EDITORIAL

Dear Readers,
It has been a hectic schedule again for Sadhguru in the last few weeks, crossing
continents and connecting with people of power and influence in various
fields. The circuit included an event at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in New York,
where Grammy Award winner A.R. Rahman was honored as World Icon, while
Sadhguru was guest of honor. Besides the who-is-who of the Indian American
business community, also present at the event was the bestselling author and
public speaker Deepak Chopra.
In this months In Conversation with the Mystic, Deepak Chopra and Sadhguru
approach a most fundamental and decisive question in life Thought or Being?
Come Alive ties into the subject of moving from our own mental constructions
to reality. Clearing inner complications is one part of the solution clearing
friction on the outside and bringing an element of Grace to life is another. For
this purpose, Sadhguru has devised various tools such as the Linga Bhairavi
Yantras and the Sadhguru Sannidhi. If you are seeking decision support as to
which one of the two would be most suitable for you, do not miss the article
Energize Your Life, in which Sadhguru sets out the differences.
In Relationships and the Spiritual Path, Sadhguru addresses a question
that many of us meditators face at some point on our journey is being in a
relationship an impediment for a spiritual seeker? Closely related to this topic
is our Lead Article Divorce and Emotional Security, which throws light on the
fundamentals of a successful marriage, and how this institution can assist you
in leading a productive life. The Essentials of Love include insights and tips by
Sadhguru to give our experience of love a more universal dimension.
Also in this issue: Traveling at 26,000 Feet an excerpt from Sadhguru Spot
that highlights his recent tour abroad; Dharma Individual and Universal Laws
the concept of dharma as illustrated in the Mahabharat; Breathe Freely, the
Yogic Way on yogic remedies for congestion; and last but not least our recipe
a Mixed Avocado Salad with Crunchy Seeds. Enjoy!
The Editorial Team

Contact the Editorial Team:

Isha Forest Flower, Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills, Ishana Vihar Post, Coimbatore 641114
forestflower@ishafoundation.org

2 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

December 2015

CONTENTS
DIVORCE AND EMOTIONAL SECURITY

Sadhguru on Living Well in Marriage

MAHABHARAT

07

IN CONVERSATION WITH THE MYSTIC

Thought or Being?

Dharma Individual and

Universal Laws

17
04

Deepak Chopra in Conversation with Sadhguru Part 1

LEAD ARTICLE
Divorce and Emotional Security

07

Sadhguru on Living Well in Marriage

MUSINGS
Relationships and the Spiritual Path

10

Sadhguru on the Question of Compatibility

Energize Your Life

Sadhguru on the Differences between the Devi Yantras and Sannidhi

Come Alive
Sadhguru on Changing the Way You Experience Life

12
14

ESSENTIALS TIPS
Essentials of Love

15

ISHA HATHA YOGA

Part 23: Breathe Freely, the Yogic Way

16

MAHABHARAT
Part 13: Dharma Individual and Universal Laws

17

SADHGURU SPOT
Traveling at 26,000 Feet

19

Excerpted from Sadhguru Spot of 21 October 2015

UPCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS

Isha Yoga Program Highlights

20

ISHA RECIPE
This Month: Mixed Avocado Salad with Crunchy Seeds

21

ZEN SPEAKS
Snowflakes Fall where they should

23

December 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 3

Indian American author, public speaker, and physician Deepak Chopra is inarguably one
of the best-known and most successful figures in the holistic health sector. He met with
Sadhguru on 18 October 2015 for a conversation on Ancient Wisdom in Modern Times.
The talk was moderated by Chandrika Tandon, a Grammy-nominated singer, former partner
at McKinsey & Company, and founding chair of financial advisory firm Tandon Capital
Associates. Here is the first excerpt of this exceptionally profound encounter.
Chandrika Tandon (Moderator): Its a real
privilege to be here, and whats interesting is
that both these amazing people I hesitated
for a moment before calling them people
because they have such dimensions to them
but both of them have come to this whole topic
of wisdom from very different perspectives.
Dr. Chopra comes at this as a doctor, scientist,
and a very eloquent seeker. Sadhguru comes at
it as a mystic, as someone who has sort of seen
some of the unknowable and has come to us with
a whole bunch of knowledge from that angle.
Has your own thinking changed a lot over time?
Can you both take that question?
Deepak Chopra: First of all, thank you for that
amazing invocation you really created the
atmosphere here. And its a great honor to meet
you again, Sadhguru, after all these years. I
remember playing Frisbee with you in Puerto
Rico. [Laughter] So yeah, my thinking has
changed in the sense that when I started moving
out of mainstream, so-called scientific thinking, I
was trying to establish in my mind the connection
between mind and body. And over the last four
4 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

decades, I have realized, which has been obvious

to great sages throughout the centuries, that
theres no system of thought that can access
truth or reality. Whether its a scientific system
of thought, a mathematical system of thought,
or quantum physics none of these systems
of thought can give us the experience of reality,
because reality is beyond thought.
Reality is inconceivable to the mind. These
systems of thought even scientific ones
create only models of reality, not reality. And we
have faith in them because once we understand
the model, we can create technology. We can
create jet planes, bombs and mechanized death,
internet, and all the wonderful things. We think
science gives us access to reality, but even
science is an activity in something that is not
mind, that is not matter. For lack of a better word,
its a field of awareness its what the great
sages call brahman. The universe is a modified
form of that. Your mind, your body, and the
universe out there are all conceived, constructed,
and governed by a non-local, inconceivable,
dimensionless reality that is not in space and
time.
December 2015

This is very difficult for the modern person to

grasp. But since we are talking about ancient
wisdom traditions, if you read the Yoga Vashishta
[an ancient Hindu text], it says brahman is that
which cannot be seen but without which there
is no seeing, that which cannot be perceived but
without which there is no perception, that which
cannot be imagined but without which there is no
imagination, creativity, insight, intuition, choice.
Everything that we call reality comes from an
inconceivable, dimensionless, non-local domain,
which is not in spacetime. You know, when
Lord Krishna talks about it water cannot wet
it; wind cannot dry it; weapons cannot shatter it;
fire cannot burn it: its ancient, its unborn, its
not subject to death. Thats inconceivable to
the mind, but its experiential when you settle
into awareness, when you settle into being,
when you settle into existence, which is called
as satchitananda or tatvamasi. Thats not an
intellectual experience thats a transcendent
experience. Ill stop there.
Chandrika Tandon: Sadhguru, you come at it
from knowing. Tell us how your own thinking has
changed.
Sadhguru: I cannot say much about thought
because most of the time, I dont have much
thought. [Laughter] For me, the phenomenon
of life that is happening within me always
overwhelms everything else. Thought occurs to
me only when I want to physically do something
or arrange something around me otherwise,
days on end will pass for me without a single
thought. People ask me, What has been your
sadhana? My only sadhana has been that right
from my childhood, I never got identified with
anything neither with the family nor the culture,
religion, society or any other things around me.
Whether it was my parents or my siblings I
was involved with them but never identified with
anything.
If your intelligence does not tie itself down with
identity, every human being is capable of realizing
the nature of life. When I say intelligence, as
Deepak pointed out, it is beyond the thought
December 2015

process. Unfortunately, because of the type

of education systems we have today, we are
completely committed to one dimension of our
intelligence, which we call intellect, which is just
the thought process. Thought can only happen
with the data that you have gathered through the
five senses, which is very limited. Another thing
is the nature of data that the senses gather are
only useful for survival. The very nature of how
you see things, how you hear, smell, taste, and
touch life, is only relevant for survival. If you want
to know the life itself, then these instruments of
perception are no good.

Nature has opened up our sense perception

as it is necessary for our survival. Similarly, it
has opened up sense perceptions for different
creatures as it is necessary for their survival. If
survival is all you are seeking, the five senses are
good enough. But once you have come as a human
being, somehow survival is not good enough. If
your stomach is empty, theres only one issue
food. But once the stomach becomes full, you
have a hundred issues going on. The nature of
the human being is such, no matter what you
do, you want to be something more than what
you are right now. And if that something more
happens, again you will want something more
its an endless pursuit. Somewhere, a human
being is seeking limitless expansion but trying to
do it with physical means.
The very nature of physicality is a defined
boundary. If there is no defined boundary, there is
no possibility of anything physical happening in
the universe. But now, a human being is longing
for the boundless that too in installments, and
through physical means. Through the boundary,
you are trying to become boundless. The desire
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 5

is fantastic the method is hopeless, because

the moment you identify with something, your
intellect works to protect that identity. Whatever
you identify yourself with whether it is a nation,
family, gender, race, religion, or anything else
your intellect will only function around this
identity. Any identity is a certain type of prejudice.
So the one thing I did is, I never identified myself
with anything, and life exploded within me in
ways that thoughts seem so puny that I do not
indulge in thoughts most of the time.

Being is all there is and being is not a thought.

Thought is what creates the subjectobject
split. If you are aware, thats being. Everything
else is just a modulation of that a feeling, a
thought, a sensation, or a perception. We call
something mind, body, or universe, but all
there is, whatever you experience as sensations,
images, feelings, and thoughts are just different
combinations of being and its modulations.

Chandrika Tandon: You know, all of us here, in

some way, shape, or form, pride ourselves on
being thinking human beings. What you are
saying is a tough pill to swallow.
Sadhguru: Thinking is just a recycling of the data
that you have already gathered. If you get it right
now, your life will transform in ways that you
cant imagine possible. Otherwise, some day,
you will get it from the maggots. Then you will
see you dont belong to anything.
Chandrika Tandon: Thank you I appreciate that.
Doctor, do you have something to add to that?
Deepak Chopra: Well, just to elaborate on what
he said. You are listening to us here. Now just for
a moment, turn your attention to whom or what
is listening. What you experience then is being
which is another word for awareness or existence.

6 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

Chandrika Tandon [to the audience]: Did you

all understand that? I think this is part of the
complexity we all struggle with
Deepak Chopra: Because you try to explain it in
words. He [Sadhguru] said that its the mistake
of the intellect. Its the mistake of the intellect
that there is separation between observer and
observed. Observer and observed, as mind and
body, are a single holistic activity of the total
universe.

December 2015

Questioner: Here in the US, we are affected

so much by divorce, and you have mentioned
previously that there are big consequences
to separating two people. What effect does a
divorce have on ones spiritual development?
How can we address the consequences of a
divorce that has already happened? And how can
we educate people to care for each other better?
Sadhguru: A husband came home one day, and
the next day was his wifes birthday. He said,
Honey, what do you want for your birthday? A
BMW, a mink coat, or a yacht? She said, I dont
want any of those things I want a divorce.
So he said, I was not thinking of anything that
expensive. A lot of people do not see divorce as a
bad thing. Their ideas of freedom are only getting
them into deeper and deeper entanglement.
Probably nowhere else in the world, women have
as much physical freedom as American women
have. But probably nowhere else in the world,
women are as tense, nervous, and agitated as
women are in America.
This is not freedom. This is only an idea of
freedom, which is not going well. This definitely
December 2015

does not mean to say we should go back to those

tyrannical days where women were exploited. It
is just that you should have a more mature idea
of freedom something that will work. An idea is
worthwhile only if it works and produces results.
If it is breaking people and half the population is
on anti-depressants, it is obviously not working.
It does not matter how educated and intellectual
you think you are, still emotion is a strong
dimension of who you are. When emotions arise,
they become the most powerful thing in you. Your
thoughts are not that powerful. Even if pleasant
emotions are not that strong, at least anger, fear,
and anxiety are these are all emotions gone
bad.
If you are free of emotion, you can ignore what I
am saying now. But when emotion is an important
part of your life and you ignore this, you will
only suffer. Whether you work somewhere, do
business, or marry a rich man somehow you
find a way to take care of your physical survival.
But even if the physical survival is happening
very well, if you are well-fed and well taken care
of lets say you have a BMW, a mink coat,
and a yacht still if your emotions are trampled
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 7

upon, you cannot remain there. Therefore, it is

important to not only work towards financial
security but for society to work towards
emotional security as well. That is missing in
the US right now not just for women, even
for men. This is one reason why America will
go down economically because there is no
emotional security.

Right now, the community that does best in the

universities of the United States is the Indian
community, next comes the Jewish community.
Why is that? They have not come with any extra
brains it is just that they have emotional
security. Until they are 25 years of age, till they
finish university, everything is taken care of for
them. They do not have to fight for anything.
Parents are committed to their children, and
children are committed to them in turn. They do
not have to handle any other aspect of life. That
is not so with American children. By the time
they finish university, they have already seen
three boyfriends or six girlfriends with all the
emotional upheavals, jealousies, problems, and
struggles. Before they stand up on their feet,
they have seen too much life, which is making
them incapable.
What happens in the university need not
determine everything, but it indicates that they
are not performing well. If you randomly pick
people anywhere in the US, at least 8 out of 20
do not do anything productive. The main reasons
for that are the emotional upheavals that they
go through from the age of 12 or 13, when they
are dealing with things that they are not old
enough to deal with. As a result, no one has any
emotional security.
Today, someone claims they love you tomorrow
8 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

morning they may go away with someone else.

This fear, both in men and women, will not let
them focus on doing anything. In the Indian
business community, by the time the boy is 21
and the girl is 18, they are married. They still
go to the university, but they are married and
committed to each other. By the time they are 23
or 24, they are into serious business, and their
life is very secure. They are bound for life there
are no two ways about it. There is no way that
you even have to think whether your wife will be
there when you go home. Such a thing does not
occur to you because it is total commitment.
Just that one area of life being absolutely secure
gives you the ability to do something. When the
man is afraid of what will happen when he goes
out, he cannot be productive. When the woman is
afraid that the man may not come back when he
goes out, she cannot be productive.
Emotional security is an extremely important
aspect for any human being and for any
society to flourish. Unfortunately, due to a
juvenile concept of freedom, we have lost this
emotional security. That way, we are making
people incapable of many things. There may be
a percentage of the population who are strong
enough to anyway go ahead and do things, but
the majority become unstable. They are always
afraid what will happen if they do something
wrong. Lets say you were supposed to go on a
holiday this weekend but you could not because
you had something to do, you may get a divorce
notice on Monday morning.
This may not be true in every home, but it is
happening on a large scale. It is no more an
individual but a social problem in the United
States. Such problems are there in every society
for a few individuals, but when it becomes a
major social problem, when lots of people are
facing similar issues, we have to see how to
strengthen their emotional life. Without that,
people cannot lead productive lives. Many
couples come to our programs. If the husband or
wife feels a little insecure, the first thing that will
happen is that they do not want the other one
to meditate. What are you doing with your eyes
December 2015

closed? It is just ridiculous. You are not running

away you are just closing your eyes. But this is
the danger once you close your eyes, you can
go anywhere.
It is very important that a culture of commitment
is brought back. The people who built this
nation from scratch had stable lives. Without
that, they could not have built this into a great
nation because no man or woman can be truly
productive when their emotions are all freaked
out. A certain sense of emotional fulfillment is
needed for human beings to function beautifully
in life. Otherwise they cannot unless they have
transcended these things and it does not matter
to them anymore. If someone has reached that
place in his life, then nothing matters.
One of these things must happen to people
either they must become meditative, or they must
have emotional security. If creating emotional
security is not possible, the only way out is to
make people meditative because it will take care

December 2015

of several aspects it will settle the emotions,

people will progress spiritually, and their brains
will also work better. Right now, with all the
freedom they have, people are not having a good
life. They are leading desperate lives.
The first time I came to Nashville, I stayed in an
apartment in the center of the city. I went outside
at six oclock in the morning, and I saw people
driving some with a toothbrush stuck in their
mouth, others were drinking coffee while driving.
They probably just got out of bed, pulled on their
pants, and got into the car without having a
shower, let alone doing Surya Namaskar. When
you live like this, your mind and emotions will
not be stable. In the name of freedom, you have
removed all the stop signs that is how people
live their lives. It is like the Indian road scene is
happening to the American emotion. Everyone is
going somewhere, no one knows where they are
going the only thing is they have to be free. In
the name of freedom, you lose all structures that
keep you on track.

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 9

Questioner: Sadhguru, is it necessary to drop

ones relationships in order to progress on the
spiritual path?
Sadhguru: There is no need to drop any
relationship to progress. You just need to
understand your present situation not the
way the world or the other person sees it, but
the way it actually is within yourself. Do not try
to be superhuman just be human. Your pains
and struggles are part of that, and it is alright.
Do not pretend that everything is okay with you.
The pains and struggles are individual, so each
individual has to look at it for themselves, and
the prescriptions that you give to people also
have to be individual. To one person, I may say,
Drop everything and come. For another person,
such a thing would be brutal. He may need to do
things slowly. He may need company and many
other things.
It is not a question of whether the spiritual
path is compatible with relationships or not
because they are two completely different
dimensions that do not clash anywhere. You
are forming relationships because of certain
needs. Spirituality is something that you do
within yourself. What you do on the outside
is your choice. Whether you want to live in a
relationships or alone, whether you want to live
in the city or in the mountains, is an individual
choice you have to make according to your likes,
dislikes, and needs. It has got nothing to do with
10 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

the spiritual process as such.

The spiritual process is inward. Many people in
the world who went on a spiritual process shed
their relationships, not because the spiritual
path demands it but because they were not
able to bear the demands of the relationship.
The spiritual path does not demand that you
shed your relationships, but relationships
often demand that you shed the spiritual path.
Therefore, people choose to shed either this or
that.
Unfortunately, more people have shed their
spiritual path for a relationship rather than
shedding the relationship for the spiritual path.
But at no time are these two in conflict with
each other. Your relationship with someone
or something is not in conflict with what you
do within yourself. Only when a relationship
demands that you have to be in a particular
way, it becomes an obstacle. That is something
between two people. It has got nothing to do
with the spiritual process itself.
We see this particularly when women do the
program. When a woman starts doing the kriya
and meditating, initially the family is happy
because her demands have declined. She seems
to be peaceful and able to do things better. As she
goes deeper into it, she just closes her eyes and
sits happily, which is when people start having
problems. Earlier when her husband went for a
December 2015

business trip, she used to complain about why

he is going for so many days, but now she sends
him off happily. Now, the husband becomes
insecure. If she was going after something or
someone, he would know how to handle it. But
now she is happy by herself this is the whole
danger. So he says, No more meditation is this
house. Okay, I will just sit quietly. No. You
must do something or talk to me or whatever. No
sitting quietly.
When you face restrictions about simple things
that do not cause harm to anyone, after some
time you will wonder why. This happens with both
men and women. They are happy and peaceful
by themselves this seems very dangerous to
people around them. When someone does stupid
things, there will be a divide in the relationship.
That has got nothing to do with the spiritual path.
I hold intense and involved relationships with
thousands of people various levels and
dimensions of relationships. My spiritual
process and my relationships do not clash in any
way because they are two separate areas of life.
Your relationships are on the outside. You need
to manage them to the best of your ability. Your
spiritual process is inward. Whether your partner
is becoming spiritual or you are becoming
spiritual, either way it should not clash with the
relationship.
If you have grown to a point where you do not
need anything or anyone anymore, still what is
the problem in having someone around, unless
they are constantly trying to bug you. Is it not
wonderful if someone who loves you is around
you? Anyway there are all kinds of people, things,
and creatures in life you cannot avoid that. Then

December 2015

why is it a problem with your wife or husband?

The thing with the spiritual process is, once you
start tasting something within yourself, that
something becomes the center of your life. But
most relationships are such that both expect that
he or she should be the center of the other ones
life. That is why they feel threatened. People
claim they believe in God. If you do, should he
not always be the center? The issue is insecurity,
not relationships. If the relationship is based
on love, there is no issue. If the relationship is
based on vested interest, when you hold people
to extract certain things from them and suddenly
you are not able to extract those things from
them anymore, then you feel upset.
Otherwise, your spiritual process and your
relationships have nothing to do with each other.
In fact, once you are on a spiritual process,
your relationship can become so much more
mature and beautiful. You will not have stupid
expectations about the other person. You can
just treat and revere the other person as life. The
most reverential aspect here is just life. So why
not revere another person as life? Why do you
want to make them the way you want them to
be?
Relationships break not because of the spiritual
process but because of immature expectations
that people have of each other. What type of
relationship you hold with someone is your
personal choice and depends on your needs. It
is not because of something spiritual that you
have done or someone else has done. Lets not
mix up spirituality and relationships because
you cannot mix them one is inside, the other
is outside.

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 11

you, if every day when you step out and try to

do something, friction occurs, slowly, you will
develop an aversion to that very dear goal of
yours. Slowly, you will let go of the goal because
you cannot deal with the friction. I would say
80% of human beings have hugely curtailed the
possibility of what they could do in their life
simply because they cannot deal with the friction
that they naturally generate when they get into
brisk activity.

Questioner: Sadhguru, could you please explain

the difference between Sadhguru Sannidhi, Linga
Bhairavi Yantra, and Linga Bhairavi Avighna
Yantra? How do we choose which is suitable for
us?
Sadhguru: The Bhairavi Yantra is for those who
are actively involved in businesses, careers,
family life and who want to do many things in
the world. They want to lubricate their actions
with the Grace of the Devi. One of the main
things that do not allow a human being to find
his full potential is friction. Friction need not
necessarily mean that you are getting into a fight
with someone. When you are active in a big way,
friction builds up around you. To be able to keep
the level of friction low determines how far you
will go. If the friction increases, you will want to
stay away from activity, or you will get into one
big mess.
No matter how important a certain goal is for
12 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

To avoid friction, they keep their life very small

and protected. They think that is smart way to
deal with life, but it is not, because instead of
bringing lubrication, you keep the engine off,
which is not a good thing. If your engine is making
funny noises, what it needs is lubrication, not
to be kept in the garage forever. Then the very
purpose of being here is lost. The Devi Yantras
are about bringing Grace in such a way that you
can take up and do things without getting into
friction. Her Grace will take care of that.
The Avighna Yantra is a question of size. The
small Linga Bhairavi Yantra will do for homes
that are anywhere between 2000-2500 sq. ft.
The Avighna Yantra is for larger homes, and it
is slightly more oriented towards business,
success, and prosperity. But of course those who
want to make use of it for spiritual processes
can always do so it is always the fundamental
element. The idea behind the Bhairavi yantras
is to create energy forms that assist people in
doing whatever they want to do.
So the Avighna Yantra has a basic spiritual
element. But if you do not care about spirituality,
if you just want to be successful, you want to
make money, I have really no issue with that.
Everyone is striving for money. If that is what you
want, what is my issue? If you ask me which is
December 2015

better, then I may tell you. Otherwise, its not in

me to tell you what to do. You can do whatever
you want. The Devi Yantra is an empowerment.
We lubricate your engine. Where you want to
drive your car to is up to you.
Sadhguru Sannidhi is a different matter. That
is only if you have become a devotee. Being a
devotee means who you are has become less

you are close to devotion. If you are completely

devoid of yourself, then you are a devotee. Take a
Sannidhi only if you want to go on that path. The
Sannidhi is not a tool that you can use any way
you want. Once it enters your home, it pushes
you in one direction. It is predetermined where it
should go.
The Bhairavi Yantra is not like that. It just provides
gas for your life. Where you go is up to you. The
guy who fills up gas for you at the gas station
does not tell you where to go. The Bhairavi Yantra
is like that you can go wherever you want. We
hope you will choose the most profound, but that
is up to you. However, if you get a Sannidhi, it is
fixed that you are going for the most profound
dimension of life. If you try to drag it in different
directions, it will not be good. In that case, you
should not take it home.
Questioner: So in a couple household, unless both
are on the same page, you do not recommend a
Sannidhi for them? Or can they have a Sannidhi
for one person and a Linga Bhairavi Yantra for
another person?

important to you, or at least you know it is not

important. Maybe it is not an experiential reality
yet, but you have begun to understand whatever
you think you are is not of any consequence.
Then you are beginning to become a devotee. If it
is becoming an experiential reality, if you clearly
see that who you are is not at all important, then

Sadhguru: Possible. You know in India, in the

same family, people can have a dozen different
gods and everyone worship their own god in the
same house, even in the same room. There is no
problem with that.

4-6 March 2016

Yaksha is a spectacular feast of traditional music, dance, and handicrafts, hosted annually by Isha
Foundation in the sacred space of the Dhyanalinga at the Velliangiri Foothills.

7 March 2016
Mahashivarathri is the night of Shiva, the Adiyogi. The Mahashivarathri celebrations at the Isha Yoga Center
are a unique opportunity to experience the Grace of an Enlightened Master.
Join us in this four-day celebration and revel in the exuberance of our profound culture.

December 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 13

Questioner: Sadhguru, a while ago, I used to feel

an overwhelming connection with Mother Earth,
and I was extremely grateful for that. Then,
maybe because of lots of work and gaps in my
sadhana, somewhere this intensity died down.
Could you please explain what happened?
Sadhguru: No matter what comes into your life,
even if it is the highest level of Grace, if you take
it for granted, it will not just weaken but vanish
after some time, in your experience. This is
happening to people all the time, right from their
birth. Look at yourself or anyone else around
you are they experiencing the bounty of what
life is offering all the time? How many people
are experiencing all that is beautiful around
them? The air that they breathe, the water that
they drink, the food that they eat how many
of them are truly enjoying it? They think there is
some greater purpose other than life. They have
a mission of their own.
Those who think they have a mission other than
life are the kind of people who take up Gods
work and fight with the rest of the world, because
other things have become more important than
life to them. They can do terrible things because
of what they believe in or what they think is
more important than life itself. Terrorist attacks
are dastardly expressions of that, but in some
way, every human being is doing it. They may
not be doing it to other lives, but they are doing
terrible things to their own life. They do not really
experience life in any way.
For a whole lot of people, life is not just
burdensome it could be miserable or torturous.
This is not because someone is physically
torturing them but because they think they have
something else to do on this planet, other than
14 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

living. I am not talking about being alive just

in a medical sense but being truly alive and in
tune with everything. Being alive to everything in
existence is your only business. If you stay really
alive to everything, you will know the bounty of
the planet, you will know the beauty of the sky,
you will know what is beyond everything will be
within your perception.
If you think you have something more important
to do than being alive, death will come. You
may not be dead in a medical sense but dead to
everything around you. If you have moved from
life to death, it is time to get back to life. Death
will come anyway dont hurry it up.

December 2015

ESSENTIAL TIPS

Sweetness of Emotion
What you refer to as love is basically the
sweetness of your emotion. You could feel love
for someone who is not even here. That means it
has got nothing to do with anyone else. Now the
question is, is your love affair, your ability to love,
on self-start or on push-start?
Once you become more and more aware of
your own nature, you will understand that to
experience love, to experience blissfulness, to
experience ecstasy, even to experience orgasmic
ways of life, you do not need anyone else. If
you just sit here, you can make it happen within
yourself. After all, it is your body, your mind, your
emotions, your chemistry you are the one who
is creating all the experiences of your life.
Your Life Your Making
You are the maker of your life. You are the one
who can create your life the way you want it.
Because most people are not conscious of
this, they believe that their experiences are
being shaped by people and situations around
them. But that is not true. Human experiences
are 100% self-created. If they are self-created,
would you choose to maintain sweetness of your
mind, sweetness of your body, sweetness of your
emotions, sweetness of your energy, or would
you like something bitter? You would naturally
be loving, and it does not take anyone else.
Relationships vs. Love
When you see a man and a woman together, you
consider it as a relationship. There may be other
aspects to it. There may be a social angle to it,

there may be a physical angle to it, there may

be a psychological angle to it, and there may
be an economic angle to it. The different kinds
of relationships you form in your life your
business relationships, personal relationships,
professional relationships, or whatever other
relationships, all have one thing in common.
You basically form relationships to fulfill certain
types of needs of your own or to fulfill someone
elses needs.
In contrast, what you refer to as love is just the
sweetness of your emotion. You can use another
person to stimulate that within you, or you can
be on self-start.
Tip for Love:
Love is not about what happens between two
people. What happens between two people is a
relationship. Love is about what happens within
you. What happens within you need not be
enslaved to something or someone else.
For five minutes every day, sit with something
that does not mean anything to you. It could be
a tree, a pebble, a worm, an insect anything.
After some time, you will find you can look upon
it with as much love as you hold for your wife,
your husband, your mother, your child, or your
dog. Maybe the worm or insect does not know
this, but that does not matter.
If you can look at everything lovingly, the whole
world unfolds into a beautiful phenomenon for
you. You will realize love is not something that
you do it is the way you are.

This article is based on a talk by Sadhguru for the 5 Minutes for Love video that was created
for the International Day of Yoga 2015. Check out this and other videos on isha.sadhguru.org!
December 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 15

Questioner: My sinuses and chest often get

congested. How does sinus congestion impact
ones wellbeing, and is there a way to influence
it?
Sadhguru: Your sinuses are a very complex
plumbing job. Where they are blocked and where
they are leaking depends on a variety of factors.
Usually, people experience sinus congestion
especially when they lie down, but it can happen
in many ways. How clear your sinuses are and
how well balanced the fluids are especially in
the head region determines a variety of things,
including your brain function, your sense of
wellbeing, your sense of balance, the sharpness
of your intellect, and the sharpness of the five
senses.
Keeping your sinuses well balanced and a free
movement within them is very important. How
do we achieve this? If you are effectively doing
kapalabhati for a period of time, it will establish
this balance. If you want a preparatory step,
you could do jala neti to reduce the mucus in
the system. But this practice has to be properly
imparted. Our Hatha Yoga teachers would be
able to teach you if needed.
Since excess mucus creates blockage, one
approach is to reduce the mucus level. Another
thing is to see why a particular area of the sinuses
is getting blocked. Modern medicine approaches
the issue with tablets that chemically dry up the
fluids. If you take an antihistamine, it dries up
the fluids in the system indiscriminately. But
these fluids are needed. The proper functioning
of the human mechanism, particularly of the five
senses, is determined by how the fluid movement
happens. Therefore, unless you have allergies
that go beyond a certain point, drying up the

fluids is not advisable.

The sinus congestion could also be an allergic
reaction. If there is dust or any kind of irritant
in your house, your sinuses may get blocked. So
one thing is to see to it that house is dust free
or to develop the necessary resistance towards
this. A simple way of achieving this is by having
one spoon of yogurt and one spoon of honey
after a meal and not drinking water for the next
one and a half to two hours. It will bring down the
eosinophil level in the system and your sensitivity
to allergens will be reduced dramatically. This is
if the yogurt that you prepare is from the milk of
a particular cow. This may not work with storebought, mass-produced yogurt, where they mix
the milk of thousands of cows.
Most of the world is drinking milk that is produced
in factory farms today, but most of the benefits of
consuming milk are lost in that case. It actually
causes more harm than good to consume such a
complex mix of genetic substance from so many
different animals. If you consume an animal
product, at least it must be from a specific animal.
If you quit mass-produced dairy products, most
probably, your mucus problems will go away in a
matter of two weeks. One simple thing you can
immediately do to clear the mucus is to have
some warm water mixed with honey after you
wake up in the morning.
To sum it up you can quit dairy, have warm
honey water, and do a certain amount of
kapalabhatis (if you have been initiated into the
Shakti Chalana Kriya), Surya Namaskar, or Surya
Kriya. If you generate sufficient ushna and samat
prana in the system through these practices,
excess mucus problems will disappear. It is not
advisable to dry up the mucus by taking pills.

For dates and details of Isha Hatha Yoga programs, visit www.ishahathayoga.com.
16 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

December 2015

Dharma Individual and

Universal Laws
Dharma and Adharma
The whole epic of Mahabharat revolves around
two fundamental aspects dharma and
adharma. When you say dharma and adharma,
most people think in terms of right and wrong,
correct and incorrect, good and bad. There are
different ways to look at dharma and adharma. A
kshatriya, a warrior, has his own kind of dharma.
A brahmana, a teacher, has his own kind of
dharma, and so do a vaishya and a shudra.
This is a sophisticated way of looking at life.
Not only the different classes of people have
their own dharma each individual has his
or her own dharma. You will repeatedly hear
Bhishma and everyone else say, This is my
dharma. If everyone has their own dharma, their
own law, then one could ask, where is the law?
The Kurukshetra war did not happen because
everyone had their own law and they became
contrary to each other. The war happened
because people broke their own dharma. This is
a way of looking at life where everyone can have
their own dharma, but still there is a common
thread of dharma that no one can break. That
way, everyone can live their lives in their own
freedom, but still not clash with each other.
This fundamental thread of dharma allowed the
possibility of civilized existence.
Fishy Justice
Before dharma was established, there was
something called as matsya nyaya. There is
a story around it. One day, a little fish happily
moved around in the Ganga. But then a little
bigger fish came from elsewhere. The small fish
became a part of the bigger fish, and the bigger
December 2015

fish was happy. Another day, an even bigger fish

came and ate up this other fish. Like this, bigger
and bigger fish came and ate up the smaller fish.
Then the big fish went to the ocean. It started
eating up smaller fish and became so huge that
if it just wagged its tail, the ocean rose and hit
the Himalayas. It became a threat to the world.
This story needs to be understood in the right
context. Even today it is true that every fish is
trying to get bigger than what it is. If all the fish
are growing at a similar pace, there will be a
civilized society. But if one fish becomes super
big, the fundamental laws and civilization of
society tend to crash. That big fishs whim will
be the law.
From matsya nyaya, which means fishy justice,
they strived to get the society to a place where
every individual can have his freedom and pursue
his own law without breaking the fundamental
thread of law in society, which would lead to
collision. Everywhere, we make simple rules in
society even in simple physical aspects. For
example, in India, we drive on the left side of the
street. But India is a multicultural society, and
there are many who are wild and untamed, who
have not made up their mind on which side of the
road to drive.
Dharma in the Mahabharat
Mahabharat was a situation where a few fish
had grown too big and did not respect the
fundamental thread of law that would allow each
individual their own freedom. When they talked
about law or dharma, they did not just refer to it
as a civil code, not just for peace in the society,
not just for human beings to find expression to
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 17

their talent, love, and freedom. Dharma is about

organizing life in such a way that everyone is
moving towards their ultimate nature. If you
are progressing towards your ultimate, original,
divine nature, you are in dharma. If you are not
progressing, even if you do not harm anyone, you
are not in dharma. This is the context of dharma
in the Mahabharat.
When someone says, This is my dharma,
it means, they may not like it, it may not be
convenient for them, but this is the way for them
to reach their ultimate nature. When Bhishma
said, This vow is my dharma. I will not break it,
no matter if the Kuru lineage and the empire fall
apart though I am willing to give my life to this
empire. What he meant is that this was the way
he was going to attain, and that he would not
give it up.
You heard what Vidura said For the sake of
a family, you can sacrifice an individual. For the
sake of a village, you can sacrifice a family. For
the sake of a nation, you can sacrifice a village.
For the sake of the world, you can sacrifice a
nation. For the sake of the ultimate nature, you
can sacrifice the whole world. This is the context
in which they looked at dharma. They clearly saw
that the ultimate nature is the ultimate goal and
of ultimate significance.
Bhishmas Power
Based on this, they formed all the laws. They
considered even the simple laws of day-to-day
life as a stairway towards their ultimate nature.
Bhishma took this terrible vow we call it
terrible not because he became a brahmachari,
not because he incapacitated himself, not
because of his personal discomfort or loss, but
because he put the Kuru lineage and nation that
he loved so much at stake. He put at stake what
meant most to him, saying that this is his dharma
and the way for him to attain.
As we go along, you will see various situations
where Bhishma seems almost superhuman.
If a man is willing to transform the seed of life
18 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

that is within him a single cell that is able to

create another human being into a life force, it
becomes like a nuclear force. A single atom can
create so much energy. At various times, people
said they could not fight with Bhishma because
he was a brahmachari. They could not kill him
because he had transformed every seed in his
body into a life force, which made him something
like mortal by choice. It is from this background
that they said Bhishma had the power to choose
the time of his death. He was not immortal
but he could choose the time and place of his
death, which is almost as good as immortality.
Immortality can only happen if someone curses
you. Can you imagine what kind of torture it
would be if you had to live forever? Immortality
is a curse. The choice of being able to die when
you want to die is a boon.
Mahabharat Way Ahead of Its Time
This is a process of tapping upon ones own
energies, and of tapping upon the energies in
nature. Another example in the Mahabharat are
the astras powerful weapons. They said that
the smallest particle in existence can be made
into the biggest force on the battlefield. That
sounds like an atomic bomb, even though they
were still using bows and arrows. They also
talked about the impact of certain astras, saying
things like, Even if you do not use this astra
to destroy the whole world, the babies in their
mothers wombs will still be scorched. Again,
this sounds like the impact of nuclear weapons.
Either they had an unbelievably fabulous
imagination, or they actually had this kind
of knowledge. Did they have these kinds of
weapons, did they witness them somewhere, or
did someone come from somewhere else and tell
them these things? We do not know, but you need
to look at this story with a certain care. It is not
just about some people fighting, a guy wanting
a kingdom or a wife or a child. There are many
dimensions to it.

To be continued
December 2015

After many years, I was in Paris for a few events.

Though the trip arose as Yves Rocher Foundation,
our partner in Project GreenHands, compelled
me to be there for their event of completing the
planting of 50 million trees, we ended up with
many other events including a public evening
talk for a packed house of a thousand people.
Paris responded in a resounding manner in a
very short run up time. Nearly 30% came from all
over Europe.
Almost 8 years ago, I sort of decided to stick to English speaking countries as translation and
navigation through non-English speaking countries takes a lot more time and effort. But now, with
the very effervescent group of volunteers, being compelled to revisit the old resolve. Both Europe
and China breaking through the language limitations is sucking me back into their fold.
Literally flying straight into the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation event in Cape Cod for their 26th
anniversary. They are doing significant work in the Human Rights arena. Above all, they also have a
delightful golf event attached. Well, well, hold your breath our team won 3rd place in the tournament.
Definitely not all my doing.
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, for its 35th anniversary
in New York, invited myself and Deepak Chopra
to be in conversation moderated by Chandrika
Tandon. The India diaspora was present in full
regalia. Deepak shared some of the work that
he is involved with in the field of science and
consciousness. The rest of the last two days
was simply cloistered up with the book team for
nearly 20 hours a day.
Now on board a single-engine Piper Malibu
aircraft at 26,000 feet onward to iii, Tennessee. Just a day at the ashram, now adorned with Adi
Yogi abode, then to Houston (1 day), San Francisco (2 days), iii (3 days), Detroit (1 day), New York (1
day), New Jersey, and on to Mumbai. Sounding like a travel agent, aint I?
Love & Blessings,

December 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 19

Date

Program

Place

Contact

10 Dec 2015

Yantra Ceremony with

Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

94890 45136
yantra@lingabhairavi.org

1213 Dec
2015

Ayur Sanjeevini

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

94890 45084 / 0422-2515464

isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org

1517 Dec
2015

Ayur Rasayana

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

94890 45084 / 0422-2515464

isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org

1619 Dec
2015

Bhava Spandana
(Ladies)

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

83000 93555 / 0422-2515300

iycprograms@ishayoga.org

19 Dec
8 Jan 2016

Yoga Marga

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

94890 45084 / 0422-2515464

isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org

20 Dec 2015

Pre-Samyama Meet

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

0422-2515300

2 Jan 2016

An Evening with the

Mystic

Film Nagar, Hyderabad

India

85000 47000
hyderabad@ishayoga.org

25 Jan
2016

Shoonya Intensive

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

83000 93555 / 0422-2515300

iycprograms@ishayoga.org

1215 Feb
2016

Bhava Spandana
(Gents)

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

83000 93555 / 0422-2515300

iycprograms@ishayoga.org

1619 Feb
2016

Bhava Spandana
(Ladies)

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

83000 93555 / 0422-2515300

iycprograms@ishayoga.org

2023 Feb
2016

Shoonya Intensive

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

83000 93555 / 0422-2515300

iycprograms@ishayoga.org

25 Feb
3 Mar 2016

Samyama
Conducted by
Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

0422-2515300
samyama@ishayoga.org

46 Mar
2016

Yaksha A Celestial
Feast of Music and
Dance

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

0422-2515300

7 Mar 2016

Mahashivarathri
With Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

0422-2515300
mahashivarathri@ishafoundation.org

20 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

December 2015

1 Ripe avocado (butter fruit)

1 Tbsp. Pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. Sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. White sesame seeds
2 Capsicums
1 cup Grapes (or fresh pineapple chunks)
1 medium head of Iceberg lettuce

2 Ripe avocados
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tsp. Black pepper (freshly, coarsely ground)
4 Tbsps. Olive oil
1/2 Tsp. Salt
2 Tbsps. Honey
Zest of 1 lime

1. Toast the pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame

seeds in a lightly oiled pan until golden (not
golden brown). Cool completely.
2. Peel the avocado and cut it into 1-inch-long
slices.
3. Wash the capsicums and cut them in 1-inch
squares.
4. Cut the grapes in half (lengthwise). Deseed if
necessary.
5. Cut the Iceberg lettuce into medium size
chunks.
6. Puree the ingredients for the dressing in a
mixer and keep it aside.
7. Mix the salad vegetables and grapes in a big
glass bowl.
8. Drizzle the dressing on the salad just before
serving. Toss the salad, taking care not to overmix the ingredients. Sprinkle the toasted seeds
on top.

December 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 21

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Registered with Patrika Channel Egmore RMS under Registration No. TN/CH(C)/492/14 16. Published on 2nd of every month December 2015

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For an Individual to blossom

Into eternal straits of Freedom
A culture of ceaseless love and Devotion
Unconcerned with material outcome.