
everything, but there are many things we can stop.
Everyone has to do their own dharmayuddha
1

around themselves and especially within themselves.
First you have to fght the corruption within you.
To be continued
Leela Series
The path of the playful
Part XLIV
Draupadis Plight
1
Sanskrit: honest fght
12
FOREST FLOWER June 2013
Join Green Hands
in Celebrating
World Environment Day!
Join Green Hands
in Celebrating
World Environment Day!
This years World Environment Day is coming up
on 5 June 2013. Green Hands has a way for you to
participate in this global event and take positive
environmental action without even having to leave
the house. But frst, lets look at our environmental
situation.
What kind of world will our children have to deal
with in the future if we dont take action now?
Here are three major concerns, as pointed out in the
World Banks climate change report Turn Down the
Heat:
Extreme Heat
Unless human beings cut down on greenhouse
gas emissions, the world is likely to be warmer by
more than 4C in 100 years. This will not be the
end. Further warming of over 6C will follow in the
centuries to come. The frequency and intensity of
heat waves across the globe has already increased.
In 2010, a heat wave hit Russia, killing 55,000,
destroying 25% of the crops, burning a million
hectares, and costing Russia 15 billion dollars. In
a 4C warmer world, such temperatures would be
considered normal, and heat waves would occur
regularly. The coolest months in such a climate
would be substantially warmer than the warmest
months were at the end of the 20
th
century.
Extreme Weather
In a warmer world, dry areas will become drier and
wet areas wetter. The drought in the United States
in 2012 impacted about 80% of agricultural land.
By 2100, half of all farm land in the world is
expected to be drought-hit. An average of 500
weather-related disasters now take place each
year, compared to 120 in the 1980s. The number
of floods has increased six-fold. Rainfall levels in
wet areas could increase a further 2030% in a 4C
warmer world.
Food Shortages
In the next decade alone, a further 100 million
women and children are expected to join the
existing 500 million who are undernourished.
By 2050, fsheries and livestock will collapse, and
agriculture will suffer under prolonged droughts
and heat waves, resulting in less food per person.
Resources will get scarcer. Elizabeth Hadly,
Professor of Biology at Stanford University, says,
We may already be past these tipping points in
particular regions of the world. I just returned
from a trip to the high Himalayas in Nepal, where
I witnessed families fghting each other with
machetes for wood wood that they would burn
to cook their food in one evening.
What we can do
Studies show that the last century of human
activity has made a rise in global temperatures
virtually inevitable. The question is no longer
whether temperatures will rise; the question is
how much they will rise. Hearteningly, numerous
studies show that there are technically and
economically feasible solutions that will
probably hold warming below 2C. Will we make
it happen? Will our children hate us for what we
did not do, or will they thank us for what we did?
As individuals, the easiest way we can reduce
our carbon footprint is by planting trees.
Become a Greenie its just a click away!
Planting trees is the simplest solution to todays
environmental crisis. Generally, a mature tree
produces about 260 pounds of oxygen to sustain a
family of four. But, in todays circumstances, each
of us must plant at least fve trees to compensate
for what we consume on the planet, in an effort to
reduce our carbon footprint.
Green Hands not only plants and nurtures
YOUR trees; it also lets you track their exact
location, and even the name of the farmer who
grows them for you.
Donate Rs.100/US$ 2 per tree and see your
trees grow!
(This includes post-planting care and replanting for
two years until your trees can sustain themselves.)
How you can get Green Hands to plant
trees for you:
Log on to www.giveisha.org/pgh or
Send a cheque/DD in favor of ISHA
OUTREACH to
Project GreenHands,
Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills,
Semmedu P.O.Coimbatore 641 114.
(Please mention your email address
and phone number.)
For more information:
+9194425 90081 info@projectgreenhands.org
www.projectgreenhands.org
14
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India A Phenomenon of Possibilities
Sadhgurus Talk at Emory University
India A Phenomenon of Possibilities
Sadhgurus Talk at Emory University
June 2013
Sadhguru was invited to give the 2013 Sheth Lecture
in Indian Studies at Emory University on 14 April
2013. The following excerpt from Sadhguru Spot of
17 April 2013 has the gist of his talk:
This week, I was to address the faculty and students
of Emory University. Members of the public were
also invited and the chapel in the University
Campus was full with over 1200 people. This lecture
was organized by an endowment of an Indian family
of professors dedicated towards Indian and South
Asian studies. India cannot be studied. At the least,
one must soak it in, or at best, one must dissolve
into it these are the only ways. Western analysis of
India is too off the mark, as symptomatic analysis of
Bharat will only lead to very grossly misunderstood
conclusions of a nation that revels and thrives in a
chaos that is organic and exuberant.
This most ancient of nations upon this earth is not
built upon a set of principles or beliefs or ambitions
of its citizenry. It is a nation of seekers, seeking not
wealth or wellbeing, but liberation, not of economic
or political kind, but the ultimate liberation.
A Godless but a devout nation. When I say Godless,
we need to understand that this is the only culture
that has given humans the freedom not just to make
a choice of gods, but to create the sort of god that
you can relate to. When Adiyogi was asked how
many ways to enlightenment, he said only 112 if
you are within the realm of your physical system,
but if you transcend the physical, then every atom
in the universe is a doorway. Bharat, as the nation
has been known for many millennia, is a complex
amalgamation of this variety of spiritual possibilities.
If you every happened to be at the Maha Kumbh,
there is quite a display of this. The best compliment
came from none other than Mark Twain. After
his visit to India, he said, So far as I am able to
judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man
or nature, to make India the most extraordinary
country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing
seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked.
India is not a study, but a phenomenon of possibilities.
Though a cauldron of multiple cultural, ethnic,
religious, and linguistic soup, it is all held together
by a single thread of seeking. This tremendous
longing has been nurtured into the peoples of the
land, the longing to be free free from the very
process of life and death.
One must not forget that the basis of seeking is that
one has realized that one does not know; one does not
know the nature of ones being. Instead of settling
for a culturally convenient belief, a whole populace
had the courage and commitment to seek the truth
themselves. This is the basis of this nation that is
called Bharata. Bha meaning sensation, that is the
basis of all experience and expression; Ra meaning
Raga, the tune and texture of life; Ta meaning Tala,
the rhythms of life, which include the rhythms of
the human system and those of nature.
This is a nation that was conjured not in the minds
of the ambitious, but by the sages; not for proft
but in profoundness. Bharat is not to be seen as
just another political entity but as a gateway to the
fulfllment of the innermost longings of the human
creature. The fundamental ethos of Bharat needs to
be preserved, protected, and nurtured. The legacy
of wisdom and unbridled exploration of life is a true
gift to Humanity as a whole. As a generation, this
is an important responsibility that we should fulfll.
Let not the limitless possibilities that the sages of
this land explored and expounded be lost in religious
bigotry and senseless simplistic dogmas.
Sadhguru
India A Phenomenon of Possibilities
Sadhgurus Talk at Emory University
India A Phenomenon of Possibilities
Sadhgurus Talk at Emory University
Sadhguru at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
15 FOREST FLOWER
Sadhguru at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
June 2013
The response to Sadhgurus keynote address
at MIT Sloan School of Managements
Business Conference in October 2012 was so
overwhelmingly positive that he was asked
to return to MIT on 23 April 2013 to deliver a
workshop which he entitled Gearing for Success.
A volunteer shares:
As an entrepreneur myself, struggling to be
successful, I was grateful to have the opportunity
to volunteer for this event, as well as to sit in on
Sadhgurus presentation to MBA students and
professional attendees.
Sadhguru began by defning the word itself: Success.
Everyone wants to be successful a mother who
bakes a cake for her two children wants to be
successful the same way as the CEO of a company
wants to be successful in his business. Her need to
be successful is not any less. Whether we are doing
things big or small, the need for success is always
there. A leader of an organization works long hours
and sleeps and eats less because all his actions and
thoughts are geared towards achieving his goals and
being successful. However, there are a lot of people
who are very successful in life, but they are not
happy. Instead of enjoying their success, they suffer
it because they start working for other peoples
expectations. A person can be truly happy with his
success only when he fnds full expression of who he
is and functions to his or her full capacity.
Sadhguru talked about committing oneself to
creating what one really cares for. If one does
that, then regardless of the goal, one will enjoy the
process of all the things that are needed to be done
to achieve it. A business leader should look beyond
economic objectives and create goals that include
the wellbeing of everyone in the organization.
Sadhguru referred to people asking him why he
started new projects every day and if he wasnt
ever afraid of failure. Absolutely not; fear of failure
restricts one from doing anything. If he thinks
something is worth a try, then he will start as many
projects as he can.
Of course, you cannot control most of the things
happening around you. But you should be in
control of what is happening within you. Yoga
helps to keep the physical body, the mental body,
ones life energies and emotions properly aligned.
Once these are aligned, your ability to do things
improves tremendously. Sadhguru spoke about the
importance of distancing oneself from the mind
and body and offered a means to accomplish this by
fnishing the session with Isha Kriya.
Following the talk, a dinner was served by local
Isha volunteers to the student participants, who
were very grateful for the delicious, home-cooked
meal. On the way back home, I was full of energy
and life in spite of an extra-long and busy day. For
me, the day had started quite early with cooking and
coordinating the delivery of food prepared by other
volunteers, followed by the set-up of the event,
serving dinner, the late-night clean-up, and a long
drive home. Ultimately, I realized that this event
had turned into a beautiful opportunity for me to
understand what it means to work with willingness,
to give myself totally to what is to be done while
putting my personality aside.
Parija, Isha volunteer
Grace Multiplied
Pournami Pooja and Sathsang with Sadhguru at iii
Grace Multiplied
Pournami Pooja and Sathsang with Sadhguru at iii
The Isha Institute of Inner Sciences (iii) was graced
by the frst Pournami Pooja in the US on 24 April,
and a 3--day sathsang with Sadhguru from 25 to
28 April 2013.
The Pournami Pooja on the 24
th
was an extraordinary
night of offering, devotion, and grace. A celebration
of the full moon and the divine feminine, the pooja
conducted by the Bhairagini Maas took place in
Mahima, which was transformed into the abode
of Devi. Offerings of fowers, fruits, coconuts, and
sweets were spread in front of her, as Linga Bhairavi
stood radiant, ferce, and compassionate.
The Pooja was beyond my expectations. The beauty
and care taken in creating a lovely atmosphere was
incredible. The lamps, the process of entry, and the
echoing chants reverberated within me. It connected
me to Linga Bhairavi in a deep way, to the feminine
powers of our world, and to the full moon.
Stacy Christensen, Isha meditator, Utah
For many of the around 650 attendees, this was
their introduction to Linga Bhairavi. Her powerful
presence inevitably drew everyone to her. As
Sadhguru entered the hall, the process began with
chanting, offerings of dance and song, and the Devi
Pooja followed by the Aarti. Deeply touched, many
shed tears of love and devotion.
Sadhguru then asked the participants to soak in the
moonlight outside. Though the moon hid its face
behind the clouds, its gentle grace reached all.
Ye Devi!
Sathsang with Sadhguru
On the next day, 25 April, the 3-1/2-day Sathsang
with Sadhguru began in the morning with
Guru Pooja.
Participants had the opportunity to sleep in Mahima
throughout the program. One of them shared,
Sleeping in Mahima is such a gift. I love resting in
its grace.
On the frst day, Sadhguru spoke about wondering,
and about how science and religion have destroyed
our ability to simply look around and wonder.
Sadhguru asked the participants to spend the
evening sitting and simply wondering. Other
themes brought up were death, grief, and how to
make this lifetime the last one and liberate oneself
from the process of rebirth. Sadhguru shared a
poem about cremation and spoke about his trip to
Kashi, the sacred city where many choose to die
and be cremated.
Sadhguru also spoke in depth about sleep. He said
that in the US, the vast majority of people are not
sleeping properly. He joked that he would release
a Sleep App for assisted sleep! He led participants
through an intense process that concluded by falling
asleep in the lap of the Creator, free of harm and
pain. Many people noticed a difference in the quality
of their sleep after the process.
On the fnal day, the discussion was mostly about
the upcoming Adiyogi Shrine at the iii. Residents
had cleared the land right after the plan was
announced, as Sadhguru was eager to begin
construction immediately. He spoke about the need
for this powerful space in the US, and the role of the
US as a trendsetter in the world. He hinted about
additional plans to raise awareness of Adiyogi in
the US through media such as books and movies.
The participants were so enthusiastic they began
donating for the construction on the spot.
A participant shared his experience of spending
3-1/2 days with Sadhguru:
Having never been to a sathsang with Sadhguru,
I didnt know what to expect. The experience was
profound and transformational. Though there
were over 600 participants, at times it felt like
the discourse was directed solely at me. Sadhguru
addressed all the questions and doubts I had, and
I never even asked a question aloud. I am excited
about the shrine, but I can honestly admit I know
nothing about its true magnitude. No doubt it will
leave a lasting impression on our whole nation.
Ross, Isha meditator, Albany, NY
17 FOREST FLOWER June 2013
18
FOREST FLOWER April 2013
Sadhguru Spot
Musings from the Master
Take-Off from Boston
Excerpted from Sadhguru Spot 24 April 2013
Nearing midnight on a little turboprop taxiing for
take-off from Boston. Here for a session at MIT on
Gearing for Success. Boston is just recovering from
a week-old scare; tomorrow is the memorial service.
The perpetrators of this ghastly act are young men;
the innocent looking face of the younger of the
brothers is disturbing at the least. This boy, 19 years
of age, could be any of our children, yet how they
have been demonized by the propaganda of religious
machinery does not augur well for this world.
Religious philosophies that have world-conquering
ambitions have the propensity for causing a
grievous blow to all life upon the planet. In the last
two millennia, there has been much uninstigated
violence, violence unleashed upon various people
of the world by the religious groups across the
planet. This landscape of violence that they have
left, continuously talking about peace, love, and
compassion, is abhorrent and has scary scenarios
hidden in them.
It is time to address some fundamental causes that
propel these types of violent actions in the name of
religion. It is time that the public discourse moves
from the politically correct stance to striving for
solutions for the ills of our times. There is some
very strong stimulus for violence against all who
do not share the belief that some have chosen or
been taught to believe. These anomalies are there
in the very sacred texts that are purported to be
the words of God.
For whatever reason that these words of instigation
got into sacred books, it is time that what is not
suitable or palatable for our times is expunged God
willing. We can ask, if God says nothing, it would
not be a crime to take it as an affrmative. Ensuring
that no one needs to be a Gods soldier is the absolute
need of the day. For all the other causes of violence,
at some point, we can fnd solutions, but there is
no solution for those who fght for their gods. You
cannot wean them of that, as it is an eternal cause
and damnation for the world. Only if all religious
groups are willing to start looking at the prospect
of upgrading or expunging stimuli for violence
from their sacred books will there be possibility of
solution. Not any one group, but all should strive. It
is not going to be an easy exercise, but it has to start
at some point of time.
This weekend at Atlanta over 1100 people at the
3-day Inner Engineering. Session was a blast. The
sheer variety of people is very interesting.
Past midnight and the two propeller engines are
roaring and hurtling us through the moonlit sky.
The wingless creatures that we are, that we can even
fy is a blessing. Thanks to Lilienthal, the brothers
from Dayton, Ohio, and all those who strived, and
those who died for aviation as we know it today.
What an immense gift.
Visit: Sadhguru.org/spot for weekly updated
Musings from the Master
Love & Grace
18
FOREST FLOWER June 2013
Hata Yoga A Way of Life and of Making a Living Hata Yoga A Way of Life and of Making a Living
I am incapable of being depressed; otherwise I
would be depressed looking at the way Hata Yoga
is being practiced around the world, and people
think that this is what it is. The practice as you see
it, the mechanics of it, is simply of the body. You
have to breathe life into it; otherwise it will not
become alive. This is why, traditionally, there has
been so much stress on a live Guru to make it alive.
The yogic system is a subtle manipulation of your
system to allow you to attain to your higher nature.
Every asana, every mudra, every way of breathing is
focused towards this.
After decades of yoga entering the West and
becoming popular, medical professionals are now
coming forth and making studies and saying, Yoga
has benefts. Right now the number of people
practicing yoga even the simplest Hata Yoga is
growing in a big way simply because the scientifc
community is slowly beginning to recognize the
depth and dimension of what it is. Though it is
taught in frivolous ways, still the health benefts of
it are undeniable. But if improper, distorted kind
of yoga spreads, in 10 to 15 years time, scientifc
studies will tell you in how many ways it is harmful
to human beings, and that will be the downfall.
If Hata Yoga is taught in a proper atmosphere with
a certain sense of humility and inclusiveness about
the whole process, it is a fantastic process of shaping
your system into a fabulous device to receive the
Divine. There are certain dimensions of Hata
Yoga that are almost absent in the world today. I
would like to bring those dimensions. It is a very
powerful way of living. Power not over someone
else power to access life.
- Sadhguru
Learn to teach classical Hata Yoga!
We are excited to announce the second Isha Hata
Yoga Teacher Training Program, from 22 July
to 16 December 2013 at the Isha Yoga Center.
The 21-week program, devised by Sadhguru, is a
wonderful opportunity for one to receive training
in classical Hata Yoga. Open to meditators and
non-meditators, it is an unparalleled possibility to
experience and acquire a profound understanding
of the yogic system and also transmit it to others.
Upon completion of training, students will be
qualifed to establish their own studio or teach
private Hata Yoga lessons. Post-training support
will be provided by Isha.
To learn more about the
Isha Hata Yoga Teacher Training Program,
visit www.ishahatayoga.com,
email us at india@ishahatayoga.com or
call +9198490 11600.
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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.
Date Program Place Contact
1 Jun 2013
Sathsang
Conducted by Sadhguru
London,
W2 2TY UK
programmes.uk@ishafoundation.org
69 Jun 2013
Inner Engineering
Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
1219 Jun 2013
Samyama (Tamil)
Residential Program
Conducted by Sadhguru
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515300
1316 Jun 2013
Inner Engineering
Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
1925 Jun 2013 Inner Engineering Pune India
98814 08561, 98600 73950
pune@ishayoga.org
2023 Jun 2013
Bhava Spandana
Residential Program
Gents; English/Hindi
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515300
23 Jun 2013
Yantra Ceremony
with Sadhguru
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
94425 04720
yantra@lingabhairavi.org
39 Jul 2013 Inner Engineering
Navi Mumbai
India
99874 00339, 81089 00080
mumbai@ishayoga.org
57 Jul 2013
Inner Engineering
Conducted by Sadhguru
Bangalore India
92434 10136, 90360 67181
bangalore@ishayoga.org
1214 Jul 2013
Sadhguruvudan Isha
Yoga (Tamil)
Residential Program
Conducted by Sadhguru
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
Chennai, Vellore: 83000 11000 /
044 24333185
Coimbatore: 94434 94434
For other centers,
please check our website.
1821 Jul 2013
Inner Engineering
Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
June 2013
20
FOREST FLOWER
April 2013
Isha Recipes For Healthy Living
PREPARATION METHOD
PREPARATION METHOD
Cut off the rind of the watermelon and remove the seeds with the tip of a knife. Cut the pulp into
pieces and place them in the jar of a blender.
Peel the ginger, crush it, and add it to the jar.
Wash the mint leaves and add them, along with salt, pepper powder, and sugar.
Blend everything until smooth. Pass through a strainer.
Pour the juice into glasses and serve.
QUICK TIP: Instead of fresh ginger, mint leaves, black pepper powder, and salt, you could use Jaljeera
powder (a blend of cumin, ginger, black pepper, chili, mint, black salt, and fruit powder).
Cut off the rind of the watermelon and remove the seeds with the tip of a knife.
Cut the pulp into pieces and place them in the jar of a blender.
Chop the papaya and the strawberries and add them to the jar as well.
Blend everything until smooth.
Now add cup crushed ice cubes and blend again.
Add honey to taste and pour into glasses. Serve immediately.
Medium-size watermelon
1 inch piece Fresh ginger
cup Fresh mint leaves
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder to taste
Sugar 3 tablespoons
1 thick slice Watermelon
Ripe papaya
2 Strawberries
Honey to taste
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Watermelon not only reduces body fat, lowers LDL cholesterol, and cleans plaque from
arteries, but also lowers blood pressure, aids cell division, and enhances blood circulation.
Two cups of watermelon have less than 100 calories.
FOREST FLOWER
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS
WATERMELON JUICES WITH A TWIST
WATERMELON PAPAYA SMOOTHIE
WATERMELON MINT JUICE
Serves Two
June 2013
21
22 22
April 2012 FOREST FLOWER
22 22
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