Volume 7 / Issue 06 June 2019

Of Leadership
When the Starlings fly in
their Collective Glory, can
anyone decipher the leader of
their magnificent act

The Heart beats, Glands secrete,

Kidneys purify, every cell performs
the most exacting functions
and the Brain reflects

The many Billion Galaxies

of effervescent stars and nascent
space. Of Black holes and
Milky Ways, does someone see
a Center that leads

A leader is a Fool

Grace & Blessings

June 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | b

 EDITORIAL

Dear Readers,
This month, we celebrate the
World Environment Day. When it
comes to ecological awareness and
preservation, fighting industrial
pollution and planting trees are at
the forefront of discussion. Yet the
“biggest disaster” lies elsewhere.
In the Lead Article “How to Build
Sustainable Future,” Sadhguru
points out the elephant in the room
and how individuals, businesses, and
governments can work together to
address the issue.
To make any difference in the world,
ecological or otherwise, it needs
leadership. A recent Sadhguru Spot,
“Leadership Starts in the Mind”
details what it takes to make a true
leader. Sadhguru urges the younger
generation to take a leading role in
the question “Should Religion Be
a Personal Pursuit?” – an age-old
matter that has become all the more
critical today with technological
empowerment. While the dangers of
technology cannot be ignored – be
it in religious conflict or video game
addictions – rest assured that “Good
Times Are Coming!” Read about the
wonderful possibilities technology
offers for the future of humanity.
Technology in the material world is
advancing with great momentum,
yet let’s not forget the ancient
technologies for inner wellbeing
that have existed on this planet for
millennia. In this month’s Musings
article “Shambhavi Mahamudra,”
find out what makes this practice
unique and fascinating research
that measures its effect on one’s
physiology. Our other Musings article,
“Consecration – Concentrated Life
Process” covers another esoteric
technology which is beyond measure.
Also in this issue: The Mahabharat series
continues by delving into the psyche
of the blindfolded queen Gandhari;
On the Path of the Divine features
Swami Gurubiksha, one among the
first handful of full-time volunteers
at Isha; catch up Sadhguru’s events
in UK and US – Inner Engineering and
Bhava Spandana programs, events at
academic institutes, and a round of
golf! And if you’re feeling bored with
cooking the same things, here’s a
chance to try out something different:
Desi Millet Quinoa Pizza!
The Editorial Team

Contact the Editorial Team:

Isha Forest Flower, Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills, Ishana Vihar Post, Coimbatore – 641114
forestflower@ishafoundation.org
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2
c || ISHA
ISHA FOREST
FOREST FLOWER
FLOWER June 2019
June 2019
CONTENTS

LEAD ARTICLE MAHABHARAT

Part 55: Gandhari –

How to Build Sustainable Future 06 Blindfolded for a Reason 11

INTERVIEW Sadhguru at Columbia University, NY 16

Good Times Are Coming! 4
BBC Anchor Yalda Hakim Interviews Sadhguru
LEAD ARTICLE
How to Build Sustainable Future 6
By Sadhguru
MUSINGS
Shambhavi Mahamudra 9
Why It Is Unlike Any Other Meditation Practice
Consecration – Concentrated Life Process 11
By Sadhguru
Youth and Truth Spreads to the Ivy League
The Future of Leadership is Consciousness 16
Prof. Erica Peng in Conversation with Sadhguru
Golfing with the Legendary Gary Player 16
All Fun and Games with an Octogenarian
ON THE PATH OF THE DIVINE
Swami Gurubiksha 17
Absolutely Balanced and Dignified
UPCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Isha – Program & Event Highlights 20

MAHABHARAT ISHA RECIPES

Part 55: Gandhari – Blindfolded for a Reason 12 Desi Millet Quinoa Pizza 21

SADHGURU SPOT ZEN SPEAKS

Leadership Starts in the Mind 13 Disregarding Titles 23

YOUTH AND TRUTH

Should Religion Be a Personal Pursuit? 14

NEWS & EVENTS

No Distance Too Far If You Are Committed 15
Sadhguru Travels Thousands of Miles to Cast His Vote

Inner Spring for Thousands from UK to USA 15

Sadhguru Conducts Inner Engineering in London
and Philadelphia

Transforming Paradigms in Transitory Times 15

BBC Anchor Yalda Hakim Interacts with Sadhguru

3 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER June 2019

Good Times Are Coming!
Yalda Hakim Interacts with Sadhguru INTERVIEW

In this excerpt from an interview by BBC World News presenter Yalda Hakim, Sadhguru answers some of
the most important questions in human life today. He defines life with a simple equation, shares his views
on recent terror attacks, and speaks about the dangers and possibilities of technology for our future. He
also points out how our education systems and our lives are going to change, as a natural consequence of
technological advancements.

Life = Time × Energy
Sadhguru chants “Jananam Sukhadam”
Yalda Hakim: Sadhguru, can you tell us a little bit
about that chant and what it means?
Sadhguru: The overall meaning would be birth is a
certain pleasure and joy but death is compassion.
When you have lived enough, the relief of death
is fantastic. The worst thing that could happen to
you is if you had to live forever. And what we call
“birth and death” is just a certain amount of time
and energy. Time-wise, no matter who and what
you are, for all of us time is rolling away at the same
pace. There’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t
hold back a day or a minute. But our life energies
are in our hands.
If we take charge of our life energies, then in a certain
way, we have mastery over time. By taking charge
of your energies, you can make your experience
of life very intense. And also in terms of activity,
if you organize your energies, what someone else
may do in ten years, you may do in one year. If you
live a hundred years, in terms of impact, you lived a
thousand years. So essentially, we are talking about
organizing what we can organize and coming to
terms with that which we cannot organize. This is
where the equilibrium of life is.
Is the World Sinking into Conflict
and Violence?
Yalda Hakim: Great! I go back to what happened
on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka and the attacks on
various churches where about 253 people were
killed. What goes through your mind when you see
this level of evil inflicted on man by man?
Sadhguru: Evil has always been inflicted by one
man upon another man, never by some other
forces. No hand jumped out of the sky and did any
evil to anyone ever in the history of humanity. It
is always one person doing something horrible to
another person. This could be done for economic
reasons, egoistic reasons, wealth, property,

4 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER June 2019

so many things. If we have a fight over material
things, at some point, some wisdom will arise in
you or me to stop this nonsense. But when people
believe they are fighting for their God, there is no
compromise.
Yalda Hakim: How do we deal with this?
Sadhguru: All this talk about creating a little bit of
peace here and there is not a solution. The days of
the sword are over. Now are the days of a deadly
button, which can do things that you cannot ever
imagine. When this kind of capability is there and we
are really concerned about the future of the world,
one fundamental thing that we should establish in
the next 25 years in the world is this: Your religion
is your personal pursuit; do whatever the hell you
want, but it cannot be a national or global agenda.
Let’s understand the word “belief,” first of all. To
believe something means that you are not sincere
enough to admit, “What I do not know, I do not
know.” Only when you see “I do not know,” the
longing to know, the seeking to know, and the
possibility of knowing becomes a living reality. What
is the point in assuming what you do not know?
Youth and Technology: Danger and
Possibility
Yalda Hakim: But to get out of this mindset in the
next twenty-five years is easier said than done.
Sadhguru: Well, never before this was possible.
Today you can sit here and speak to the entire
world. When you have this capability, how come
you say you cannot transform the world? We can.
The question is, are we committed to making it
happen? Thirty percent of data transferred on the
internet is pornography. And every year, some 1.2
million children are being trafficked, often through
the internet. What is wrong with us? When such
a tremendous tool of technology comes to us, we
want to sell our children? We want to change this.
That is why I’m loud in the last ten years, out on the
internet.
Yalda Hakim: Do you think that technology is a
good thing or a bad thing?
Sadhguru: Technology is neither. The beautiful
thing about technology is if you learn to use it, it
works for you. But who you are will decide how you
use it. What we need to fix right now in the world
is who we are. We all have become many things
that we are not. Essentially, we are born as life on
this planet. The rest of the things are taught to us.
Stop teaching all this stuff that makes us something
other than human beings.
June 2019
Yalda Hakim: You can say this as Sadhguru, but how
do you deal with a fifteen-year-old who spends six,
seven hours of their day on a phone, which then
impacts their mental health and their state of mind?
Sadhguru: Being on the phone need not necessarily
impact the mental health. But what is on the
phone? That’s the question. Right now, at least in
India, whatever they may be looking for, they may
be looking for pornography, but Sadhguru pops up
instead. [Laughter and applause] I found that in every
school I go to, at least twenty to thirty percent of
the children are watching our videos. This is a new,
fantastic development.
The phone is not the problem. What is the content
you are putting up, and who is putting it up? Not
children, adults do that – everything has become
commerce. Children are playing video games like
PUBG – for hours every day they are practicing how
to kill people. As they get older, do you think their
instinct of wanting to shoot people at sight will
be satisfied just on the phone? This is the kind of
content we are giving them. Can’t we change the
content to whatever extent possible?
The Only Cure for Compulsiveness
Yalda Hakim: But there are many studies that the
internet is causing a lot of angst for young people.
Sadhguru: These studies go on about everything –
what is not causing angst? And they keep changing
all the time. Yes, screen time has some kind of
impact because of the type of light it emits. People
lose their ability to sleep properly because they
are going on until late at night. They cannot sleep
properly, and because of that, next day morning,
there are many troubles.
Technology is not the problem –
compulsiveness is the problem.
In the United States, they have technology de-
addiction centers that people go to, and it is a huge
achievement for them to keep their phone away
for a certain number of days. Technology is not the
problem – compulsiveness is the problem. If you are
compulsive, even if you eat compulsively, you will
get sick. For compulsiveness, there is only one cure –
consciousness. There is simply no other cure.
Yalda Hakim: Then how do we get to a point of
consciousness?
Sadhguru: Consciousness is not just mental
alertness. You exist right now only because you are
conscious. Consciousness is always there. Everyone
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 5
 is conscious; the question is how conscious? So to
increase or to raise consciousness, what have we
done in the societies? Our entire education system
is just about survival, about one being better than
the other. How can you be conscious when you
are competitive? When other people’s failure is
your only joy, how can you be conscious? From
kindergarten, you are spreading this sickness to our
children, and you expect them to be fantastic. It
won’t work like that.
Memory versus Intelligence
Yalda Hakim: So do we need to change our systems?
Sadhguru: Definitely! It is anyway going to change
in the next five to ten years, not because people
are going to become conscious but simply because
of artificial intelligence. I always wondered, even
when I went to school, why some idiotic person
who has read a book a few years ahead of me
acts like they are something superior. If you are a
scholar, you read a few books. If you are a religious
person, you read just one book and somehow think
you are superior. All this is going to be demolished
in the next five, ten years’ time. My phone will be
able to do ten PhDs a day. It has enough memory to
do that. All scholars, religious people, people who
just keep on vomiting stuff that they have read
elsewhere – this will be nothing.
All the best for the children of the future because
they don’t have to go through the torture of trying
to retain something in their memory and believe
that memory is intelligence. Your memory is not
intelligence. Your memory is a certain capability
all right, but intelligence is a different dimension
of life. Consciousness means pure intelligence,
unsullied by memory.
If I look at you and think, “I know Yalda.” “She’s
good.” Or “She’s bad.” “She’s my friend.” Or “She’s
my enemy.” If all this nonsense is there in my head,
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If your intelligence is sullied by your
memory, you cannot see and experience
anything the way it is right now.
I don’t see you the way you are right now. If your
intelligence is sullied by your memory, you cannot
see and experience anything the way it is right now.
In traditional terms in India, when we see people
living out of their memory, we say, “Aiyo karma.”
That means past memory is ruling them. They will
never experience life. They will just recycle the
same stuff.
Yalda Hakim: Is it possible to shed or leave behind
your memory?
Sadhguru: If you shed your memory, you will again
walk into the same pits that you’ve walked into in
the past. Memory is not to be shed, it needs to be
carried loosely, so that it is not sticking to you all
the time.
Your entire body is memory. There is evolutionary
memory, genetic memory, karmic memory,
conscious and unconscious memory, articulate
and inarticulate memory. In yoga, we identify your
existence as eight dimensions of memory. You may
not remember how your great grandmother looked
ten generations ago, but her nose is sitting in your
face. The body remembers, one hundred percent.
No matter where you go and what you do in your
life – the body retains every bit of memory.
This existence is memory. Do you want to use this
body and this bank of memory that you have in your
mind as a platform upon which you sit? Or do you
want to carry it on your head? This is the difference.
Being conscious means you sit on this platform.
Being unconscious means you carry the burden of
it on your head.
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 LEAD ARTICLE

How to Build
Sustainable Future

The massive threats to our ecological systems and all life on earth are no longer deniable. Still, most
human beings on the planet continue with “business as usual.” Here, Sadhguru points out key areas that
we need to tackle in the coming years if we want to keep this planet livable for future generations. Are we
ready to take the necessary steps to turn the situation around before it is too late?

Without Economy, No Ecology being conscious of this. Spiritual process is not

Q: What kind of leadership is required to generate
the necessary concern around conservation of the
environment?
Sadhguru: The reason why ecological concerns
have not become everyone’s concern is simply
because activists have been taking an attitude
of being against everything that is for economic
wellbeing. They have always pitched economy
versus ecology. That is a fundamental thing that
I wanted to change in India. I actually said this, “I
am officiating the marriage between economy and
ecology.” These two things have to go together.
We need not destroy businesses – we just have
to transform businesses, and the necessary time,
room, and policy support has to be given.
The Spirituality Aspect of Ecology
Q: Do you see a spiritual process in conserving the
environment?
Sadhguru: Essentially, to be spiritual means your
experience of life goes beyond your physical self. If
you experience yourself beyond this body, naturally,
it will be an experience of inclusion of life around
you. What I exhale, the trees are inhaling. What the
trees exhale, I am inhaling, every moment of our
life. But somehow, we are going around without
aimed towards ecology, but ecology is a part of
our existence.
Ecology is not an academic subject. Ecology is the
basis of our existence. To bring this experience
to people large scale is very important. You can
campaign as much as you want, but people shape
their lives according to their experience of life.
Especially those people who hold positions of
responsibility and power, who can make a difference
in the world, their experience of life has to become
much more inclusive than the way it is right now.
Let me give you a little example.
Once, when I was in school, my English teacher
introduced Robert Frost, saying he is a great poet,
and she started reading the first poem. When she
came to “The woods are lovely, dark and deep…”
I said, “Stop it.” I don’t want to listen to this man
who calls a tree a wood. I actually like Robert Frost,
but this kind of perception has to change in our
mind. A tree is not a table, chair, or furniture. A tree
is a phenomenon, and it is the basis of our life. This
has to become a living experience for everyone –
only then will there be sustainability.
Transforming Agriculture
Pollution coming from cities, industries, and so on is
often thought to be the main challenge to ecological

June 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 7

sustainability, but the biggest ecological disaster
on the planet is actually caused by agriculture. It
is the degradation of soil which is the real issue.
Everything else can be attended to and reversed
in a matter of a few decades. The degradation of
soil across the planet is not something that you can
turn back easily – it will take fifty to hundred years.
There are only two ways to regenerate the soil: One
thing is the leaves from trees, then animal waste
and human waste. The trees are gone long time
ago. Without animals, you cannot enrich the soil.
You cannot enrich the soil with bags of fertilizer.
Water and Vegetation
Before we launched the Rally for Rivers, our Project
GreenHands enabled the planting of over thirty
million trees, which changed the green cover
in Tamil Nadu. Now with Rally for Rivers, we
have signed MOUs with six different states. The
governments committed to funding and planting
nearly seven billion trees in the next eight years.
Many states are planning to plant trees in a
minimum of one-kilometer-wide strip along the
riverside (leaving the flood plains), but sixty-two
percent of the land is owned by farmers. You cannot
talk to them about ecological sustainability if they
are struggling for a livelihood. So we have created
agro-forestry models with which you can easily
multiply your income three to five times in a matter
of five years.
Individual Impact
Q: Do individuals need to alter their attitudes
towards consumption, or are there larger solutions
needed?
Sadhguru: Individual people are powerful today.
One thing is there is social media. They can impact
the world in many ways. Apart from that, most
nations on the planet are democracies. If the
citizens do not manifest this and make it very clear,
a democratically elected government will not do
anything. They will do populist things. We have
to make it clear that we are willing to sacrifice a
few conveniences for a larger, long-term good.
If we do not express that, no government will
make any policy.
Working Together for Solutions
Governments move at their own pace. You do not
expect a huge, massive cargo carrier to make a quick
U-turn. But if you make a one-degree turn and hold
it, there will be a U-turn at some point. With the
Rally for Rivers, we got different ministries – water
management ministry, irrigation ministry, rural
8 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
development ministry, and agricultural ministry –
to meet for the first time and look at what they
could do together. That made a huge difference.
And the NITI Aayog sent out a notification to all the
states, that this Rally for Rivers policy is the official
policy that they must implement. Many states have
already taken it up.
We are also trying to talk to activists and tell
them to first see if they can find a solution.
Suggest a solution, rather than just protesting
against a problem.
Business and Sustainability
Apart from that, our idea of what is profit, what
is a successful business, has to go through some
transformation. This needs to happen over a period
of time, and it does. Today, a whole lot of businesses
are looking at how they can create ecological
sustainability. They are investing in this direction.
Once people put their money in a direction, you can
trust that they have intentions.
The next twenty-five years, probably, in the history
of humanity, is going to be very crucial in terms of
what kind of corrections we make. If we take care
of the soil, rivers, forests, agriculture, and human
health, everything will be taken care of. If we turn
this around in the next ten to fifteen years, I think
in thirty to forty years, major positive change will
happen. But if we leave it for another twenty-five
to thirty years, turning it around is going to be so
much more difficult.
Time Is Running Out
We, as a generation of people, have this responsibility,
that in the next ten to fifteen years’ time, at least at
the policy level, all the right things happen. Why I
am insisting on a policy is because only when there
is a policy change, the budget reallocations will be
there, and there will be a sustained movement in
that direction. Particularly major populations in the
world like that of the United States, Europe, China,
India, if we make the right policies right now in the
next few years, I think within the next three to five
years, the rest of the world will follow.
Fundamentally, human beings have lost connection
with what is life and everything that nourishes and
sustains life around us. This is the disaster we are
manifesting in the form of ecological degradation.
We have become psychological beings, not
living beings. We have to transform people into
living beings.
June 2019
 MUSINGS
Shambhavi
Mahamudra
Why It Is Unlike Any
Other Meditation
Practice
There is a myriad of meditation practices out there. What makes Shambhavi Mahamudra the perfect fit
in today’s world? Sadhguru gives a sneak peek on some exciting research that is currently underway. The
findings so far indicate very promising effects on energy levels, immune system, biological age, brain cells
and brain activity, as well as overall health and wellbeing.
Questioner: With so many meditation practices
that are available today, what is unique about
Shambhavi?
From Meditation to Mahamudra
Sadhguru: The word “meditation” is used for so
many things. Generally, if you are concentrating
on something, people say you are meditating. If
you are thinking one thought continuously, people
say you are meditating. If you just utter one sound,
a mantra or whatever else, continuously, that is
called meditation too. Or if you are mentally alert
to things that are happening around you or within
your physiological system, that is called meditation
as well.
Shambhavi does not belong to any of these
categories. This is why we are calling it a Mahamudra
or a kriya. What is a mudra? The word “mudra”
literally means a seal – you lock it. In today’s world
more than ever, the biggest problem that human
beings have is dissipation of energy, because our
sensory system is stimulated more than ever before
in the history of humanity. For example, today
we can sit the entire night with bright lights on.
Your eyes were not prepared for this – they were
made for twelve hours of light and twelve hours of
darkness or a very subdued light. Now your visual
apparatus is stimulated like crazy.
System Overload:
Overstimulation of the Senses
In earlier times, for you to hear any sound, a lion
had to roar, an elephant had to trumpet, or some
other exciting sound had to happen; otherwise it
June 2019
was silent. Now there are sounds going on all the
time. Your ears are taking in too much. In earlier
times, to see something colorful, you had to wait
for the sunset. And before you could call your family
to come and see, it was gone. Now, if you turn on
the television, you see every kind of color, in rapid
succession, to dazzle you all the time.
The amount of sensory input that you are taking in
is like never before. When this level of sensory input
is there in you, you sit here and say “AUM, Ram,” or
whatever you think, that will also go on in endless,
rapid succession. Unless they create a powerful
process within themselves, in today’s world, most
human beings cannot sit with their eyes closed
without daydreaming.
Reversing the Energy Drain
That is why a Mahamudra, because it is a seal. Once
you put the seal and lock it, your energies will divert
themselves in a completely different direction.
Now things will happen. Rarely does any practice
blow up people right from day one as Shambhavi
Mahamudra does. This is simply because if you
apply the Mahamudra right, your own energies are
turning in a direction that they normally never do.
Otherwise, your energies dissipate in reaction to
various sensory inputs. It is like if you keep looking
at something, you get tired after sometime. Not
just the eyes – you get tired.
Because every time you pay attention to something,
you lose energy. If a ray of light comes at you, for
you to see it, there is loss of energy. If a sound
comes at you, for you to hear it, there is loss of
energy. We want to turn it around in such a way
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 9
that there is gain. Why we spend so much time to
psychologically and emotionally prepare you for a
twenty-one minute practice is to get you to the
right level of receptivity. The crash course [taught in
the Inner Engineering program] is just about that –
you are obliterating the boundaries that you have
drawn. Now, life gets enhanced.
Scientific Evidence of
Substantial Impact
The mudra is like that. There is a lot of research
happening on Shambhavi. You know, in today’s
world, what is happening within you is not good
enough. It must be measured in a laboratory.
Scientists found that the cortisol awakening
response is significantly higher for people who have
practiced Shambhavi. The BDNF, which is the brain
derived neurotropic factor1, also increases.
The cortisol awakening response2 marks different
levels of wakefulness. Enlightenment is also called
awakening. Why? Aren’t you awake already? No,
you are not at the same level of awakening every
moment of your life. If you have been practicing
Shambhavi for at least ninety days, thirty minutes
after you wake up in the morning, your cortisol
awakening response is several times higher than in
a normal person.
dimensions of yoga. A significant aspect of Buddhist
meditations is people become peaceful, pleasant; at
the same time the brain activity goes down. What is
significant about Shambhavi is people become very
peaceful, pleasant, and at the same time their brain
activity goes up.
Peace and Possibility without
Problems
You must have your brains working. In the name
of spirituality, you normally see people sit and do
“Ram, Ram” or some other mantra. Even if you just
keep repeating “ding dong ding,” you will become
peaceful. It is like a lullaby. If no one is singing to you,
you sing it to yourself. It will help. Everyone is using
such tricks, which they unconsciously arrived at,
and tell themselves something repeatedly. Whether
it is a so-called sacred sound or a nonsensical one,
if you keep repeating it with some involvement, a
certain dullness will arise. Dullness is often mistaken
as peace.
What is significant about Shambhavi is
people become very peaceful, pleasant,
and at the same time their brain
activity goes up.

Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Aging,
Anti-Stress
The inflammatory markers greatly improve too.
And your DNA shows that after ninety days of
practice, you are 6.4 years younger than what you
were, on the cellular level. All this has been properly
established by responsible scientists. Above all,
the most beautiful thing is, the level of calmness
multiplies manifold, while the brain is still active.
This is a unique dimension of Shambhavi.
The studies that have been done in the United States
are largely about Buddhist meditations, not other
The only problem with you right now is the cerebral
activity. If we take away the cerebral activity, you are
peaceful and wonderful, but without possibilities.
Essentially, the human problem is just this: they are
experiencing their possibilities as problems. If you
take away the possibility, if you take away half your
brain, of course the problem is gone. To enhance
the possibility and still not have a problem with it –
this is the uniqueness of Shambhavi Mahamudra.

1  A key protein for neuronal health. It helps the brain

to develop new connections, repair failing brain cells,
and protect healthy brain cells. High levels of BDNF
boost memory and mood, and are said to help prevent
degenerative brain diseases.
2 Enhanced cortisol awakening response (CAR) or a well
established circadian rhythm is the homeostatic state
in which the body generally tends to be in. However,
hyperactive or increased sympathetic states (that happen in
anxiety, stress, etc.) can lead to a decreased diurnal variation
and reduced cortisol awakening response states. The CAR
enhance alertness, physiological arousal, and preparedness
to meet daily demands. The increased CAR is likely related
to increases in morning wakefulness and stress resilience. 

10 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER June 2019


Consecration –
Concentrated Life Process
Why is it important to live in a consecrated space and what
impact does it have on us? Can this impact be measured?
Sadhguru gives us a little more insight into this mystical
phenomenon.
What Cannot Be Measured but
Can Be Known
Human logic is still at a level where it concludes that “except
for what I can measure with an instrument, nothing exists.”
Everything physical about you has been gathered from
outside. Your body is just a piece of this planet. What you
have gathered cannot be you. What is you? Definitely there
is a dimension beyond physicality. If you ignore that, there
is simply no life. The essential life that you are cannot be
measured with some instrument. We can measure only
physical processes.
Consecration is a dimension of energy that is not physical in
nature, but it is concentrated life. Consecration is a way of
creating a very concentrated life process. In certain cultures,
particularly in India, every street was consecrated at one
time. Still, there are fantastic spaces of consecration here.
June 2019
If you walk into a space, you can know how
alive or dead that space is. Is it measurable
by something? No. Only life knows life.
If life meets life, it knows; if life meets
death, it knows. Is there some instrument
to measure this? No, because all your
instruments can only measure physical
processes.
Living in Consecrated Spaces
Consecration is concentrated life
process. No human being should live
in unconsecrated spaces. If you care
for humanity, especially children below
fourteen years of age, if you make sure
they spend a certain amount of time in
consecrated spaces, you will not have
any of these adolescence problems. Right
now, if you are an infant, diaper problems;
toddler means running away problem;
adolescence means some other problem;
middle age means crisis; old age means
horrible. When are you going to live? You
are looking at the life process as a problem.
You are making it a problem because you
are trying to fit life into your intellect. Your
intellect fits into this life perfectly well. If
you try to fit this life into this intellect, it is
not going to work.
Consecration is a dimension, a science,
and a technology with which you
concentrate life in such a way that your
whole energy system bursts forth. We
have created spaces like this. If people just
walk in, because of the sheer intensity,
simply tears start flowing. They do not
know why. Every day, your cheeks should
be washed with tears of love, joy, and
ecstasy. If this does not happen, you are
not living yet.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 11
 MAHABHARAT
SERIES
PART 55

Mahabharat
Gandhari –
Blindfolded for a Reason

Why did Gandhari decide to blindfold herself after her marriage to Dhritarashtra? It was not out of love
and devotion to her husband, as Sadhguru explains here.
Questioner: When Gandhari decided being an of. Human mind considers everything. No one is
ardhangini, on what basis did she make the decision? innocent of that.
Sadhguru: Gandhari did not choose to marry Another aspect is when you have consciously
Dhritarashtra. Only after she came to Hastinapur, chosen to be blind, the greatness that comes with it
did she realize that her husband was blind. When is unbelievable. Such a tremendous sacrifice! Every
she realized that, she chose to close her eyes for moment of your life, people will say, “Wow! What
many things. a woman! She lives blind for her husband.” If you
are a sensible woman and you love the man, if you
Suppose, as a young woman, your marriage is
have sense in your head and love in your heart, you
fixed, and you go there and realize your husband
should be his eyes. But she took the other route,
is blind. It was a big shock. Above all, if you go a
because there is personal glory in sacrifice. There
little further back, her horoscope says, “Whoever
is no personal glory in getting up every day in the
marries her will die in three months’ time.” She
morning and doing what is needed. But there is
would have gone through many things when her
personal glory in tying a strip around your eyes.
parents and brothers knew they could not get her
Now both of them have to be helped.
married. Especially in a family like that, when you
have brothers like Shakuni, many unpleasant things And once you take a public vow, you cannot go
would have happened. back on it. As a queen, even in your bathroom, you
cannot take off the blindfold, because helpers are
Then the humiliation of marrying a goat, then killing
waiting everywhere for you. If you were a private
your “husband,” then deceiving the next husband by
person, at least in the bathroom, you could have
not telling him that you were married earlier, and
taken it off and danced. Considering all this, she
then going there and realizing he is actually blind. If
took that step. Once you have taken such a step,
you look at it, what all this does to your mind is not
however bad it may be, initially, you will crib; you
a small thing. In today’s society, you are educated.
will struggle; you will be depressed; you will fight.
You can say, “To hell with this marriage – I’ll go
But once you realize there is no way out of it, you
and work somewhere.” This was not the situation
will see how to make the best out of it. Because the
back then. Five thousand years ago, either you got
intelligence always kicks in to somehow make the
married and made your life, or you had no life.
best out of it.
Above all, living with a blind man means you will
She thought, “Anyway I have chosen to be blind –
have to do everything for him. But if you are blind,
let me use my blindness for my wellbeing.” That is
everyone will do everything for you. Mark Twain
not even a thought – life naturally moves in that
said this: “Never learn to do anything: If you don’t
direction. If that level of intelligence to reconcile
learn, you’ll always find someone else to do it for
with life was not there in a human being, every
you.” Being a queen, everything gets taken care of
human being would have a broken mind by now.
for Gandhari. I am not trying to ridicule the whole
thing. These are the many things she thought To be continued.

12 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER June 2019

 SADHGURU SPOT
Leadership Starts
in the Mind
What Is True Leadership?
There are two fundamental dimensions to business
leadership today: management and leadership per
se. Management is just glorified housekeeping.
You manage the existing situations, large or small.
Leadership means you are expected to see and
create something that others cannot see or create
by themselves. People are willing to put their lives
into your hands because they believe you can make
them achieve something that they would not be
able to achieve by themselves.
If you open this possibility, leadership is a natural
and effortless process. Otherwise, you are only
trying to be a leader.
The Power of Human Consciousness
Consciousness means just this: an intelligence
that is beyond memory. It is not functioning
from what you know – it is functioning as an
exploratory mechanism. Once something is set
in your consciousness, you do not even have to
give instructions. Everyone – people you know
and people you do not know – will just do what
you want them to do. This is the power of human
consciousness. Consciousness of course will not
come up with a self-centered idea; it will be
all-inclusive.
A leader is someone who has the opportunity to
impact other people’s lives. When people are giving
you this privilege, is it not very important how you
are? I would say every future leader should spend at
least one month in transforming the way you are.
Otherwise, the more we get empowered, the more
damage we will cause.
When our individual footprint has become so big, not
just ecologically but in terms of the overall impact,
June 2019
then how we are is very important. Essentially, this
is about syncing your mental structure with your
existential nature. Existentially, you are all-inclusive.
Even if you hate the person who is sitting next to
you, your body does not have a problem inhaling
what that person exhales. The problem and the
boundaries are only in our minds.
Religion, race, and nationality are all defined by
boundaries. Business is a possibility because it
is not defined by a boundary. Business is willing
to go wherever there is an opportunity. Though
business is oriented towards profit, it is a possibility
to break all boundaries and create a different level
of consciousness in the world – if only the business
leaders of the future are more conscious. A simple
way of approach is the yogic system. The word
“yoga” means “union.” Union means you consciously
obliterate the boundaries of your individuality.
With AI, a lot of people are worried their jobs will go
away. If everything is done by a machine, then how
conscious and how wonderful a human being you
are will become the highest value.
Find the Loopholes
The important thing about leadership is you must
be alert enough to find the loopholes in your
intelligence. This is the fundamental difference
between an intelligent person and a foolish
person. An intelligent person knows how limited
it is; he knows that he is a fool. An idiot does not
know that he is an idiot. If you pay unprejudiced
attention, you will see, every atom in the universe
is far more intelligent than you. If you know this,
you are constantly looking for the loopholes in your
intelligence. The more you fill these loopholes, the
more effective you become in the world.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 13
 YOUTH AND TRUTH

Should Religion
Be a Personal
Pursuit?
How the Young Generation
Can Overcome Age-Old
Conflicts

Sadhguru’s first Youth and Truth event in the United Kingdom created a stir at the London School of
Economics. In this excerpt of the conversation, Sadhguru offers a practical solution to the ongoing conflict
between Pakistan and India, which has been unresolved since the partition in 1947.
Questioner: As a Pakistani who is studying with
Indians here, and you know we live in harmony…
Sadhguru: Outside that region they do wonderfully
well.
Questioner: Of course, this is what my question is,
that we are divided by border, but we share a lot
of things. How can we come together and really
alleviate the miseries and work together for a
better future?
Sadhguru: In the world today, we still have not
come to that place where we can all embrace each
other and the entire planet can live as one nation. I
wish someday we will get there. But you see you’re
already Brexiting.
What Europe has done in the last fifteen, twenty
years is a truly phenomenal, fantastic achievement.
After World War I and World War II, no one ever
thought the Germans, the French, the Italians, and
the English could come together. Could you have
imagined this in 1945? No, but you achieved this
European Union. It’s not a small thing.
Don’t think it’s just an economic arrangement. It’s a
huge evolution in human consciousness. Similarly,
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, this
whole region was like one nation, though politically,
…if we continue with the same attitude,
we will have a super massive disaster…
14 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
we were different nations. There were times when
we were over two hundred different political
entities, but still we were one nation in culture, in
our transactions together, in many different ways.
We’re pushing for this, that the South Asia region will
become something like the EU. Politically, you can
still be different. You can follow whatever religion
you want. But if we come together economically…
We were the most prosperous part of the world at
one time. But today, everyone is trapped in their
own little boundaries.
We have still not come to that place where people
can just live out of their consciousness, leaving their
religion, their heaven and all that. But if all of you
young people are interested in the future of this
world, your generation must do this much: Religion
should be a personal pursuit for people. Those who
wish to, can pursue it personally. But this ambitious
approach that “my religion should conquer the
world” must go.
This is one achievement you must make in the
next twenty-five years. Otherwise, with the kind of
technological advancements we have, we will have
a massive disaster on this planet. The days of the
sword are over. Now, if we continue with the same
attitude, we will have a super massive disaster,
which will not benefit anyone, for that matter.
So this is one thing we should push for. If you want
to push for this, the most important thing is, religion
becomes a purely personal pursuit, never a national
goal or a global goal. If you do this one thing, India,
Pakistan, all these nations, and many other nations
coming together will become a reality.
June 2019
No Distance Too Far If You Are
Committed NEWS AND EVENTS
Sadhguru Travels Thousands of Miles to Cast His Vote

Coimbatore, 18 Apr 2019: A true inspiration for

every Indian citizen to exercise his right to vote:
Sadhguru travelled for 17 hours, all the way from
the United States, to cast his vote at the local
station near Isha Yoga Center. After the deed was
done, he urged every eligible voter to emulate the
same: “May this immense privilege to decide who
should conduct the governance of the nation not
go in vain. I beseech every adult to exercise this
responsibility to decide the future of the nation.”

Inner Spring for Thousands from UK to USA

Sadhguru Conducts Inner Engineering Programs in London and Philadelphia

Philadelphia, 27–28 Apr 2019: The largest Isha

London, 20–21 Apr 2019: Over two thousand
participants of the Inner Engineering Completion
program in London experienced an inner
spring blossoming as they received the seed of
transformation from Sadhguru.
program in the United States saw over 4500
participants and volunteers from 34 countries
and 45 states come together at the Pennsylvania
Convention Center to receive the life-transforming
Shambhavi Mahamudra from Sadhguru.

Transforming Paradigms in Transitory Times

BBC Anchor Yalda Hakim Interacts with Sadhguru
London, 23 Apr 2019: BBC World Host Yalda Hakim didn’t shy away
from bringing up the tough topics in her interaction with Sadhguru.
Asked about the recent terror attacks in Sri Lanka, Sadhguru offered his
views on violence in the past and present, the place of religion in the
future, and the way to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. He saw off the
mother-to-be and other parents in the house with his take on how to
bring up children, saying that if you produce a generation which is less
than you, you are committing a serious crime against humanity, and
that the next generation should be at least one step ahead of us.

June 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 15

Sadhguru at Columbia University, NY
Youth and Truth Spreads to the Ivy League

New York, 29 Apr 2019: Sadhguru spoke at

Columbia University, New York, one of the
oldest and highest ranked institutions of higher
education in the United States. Along with
Sadhguru, the Youth and Truth movement swept
into the time-honored halls. Sadhguru treated
the students to a freewheeling Q&A session,
with none of the wide-ranging questions being
off-limits.

The Future of Leadership is Consciousness

Prof. Erica Peng in Conversation with Sadhguru

Berkeley, 1 May 2019: In his talk at the

Haas School of Business, Sadhguru pointed
out that the privilege of a leader to impact
many lives comes with the responsibility
to work upon yourself first. Or else you
will make a mess out of whatever you
touch, which we are seeing in the world
today in many ways. It was surely unlike
any other lectures at this prestigious
business school, and the students and
faculty clearly appreciated it. Sadhguru
tweeted after the event: “The focus and
enthusiasm at @BerkeleyHaas school of
Business is very promising. This talk about
Leader is a Fool, is about recognising that
leadership is not of dominance but of
contribution and sacrifice.”

Golfing with the Legendary Gary Player

All Fun and Games with an Octogenarian
7 May 2019: On this sunny day in May, golf legend
Gary Player proved that age is just a number.
Sadhguru and the “Black Knight” visibly enjoyed
their game and company. Sadhguru later shared
in a tweet, “Great to golf with @garyplayer and
spend the day with his family. At the age of 82, his
enthusiasm for golf has not gone down a bit. Has
the effervescence of a school boy, and wisdom of
a sage. Still plays a scratch game, fantastic golfer.”
And as if that wasn’t enough to make everyone’s
day, on the green, they bumped into another sports
legend – none other than Michael “Air” Jordan, one
of the best basketball players of all time!
 ON THE PATH
OF THE DIVINE

Swami Gurubiksha
Grace of the Guru

In this series, each month, one of our Isha Brahmacharis or Sanyasis shares their individual background,
observations, and experiences of what it means for them to walk this sacred “Path of the Divine.”
Here, Swami Gurubiksha allows us to peek into his journey of devotion to and with Sadhguru, from
beginnings as one of the first five full-time volunteers who constituted the nucleus of Isha, to sweet
personal moments with Sadhguru, and the life-changing initiation into Sanyas.

Spiritual Encounters
My father had died when I was 3 years old, and
my grandpa died when I was 20. Very early in my
life, I was embroiled in lawsuits regarding family
properties and other financial matters. I matured
too soon for my age. It was during these times I
met Yogi Ramsuratkumar. He was truly an evolved
being, and his grace saw me through most of my
worldly obstacles in life. After completing my
studies, I wanted to go for my passion – construction During the early days of Isha
business – but Yogi Ram suggested that I continue I started to actively volunteer for his classes all over
the family’s moneylending and finance business. Tamil Nadu, and moved to the office in Singanallur
Little did I know then that this small skill would the same year. I was the oldest among the first five
come so handy in managing the fledgling affairs of people who had moved in as full-time volunteers.
Isha, which I became part of in late 1992. We lived and quarreled like a family. Sadhguru and
I grew to be a big fan of Yoga in my teens, and I Vijji Akka often cooked for us, mediated our fights,
attended Sadhguru’s class simply because of my and took care of our smallest needs – something
love for it. However, after Samyama in 1992, I felt I that even parents may fail to do at times. Those
couldn’t leave Sadhguru, that I had to be around him. were the best times of my life.
June 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 17
Live-in Wholeness Experience
For me, the Wholeness program was not about
other-worldly spiritual experiences (as it was for
many others). It simply took me to another level of
being within myself – an intense way of living.
After the first 30 days, Sadhguru split the Wholeness
participants into two groups. Seven of us were
in the “live-in” group, and others were in the
“teaching” group, who were getting trained to be
Isha Yoga teachers. Sadhguru would spend most of
his time with the “teaching” group, while we seven
were simply existing doing sadhana, gardening,
and small chores. After some time, we felt left out,
and broken-hearted to see that Sadhguru was not
spending time with us. “Please spend some time
with us also, Sadhguru,” I pleaded with him one day,
on the verge of crying.
Sadhguru looked at me very lovingly, and came to
meet us the next day. He sat on the “leaning tree,”
and we seven sat around him. “Just do whatever you
are doing with love. Even when you are uprooting
the weed Parthenium, do it with love, and I will
take care of your sadhana and your enlightenment,”
Sadhguru told us in that meeting. This was the first
ever enlightenment promise we extracted from
him!
At one point during the Wholeness, Sadhguru
asked the participants to discuss the norms that
ashram residents should follow in the future. I was
puzzled and alarmed by the rapidly lengthening
list of these norms. It scared me totally. I followed
Sadhguru that evening to his room. It was dark, and
I remember he was carrying a torch. We stopped at
his door. He looked at me and I told him impulsively,
“Jaggi, I don’t want any rules.” He flashed the torch
in my face. He must have seen the tears in my eyes.
He said gently, very gently, “Okay, no rules for you.”
Though today I follow all the norms of the ashram,
just how tenderly Sadhguru addressed my childlike
reaction makes that moment memorable for me.
Did I Really Know
What Mahasamadhi Is?
In January 1997, Vijji Akka’s Mahasamadhi came as
a bolt from the blue. I was particularly crestfallen.
One, because I had a beautiful relationship with
her – she was my confidante. The things I couldn’t
talk to about to Sadhguru, I had shared with her.
And two, despite the number of times Sadhguru
and Vijji Akka told me that this would happen
well beforehand, I had never believed that it could
actually happen. I felt like a total fool.
18 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
It was in August 1996 when I first heard Vijji
telling Sadhguru that she wished to go. We were
in the train to Coimbatore from Delhi after the
Dhyana Yatra. Another time, Sadhguru stopped
me outside the T-block and said that Vijji wanted
to take Mahasamadhi, and he doesn’t know how to
convince her not to take this step. Yet, even then I
didn’t take it seriously.
A week before her Mahasamadhi, Sadhguru asked
me to come to Mysore for some work. “You look
different, Vijji. What’s going on?” I asked her. “See,
even he feels I look different,” she immediately
turned to tell Sadhguru. “That’s because she is going
to take Mahasamadhi soon,” Sadhguru replied to
me. Still I didn’t think it would really happen, because
I knew what Mahasamadhi was and doubted,
“How can Vijji Akka reach that highest state of
spiritual sadhana?”
So when I heard that she was gone, I felt as if a
bomb shell had been dropped on me. I have no
words to explain my loss, but somewhere within
me, I felt envious of her too.
Another Leap of Intensity
Though the loss was indescribable, I had no time
to dwell on it. The Dhyanalinga consecration work
kept us all occupied. Those were the most intense
times of my life as a brahmachari. Four months
after Vijji Akka’s Mahasamadhi, Sadhguru asked me
to make arrangements for about 400 meditators to
go to a temple in Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh. It was
there in Cuddapah that Sadhguru spoke about his
guru for the first time.
He took all the brahmacharis through a powerful
process that night in the same mandapam where
he had sat in his previous life to make the blueprint
of Dhyanalinga. The process was immensely
powerful, my arm started to move up and down
in a strange way, and I found myself making loud
sounds all night, similar to an elephant trumpet. I
continued to drift into this state for the next few
months during any powerful situation. And so my
intensity took one more leap after that visit to the
Cuddapah temple.
Sadhguru at the Dhyanalinga consecration
June 2019
“What is Dhyanalinga Telling You?”
Dhyanalinga was consecrated on 24 June 1999 in
its full glory. Sometime in 2000, I did my first Linga
Arpanam. One day when I was plucking flowers in
T-block, I happened to meet Sadhguru. “So what
is Dhyanalinga telling you?” Sadhguru asked. Once
again I was confused, and not knowing what to say,
I blurted, “Nothing!” Later I realized the significance
of what he had said. Prior to this, I was definitely
serving in the temple with devotion, but it was
a temple for me – a temple that Sadhguru had
consecrated. But after Sadhguru asked me this,
it dawned on me that Dhyanalinga is Sadhguru;
Sadhguru is Dhyanalinga. They both started to
seem the same to me!
During my initial journey, my commitment was
only to Sadhguru. The reason why I was here and
why I took up Brahmacharya was that I couldn’t
see myself living without Sadhguru. But after my
Linga Arpanam, Dhyanalinga became just as big
a presence. Even to date, when I am exhausted
of dealing with people outside, especially about
financial matters, I come and sit in Dhyanalinga for
a couple of hours and I fully settle within.
June 2019
A Journey towards Spiritual
Maturity
My life as a sadhaka matured tremendously
when I was initiated into Sanyas. In 2003, during
a Brahmachari Meet, Sadhguru initiated ten of us
into Sanyas and changed our names to what we
are called now. I didn’t really understand at the
time what it meant, but soon I saw something
had fundamentally shifted within me. Many of
my compulsions just dropped, and I got totally
established on my path. Since then, I feel within me
that I am liberated, but I also know that I am not.
Before concluding, I wish to share that I find people
in the ashram truly wonderful. When I meet people
outside, I see them entangled in so many trivial ways –
in money, relationships, status, houses, cars, etc.,
but here it’s not like this. We may be still struggling
within our limitations that nature has wrapped
us into, but we have consciously or unconsciously
unknotted a whole lot of unnecessary bondages.
This is a blessing for me to live among such people,
Dhyanalinga, and of course, my Guru.
This is an excerpt of Swami’s sharing. Read the full
article on the Isha Blog.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 19
 UPCOMING PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Date Program Place Contact

Isha Yoga Center,

Human is NOT a 83000 84888
7–9 Jun 2019 Velliangiri Foothills,
Resource leadership@ishainsight.org
Coimbatore – India

Isha Yoga Center,

Bhava Spandana 83000 93555
11–14 Jun 2019 Velliangiri Foothills,
(Ladies) iycprograms@ishayoga.org
Coimbatore – India

Isha Yoga Center,

83000 93555
22–25 Jun 2019 Shoonya Intensive Velliangiri Foothills,
iycprograms@ishayoga.org
Coimbatore – India

Isha Yoga Center,

17 Jun 2019
Shivanga Sadhana Velliangiri Foothills, 83000 83111
(culmination:
Initiation (Gents) Coimbatore & info@shivanga.org
30 Jul 2019)
local centers – India

Isha Yoga Center,

83000 93555
6–9 Jul 2019 Shoonya Intensive Velliangiri Foothills,
iycprograms@ishayoga.org
Coimbatore – India

Isha Yoga Center,

In the Lap of the 83000 93555
14–15 Jul 2019 Velliangiri Foothills,
Master iycprograms@ishayoga.org
Coimbatore – India

Isha Yoga Center,

16 Jul 2019 Guru Purnima Velliangiri Foothills, 83000 83111
Coimbatore – India

Nanmai Uruvam Nanmai Uruvam

84484 47707
16 Jul 2019 Ceremony with Ceremony with
7percent@ishafoundation.org
Sadhguru (Ishanga 7%) Sadhguru (Ishanga 7%)

Isha Yoga Center,

Sadhguru Sannidhi 94890 00333
16 Jul 2019 Velliangiri Foothills,
Ceremony sadhgurusannidhi@ishafoundation.org
Coimbatore – India

Inner Engineering
+61 1300 AU ISHA (28 4742)
27–28 Jul 2019 with Sadhguru in Melbourne – Australia
australia@ishafoundation.org
Australia

Isha Yoga Center,

Yantra Ceremony 84484 47708
31 Jul 2019 Velliangiri Foothills,
with Sadhguru yantra@lingabhairavi.org
Coimbatore – India

Kailash-Manasarovar 8144 123 123

4–20 Aug 2019 Nepal/China
Sacred Walks info@sacredwalks.org

Current at the time of print, however subject to change. For full program schedules and updates, please visit
www.ishayoga.org/Schedule/Yoga-Programs

20 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER June 2019

 ISHA RECIPE
Desi Millet
Quinoa Pizza
INGREDIENTS (for two personal size pizzas)
Crust:
½ cup uncooked Pearl millet (bajra/kambu)
½ cup uncooked Quinoa
Rosemary, to taste
Himalayan pink salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp. Olive oil
Pesto:
1 ½ tightly packed cup: fresh Italian sweet basil
¼ cup Cold pressed olive oil or coconut oil
½ cup Cashews or pine nuts
Himalayan pink salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
METHOD
1. Soak pearl millet and quinoa overnight after
rinsing it a couple of times. Drain and rinse
thoroughly.
2. Grind soaked millet and quinoa together with
rosemary, oil, salt, and black pepper with very
little water to make a thick batter.
3. For the pesto, blend all the ingredients with
very little water to make a thick paste.
4. For one pizza crust, pour half the batter into a
non-stick pan into pancake like thickness and
cook over low heat on both sides till it is crispy.
Cover it with a lid initially until semi cooked on
both sides, and then allow to cook without the
lid to make it crispy. Make tiny holes on a few
spots with a fork once semi cooked. Do not
use any oil while cooking the base.
5. Once the base is ready, allow it to cool down
on both sides by placing it on a rack.
June 2019
Toppings:
Pesto (As per recipe below)
4 medium Tomatoes (sliced)
1 small each: Red, green, and yellow bell peppers
(julienne)
⅓ cup Sun-dried tomatoes (chopped) - (optional)
⅓ cup Green and black olives (chopped)
Jalapeno peppers, to taste (optional)
Himalayan pink salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Oregano, to taste
½ cup Cheddar or mozzarella (shredded)
¼ cup Parmesan (finely grated, optional)
Cold pressed olive oil for garnishing (optional)
6. Mildly roast the sliced tomatoes in a pan on
both sides without any oil.
7. Mildly roast the julienned bell peppers without
any oil.
8. Spread the pesto evenly over the pizza crust.
9. Add a layer of roasted tomatoes.
10. Spread the remaining toppings and lastly the
shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese over
the toppings.
11. Place the pizza in a covered non-stick pan and
cook at low heat until the cheese starts to
melt.
12. Remove the lid and cook for an additional
minute at low heat.
13. Drizzle it with grated parmesan cheese and
then olive oil (optional). Ready to serve.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 21
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June 2019 ISHA

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The science of Yoga is a Ladder

to the Divine. Go up or down
lands you in the same place. It is
a choice you make.

a || ISHA
24 ISHA FOREST
FORESTFLOWER
FLOWER June 2019