Inner Engineering: A Yogis Guide to Joy by Sadhguru

Inner Engineering: A Yogis Guide to Joy Reviews

• 
  Alok Mishra

  Some readers have pointed out the book is incomplete. Maybe.
  Some reader has pointed out he will seek a better way to live by himself. He should.
  The same reader pointed out 'Science is empirical.' Well, why and how? What is the basis of science itself? Who approves Science? The same reader claims that Sadhguru has used 'Science' just to legitimize his 'Mystic' kriyas or theories. Well, dear Science, who approves your ideas? Science, at times, is a mere cult begging to be believed because it's just, almost, dogmatic!
  Now, the book is certainly offering a perspective for every reader who reads it. I also enjoyed some parts and did not find some of the parts very appealing. However, I would rather say every one to go through the book and then only make his or her opinion about it.
  
• 
  Greg Swierad

  Inner Engineering is a book about technology that will help you achieve bliss by paying more attention to what’s going on within your body. I really enjoyed this book, because most of the things Sadhguru described are really practical. Well, the number of his followers from all around the world proves, that this book is worth the time to read it. Unfortunately, this book is not free of mystical things that have no scientific background (like chakras), so no 5 stars.
  
  My top 3 favorite lessons from this book are:
  
  * Once you find the space between you and your mind, you can take control of your thoughts.
  * Look at everything in a loving way.
  * Find out what you really want by imagining yourself alone on the planet.
  
  From this book, I distilled 15 actions to take and also I wrote a detailed summary, here it is:
  https://www.mentorist.app/books/inner...
• 
  Swrp

  Irrespective of one's nationality and spiritual beliefs, this book is a must-read. It contains fundamental principles which can lead to joyfull and a fulfilling life.
• 
  Vanita Kataria

  I was feeling preemptive separation anxiety towards the middle of the book, only to complete it and realize that the end is the beginning of unlimited joy! It's a must read for anyone who wonders why joy is not a constant, who wonders why there is sorrow in the world or who wonders what's beyond their body and mind.
  I'm going to re-read starting tomorrow! It really is a guide to joy!
• 
  Himanshu Modi

  This is my first real exposure to the phenomenon called Sadhguru. I had only briefly heard of him and thought of him as someone in the vein of Osho or Sri Sri Ravi Shankar... of whom I do not know much in the first place, I admit. My perception about all these folks was that they share life-philosophies without any religious propaganda and provide a mass therapy of sorts by identifying the common denominators of people seeking something more beyond what day to day life has to offer. I would love to have an analysis of the demographic that follows the teachings of Sadhguru. Is it people who have the lower levels of their Maslow's Pyramid sorted and are looking for a way to achieve self actualization? Is it largely people who have been helped by Isha foundation with basic things like hygiene and food who end up being followers of Sadhguru? That is a different discussion, I suppose
  
  The structure of the book is clarified at the outset - first half is a bit autobiographical and the second half is supposed to provide practical exercises for the exercise of "self discovery"(?). Note that self discovery isn't really the purported goal of the book. It is a lot more nuanced. Perhaps that translates to ambiguous for the skeptic.
  
  On that, do not assume that I am a skeptic because of the rating. I get a feeling it is kind of hard to review this book. A poor rating must mean I either "just don't get it" or am "not ready to absorb the wisdom". The very divisiveness that Sadhguru condemns in the book comes far too naturally to us. People are either "believers" or "skeptics". Rationalists or superstitious. And that divisiveness can be anything from condescending to outright hostile.
  
  The first half of the book is something that is more philosophical in its outlook. And it's hard to argue with the philosophies. It reminds one of some very basic concepts of living that is very easy to lose sight of and even at the risk of being forgotten all over again, this section is important. That said, I am sure that there is nothing new that the book says here. It simply resonates so strongly because whatever it says is so damn universal. A spiritual Guru can say it and make us meditative. A comic can say the same thing and make us laugh.
  
  It's the second section - it begins with the focus on breathing, becoming aware of your own physical body, etc. And you realize how hard that is when you try. The exercise of slowing down and experiencing yourself can be profound. And this is the biggest takeaway from the book for me.
  
  But from then on, the book becomes bizarre. There is random science to prove certain points. And a whole lot of mysticism apparently drawn from established yogic "sciences". The outlandishness of mysticism keeps increasing as we go along the second half - from feeling the the whole universe in ourselves to consecration energies to out right black magic. There is a Yogic Kriya which supposedly helps people unlock the energies talked about in the book. But the book itself doesn't tell about these Kriyas because you need someone to teach you those in person. All that did for me was make the book feel like those click-bait articles on flattening the tummy which talk about the wrong way to lose fat, and why exercise and diet is important and at the end throw a link asking to pay 2000 Dollars to get a customized plan to beat belly fat.
  
  I can completely imagine a very scathing review which parodies several points written in the book. I could easily come up with one myself. But that would have helped no one and served no purpose. It wouldn't have given me any literary satisfaction. It would also be very demeaning to all the good work that Sadhguru's foundation does and all the people that it has helped. So I will let the point-by-point criticisms be. Well, except for these two criticisms:
  
  I do wish Sadhguru and the other yogi's would stop parading the mysticism as science - Because by definition science is empirical. When you use statement like there is no physical manifestation of Nadis or Chakras - it cannot be "science". Call it what you want, but don't call it science. Because it feels that the only reason you claim it to be science is to legitimize it. I am sure Sadhguru feels no need for validation from the scientific community.
  
  Second, the book does claim to not devolve into mysticism, but ends up doing just that. The talk about Ling as a symbol for start and beginning, and opening of chakras, and using energies negatively to negatively influence people, etc. is extremely alienating to the most open-minded rationalist.
  
  So, in the end, this books comes across as a series of unstructured homilies, and nothing more. The practical aspect of the book is pure lip service. I do wish it had drawn me enough to seek a guru at his ashram to practice the Kriyas the book talks about - but as it stands, I will just keep looking for a more evolved way of living by myself.
• 
  Yelda Basar Moers

  "Your destiny is written by you unconsciously. If you have mastery over your physical body, fifteen to twenty percent of your life and destiny will be in your hands. If you have mastery over your mind, fifty to sixty percent of your life and destiny will be in your hands. If you have mastery over your life energies, a hundred percent of your life and destiny will be in your hands."
  
  How can we can reach our full potential? I am endlessly curious about this question. As I explore, read books and excavate this topic, I will continue to share my insights, and most importantly, the books that can help us get there--to our full potential. One of them is Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy. It is a recent release, published last fall. It became a bestseller and Spirituality & Health Magazine named it as one of its top ten books of 2016. I read it within 24 hours and found it to be full of wise insights. I know superficially about yoga, but I didn't know its principles in detail or how I could apply them to daily living. "The science of yoga," he writes, "is quite simply the science of being in perfect alignment, in absolute harmony, in complete sync with existence."
  
  Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is an Indian yogi and mystic and founder of an organization that does incredible humanitarian projects. His story is quite remarkable as are his teachings. He shows how yoga is really a sophisticated system of self empowerment. I think for anyone interested in yoga, spirituality or just empowerment, this book is worth reading. One of its most powerful themes, though it may seem so simple--Take responsibility for your life. If you take responsibility, you feel empowered, because you are in control of your destiny.
  
  "It is time to reclaim for ourselves the extraordinary transformative power of the single word: responsibility. Apply it to your life, and watch the magic unfold."
• 
  C. Drying

  WHY'D YOU READ THIS BOOK?
  My boss gave it to me, and when your boss gives you a book, you’d better read it for brownie points if anything.
  
  DID HE GIVE IT TO YOU BECAUSE HE THOUGHT YOU WERE JOYLESS?
  Probably, but he’s also from India, and he’s the director of engineering where I work, so this book probably resonates with his being and is thereby received by me as a true heart-felt gift.
  
  DID YOU LIKE THE BOOK?
  I like the cover, the typography, and the writing style. Plus, I adore the many parables the author provides.
  
  BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CONTENT?
  I'm ambivalent about the content.
  
  OK, START BY TELLING ME WHAT YOU LIKED.
  Naturally, I like the practical and sound advice that the author, Sadhguru, provides. For example, he explained the time it takes for different types of food to digest, and, while he didn’t overtly say it, I think he favors vegetarianism, which I appreciate since I don’t eat meat myself. Also, his discussion of physical posture convinced me to apply a more straight and attentive bearing as much as possible throughout the day, and so far, I’ve been feeling a little more energetic during certain tasks, which I’m certain my boss must be pleased by.
  
  IS THAT ALL?
  No, in a guide to joy that is over 270 pages, much is said, and much of it is good, of course. Plus, the ultimate message of this book—as I interpret it—is that we need to focus on our interiors (rather than external means) “to create a world of love, light, and laughter,” and I most definitely like that. Note that I’m interpreting “light” here as wisdom or knowledge or enlightenment.
  
  ALL RIGHT, NOW TELL ME WHAT YOU DON’T LIKE?
  Under the subheading “Embracing Mystery” in the chapter titled “Mind,” Sadhguru suggests that it “is only a juvenile intelligence that analyzes things and arrives at conclusions,” and thus starts his attack on the western mindset (or the scientific method) in favor of a supernatural belief. Of course, he’s setup the argument such that if you disagree then you are considered “inflexible,” which is a logical fallacy, but logic is what is under attack here. He then asserts that there are no gods in the practice of yoga. (By the way, he discusses yoga quite a bit in the book.). Nevertheless, much of what he writes is very supernatural sounding, and he makes a very strong appeal to follow the practice he describes.
  
  So, since I have committed to being agnostic about most everything—thanks to an understanding of the scientific method—I remain unmoved or unconvinced about some of Sadhguru’s claims. This doesn’t mean what he claims is absolutely untrue. Who knows what’s absolutely true, right? I just know that I squirmed in the direction of dislike for some of the content.
  
  DO YOU RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO OTHERS?
  Actually, yes, I do. For those who already embrace a belief in the supernatural, then Sadhguru’s version of supernatural is probably better than many others. Also, for those who are comfortable with “cherrypicking,” then your life—and possibly beyond—might become a wonderful, joyful bowl of cherries after reading the book.
• 
  Sandra

  This book is Sadhguru’s instructions on how to improve your experience and the quality of your life, thus creating joy. Sadhguru is the founder of the Isha Foundation, headquartered in the hills in southern India It is a volunteer organization that guides individuals to have a spiritual awakening, thus creating joy.
  
  In this book, Sadhguru discusses meditation, diet, physical exercise, ways of living, and various branches of yoga. He shares both funny and inspiring stories to get his ideas across. He guides the reader in simple, little exercises that would help create a more joyful life.
  
  Most of the advice presented here was very down-to-earth. Sadly, some was very vague, so imprecise that I was not even sure what he meant. I understand that the subject matter is, at best, ambiguous, but I found this very frustrating.
  
  This book is entertaining and gives many useful little tips, but too much of it seemed to be about Sadhguru’s life and experiences in achieving the shift of consciousness. Examples from his own life are good, helpful, and interesting, however, sometimes these seemed to me more like self-centered boasting. This quality made it feel somewhat insincere to me. Nonetheless, there was some helpful information here.
  
• 
  S.Ach

  In India, no matter what societal strata you belong to, which language you communicate in, whether you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, old or young, you can always find a "Guru", otherwise known as spiritual teacher or monk or Godmen or, simply God.
  
  We all love to follow someone, that too, most of the times, blindly (though many of us would never admit that). We are too busy in our pursuit of making the ends meet, where is the time for self-discovery, introspection and doing our own research to find out the deeper philosophical questions? As long as someone comes and tells us that how miserable this world is, how wretched our mundane existence is, and how we are born for a greater purpose and shows us the path where we can achieve that, we are ready to follow anyone.
  
  In the recent years, I see a meteoric rise of a spiritual teacher named Sadhguru, who has managed to capture the imagination and mind share of the urban middle-class English speaking people of India. Many of my friends, who have become active devotees of Sadhguru, don't stop praising this new phenomenon and would frown at you if you even as much as question some of the viewpoints of their messiah.  
  
  I am deeply biased against most Gurus; you are free to blame it on my myopia. I have always been wary of the man, who provide answers to your difficult questions with confident convictions, and more dangerously with a smirk. Though many times you mightn't have any reason to counter his arguments, cause probably either you don't have the information to refute or approve the answer or you are too polite lest it irk others.
  Most of the times I find many spiritual gurus, take advantage of our ignorance, in order to propagate their bullshit that masquerades as some esoteric knowledge or mystic explanation. And many a times, they would deliver those messages in such confident convictions that you would tend to believe those, even if your own intellect would refuse to accept.
  
  Sadly, I had found many of Sadhguru's smug explanations fall into the above category. No. I am not  talking about the political biases, which is a different discussion all together. ( I know, his political leanings could possibly be the motivation for many supporters and detractors of those ideologies to take the corresponding stand.) But I would give an example of one such topic where I unintentionally trolled him on the twitter, which, luckily for me, he ignored graciously. On the question of whether one should or shouldn't eat during lunar eclipse, he
  tweeted "During lunar eclipses, what would happen in 28 days over a full lunar cycle is happening in a subtle way over the course of two to three hours of the eclipse. In terms of energy, the earth’s energy is mistaking this eclipse as a full cycle of the moon. " Perplexed, I replied, "In 1st case moon revolves around the earth. And in 2nd case there is shadow for couple hours. Yet, earth's "energy" "believes" both are same. Sad to know that Earth's energy is so dumb."
  
  Anyways.
  
  Coming to this book which is essentially divided into two parts - first part is autobiographical which talks about how he came into realization and become the Sadhguru, some part of which appeared apocryphal to me. Again, I blame myself for it - how can someone question another man's personal experience.
  The second part talks more about the spiritual and philosophical aspects of man, and as I said before, it is always difficult to prove or disprove something which pretends to be logical and scientific, but in reality is nothing but a jumble of mystic mysteries. The concepts of energies, manifestations, salvation, etc are beyond the comprehension of my small mind. And that is when the book turns bizarre to me when he focuses on the mysticism or occult, which I have absolutely no clue.
  
  If I tell you, that 'there is a cluster of energy concentrated at a point in your body that co-ordinates with your alter egos in the parallel universes and cosmic karma is responsible for dissipating quanta of energies that get converted into thoughts which guide your actions in present situation', you have no way to prove or disprove me, even if I just made that bullshit up, Can you?
  
  For example, Sadhguruji writes - "Consecration or pratishtha is done in various ways, but generally by using rituals, mantras, sounds, forms and various other ingredients. … If I were given the necessary support and opportunity I would like to consecrate the whole planet! This is what I am good at: turning thin air into a very powerful vibrant space, turning a piece of metal or stone into a divine reverberation….When you live in such a space, your evolution need not stick to the Darwinian scale; you can simply leapfrog ahead to a state of ultimate well-being and freedom."
  
  I am clueless what to make out of it.
  
  But, I must admit, many of Sadhguru's explanations appear very logical and sometimes they just substantiate many of ours already held beliefs of various aspects of life and politics. He explains many complex ideas with the help of easy to understand metaphors and similes, and sometimes even using whatsapp jokes. All good there. But then I think, just because a director has given you your most favourite movie ever, doesn't make all his movies masterclass, does it? And, you definitely take each and every movie of his by its own merit and don't appreciate the bullshit ones, do you? Doesn’t the same apply to teachers as well?
  
  Again, I don't want to completely dismiss this book as hogwash, as I still think that there are many aspects where Sadhguru's words could deem inspirational and motivate many of us to meditate, lead a healthy lifestyle, pursue a blissful existence etc.
  I know, you could argue for not being selective of a teacher's preaching, however, I believe, in this case, it would be prudent to do so.
  
• 
  Bhargavi Balachandran

  Having attended Isha's Inner engineering program many years back, I knew what the book would talk about in a broad sense. Several weeks after the program, I remember feeling extremely calm and kind, to myself and to people around me. Over years, this intrinsic calmness paved way for noise and imbalance as entropy took over.. When I saw this book on Amazon, I knew I needed to get it. Obviously, the book is not effective as the program itself, but a great place to start. ultimately knowing the concepts can only get you so far, but what is required is to experientially realise them. I have never experientially realised any of these rather 'difficult' concepts except during the Inner engineering program. I hope I am able to shrug off my laziness and put in the required time/ energy that the sadhanas or practices mentioned in the book require. Recommended to every seeker as a starting point. It will not answer all your questions, but can be a great place to start.
• 
  Govind Syam

  I believe there is a creator and living spiritually is the best way to live. My late grandfather was a local Ashram secretary. My cousins and I released bhajan tracks during our school days. When somebody tells me I can take the spiritual path to live joyfully, I listen. A lot of Sadhguru’s videos kind of made me feel he had a lot to offer which these videos couldn’t fit in. That’s why I decided to read his book.
  
  What a disappointment that turned out to be! How can someone write 270 pages and not address the title - guide to joy. Just like most of his clickbait videos, it kept promising the guide to joy is coming but never came. In his lengthy introduction to mind and body I didn’t learn anything new but held the promise the guide to joy is coming next, so I continued. The guide to joy he mentions is some mystical elements which cannot be harnessed by the average reader. It needs decades and a guru who has done it before. If this was the point he wanted to communicate, it could have been one page. I felt it was just a promotion for Inner engineering without taking its name. You need a guru to unlock this and that, it should have been named ‘guide to the guide(Sadhguru/inner engineering) to joy’! I do 20 mins yoga and 10 mins meditation everyday and that is my most favorite 30 mins of the day. This book makes subtle fun of medical science and people who do yoga for workout. What is doesn’t do is offer one damn thing to the average person to do yoga better, to harness meditation better, to live happier. Was that too much of an ask from a person who creates dimensions and got cured of deadly diseases in an hour using mystic mountain energies?
  
  To all the people who felt it changed your life, could you explain how? I continue to be impressed by Sadhguru’s activities of saving the planet. But he is simply not the spiritual guide I was seeking.
  
  Do I wish I hadn’t read the book? Of course not. I would have continued watching his videos and wasted more time. A timely unsubscribe was needed!
• 
  Sanjana Meher

  Many things stood out for me, I'm mentioning just a few here.
  
  The book is in two parts, the first is more of theory about Sadhguru himself, what well-being is, what responsibility is and what it is not, and what yoga is. Through these chapters many concepts are broken down and redefined for me. This part of the book sets the foundation for the second half of the book - the more practical aspect.
  
  In the second half, Sadhguru explains the body, mind, our energy in fair amount of detail, but in a simple and witty manner, I was just flowing with it!
  
  What struck me most was how we as humans have focused so much on our discerning intellect (which divide, categorizes, and dissects), that it's expression is found in the way we as a society discriminate, divide, and dissect almost everything; the most painful one according to me being the division of people into various groups which are then discriminated against.
  
  In this second half, Sadhguru gives us many Sadhanas (or tools or practices) that we can do. Even if we choose one of these and practise in a consistent manner, it will be very beneficial for one's well-being.
  
  Finally, the line which summarizes Sadhguru's message, according to me is this: "Yoga is not about being superhuman; it's about realizing that being human is super". This beautiful sentence encapsulates the message what we as healers do our best to spread among all that we come across.
  
  I highly recommend this book to you all, it is a very good primer to start your journey of going within.
• 
  Evelina | AvalinahsBooks

  It's hard to sum this book up because in a way, it's good, in a way, it's terribly incomplete. It's like a jumble. If you're a complete COMPLETE beginner - then yeah, this will be useful. It explains a couple of things very well. But the problem is, it keeps jumping, changing tack or just telling stories that are a bit too random, in my opinion. Thoughts are not really finished up, conclusions aren't drawn. It's not that it's written badly - but it seems to lack a system. It's an inspirational tool at best. But it was enjoyable and easy to read.
  
  
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• 
  Kushagra Singh

  Sadhguru says that the book's goal is to make joy your constant companion. For me, this has piqued my interest in Yogic sciences. I have already been initiated into Shambhavi Mahamudra(Through Inner Engineering programme offered by Isha Foundation) but this book has made me more determined towards my practices and learning more and more about this incredible science. I'd still perhaps refer "Three Truths of Well Being" and "Mystic Musings"(if you've a strong heart) before this book but still this book is something I'd constantly want to refer again. See if you can read it too, worth your time.
• 
  Ajith Ashokkumar (WordShaker)

  One of the best spiritual books I have read in my life. The ultimate goal of life is joy, staying happy everytime is a hard task, learning how to live a joyful life by finding happiness within us should be the aim of every human beings in this world.  We live in a generation where everything is accessible for us except happiness. Sadhguru says, no need to search here and there for happiness, just search it inward. 
  
  “Your joy, your misery, your love, your agony, your bliss, lies in your hands
• 
  Tonkica

  3.5
  
  Sadhguru je mistik, učitelj, humanitarac i aktivist, pravog imena Jaggi Vasudev. On je moderni ili suvremeni jogi koji je doživio prosvjetljenje te je život posvetio kako bi svoje znanje prenio milijunima koji žele učiti. Osnivatelj je neprofitne organizacije „Isha“ koja diljem svijeta nudi programe joge i podučava jogijsku filozofiju.
  
  Cijeli osvrt pronađite ovdje:
  https://knjige-u-svom-filmu.webador.c...
• 
  D

  When pain, misery, or anger happen, it is time to look within you, not around you. To achieve well-being the only one who needs to be fixed is you. What you forget is that when you are sick, it is you who needs the medication. When you are hungry, it is you who needs the food.
  
  Creating your own destiny does not mean you have to control every situation in the world. Creating your destiny is about steadily heading toward your well-being and your ultimate nature, no matter what the content of life is around you. It simply means making yourself in such a way that, whatever the events and situations around you, you don't get crushed by them; you ride them.
  
  The spiritual process is not about imposing your ideas on existence; it is about making yourself in such a way that they creation and the Creator, and every atom in this existence, cannot help yielding to you. There is magic everywhere. If you learn how to live it, life is nothing short of a daily miracle.
  
  One man's "magic" is another man's engineering. - Robert A Heinlein
  
  The forms, the names, the ideas are varied. But essentially, when you say 'God,' you mean that which is responsible for everything in the universe. Responsibility is not a teaching in civics. It is the simplest and easiest way for you to express your own divinity.
  
  The whole effort of the spiritual process is to break the boundaries you have drawn for yourself and experience the immensity that you are. The aim is to unshackle yourself from the limited identity you have forged, as a result of your own ignorance, and live the way the Creator made you -- utterly blissful and infinitely responsible.
  
  There is no 'yes' and 'no.' There is just 'yes' and 'yes'! You can either react to life with repetitive cycles of conflict and misery. Or you can become one big YES to life.
  
  There is more -- much more -- to life than you are aware of right now. Once you choose to become conscious of this simple fact -- my ability to respond is limitless -- suddenly you move into higher and higher levels of freedom within yourself. Life is now a wonderful and exhilarating journey of self-discovery.
  
  In the inner life, there is only one kind of revolution and it is a silent one. It is about moving from unwillingness to willingness.
  
  The question is: do you want to be a full-time human being or a part-time human being? To be an absolutely full-time human being is to be a constant full-blooded response to everything. You don't have to do anything in particular. You just need to become a willing piece of life in this glorious living cosmos.
  
  Responsibility is not burdensome. Boundaries are burdensome. No boundary, no burden. Once this happens, it is not that the cosmos beings to happen your way. Instead, what you are becomes cosmic.
  
  This is not transcendence; this is homecoming.
  
  This fruit, this egg, this bread, this vegetable -- they are all a part of life themselves, but they are willing to become you. Would you be willing to do this for anyone?
  
  First thing when you wake up, until the last moment before you fall asleep, remind yourself: My responsibility is limitless; if I am willing, I can respond to everything.
  
  Sustain this awareness of your limitless nature for just one full minute, and you achieve a tremendous transformation. Every hour, remind yourself. Experiment with this awareness, allow it to deepen and see what happens.
  
  Conscious response brings you to a profound and enduring state of connectedness with life -- not as an idea or an emotion, but life as life is. In this willing, active involvement with life, you are embraced by it and that embrace takes to the very source of creation.
  
  That is all it takes to touch the Creator -- just willingness, nothing else.
  
  Pantajali's Yoga Sutras, one of the most profound documents on the yogic sciences, begins with a strange line: ... And now, yoga.
  
  A great document on life starts with just half a sentence! Why?
  
  Every human being lives in a perpetual state of insufficiency. No matter who you are or what you have achieved, you still want a little more than what you have right now. This is human desire. But the fundamental desire within every human being is for boundless expansion.
  
  Your fundamental area of work is only with the realities that you are aware of.
  
  The first sheath or layer to which yoga draws our attention is the physical body -- the annamayakosha, or more literally, the food body. It is just an accumulated heap of food. It is the product of all the nourishment you have ingested over the years.
  
  The second layer is the manomayakosha, or the mental body. Today, doctors talk a great deal about psychosomatic ailments. This means that what happens in the mind affects what happens in the body. Every cell has its own intelligence, so there is an entire mental body, an entire anatomy of the mind.
  
  The third layer of the self is the pranamayakosha, or the energy body. If you keep your energy body in perfect balance, there will be no disease in your physical or mental bodies. Everything about the human body can be changed. When your energy body is in full vibrancy and proper balance, disease cannot exist. These practices are not aimed at the disease. They are just aimed at bringing a certain harmony and vitality to the energy body.
  
  These are the 3 dimensions of the self you are aware of right now: the physical, the mental, the energetic.
  
  There is a fourth layer, the vignanamayakosha, or etheric body. Gnana means 'knowledge.' Vishesh gnana means 'extraordinary knowledge' that which is beyond sense perception. This is a transient state. If you find conscious access to this dimension, there is a quantum leap in your ability to know the cosmos.
  
  The fifth sheath, the anandamayakosha, or bliss experience. It is beyond the physical entirely. We become blissful. When you touch this dimension of nonexistence, blissfulness is guaranteed. You are no more an issue in your own life. You explore the beyond.
  
  Time and space is obliterated. An existence beyond existence.
  
  You play with life whichever way you want.
  
  How?
  
  Yoga tells us there are a few fundamental ways. Karma yoga is the yoga of action with your physical body. Gnana yoga is the yoga of intelligence, employing your intelligence to reach your ultimate nature. Bhakti yoga the yoga of doctrine is how you employ your emotions to reach your ultimate nature.Kriya yoga is the yoga of transforming your energies to reach the supreme experience.
  
  If your 1) karma (body), 2) gnana (mind), 3) bhakti (emotion), 4) kriya (energy) - integrate, you function. If not, you are one big mess.
  
  Yoga is the science of bringing the four idiots together :)
  
  The very source of life is throbbing within you. The source of your life is also the source of every other life and the source of all creation. The deliverance of every human being lies in finding access to this deathless dimension.
  
  Yoga is not about being superhuman; it is about realizing that being human is super.
  
  The walls of self-preservation that you build for today are the wall of self-imprisonment for tomorrow.
  
  Robert Frost: Something there is that doesn't love a wall.
  
  Ekadashi is the 11th day of the lunar segment that recurs every 14 days. It is traditionally regarded as the day to fast. If you force yourself to fast w/o preparing your body and mind sufficiently, you only cause damage to your health. But your body, mind, and energy are properly prepared, then fasting is of much benefit.
  
  The entire aim and endeavor of yoga is to open up the cocoon of the physical body to the larger sensory body where you experience everything as a part of you. Fasting is an extension of this logic: a way of nourishing yourself w/o any active ingestion. Your ability to assimilate energy from water, air and sunlight is greater on certain days of the lunar cycle.
  
  Give your food to the ants first, the most inconsequential organism you can think of, not to the gods, but the smallest. The planet belongs to them as much as to you. Every creature on the planet has the same right to live as you. This awareness helps create a conducive atmosphere for consciousness to grow.
  
  Gautama the Buddha said: When you are badly in need of food, if you give away your food to somebody else, you will grow stronger.
  
  Try skipping a meal. Not to torture yourself, just to become free from the torture chamber your body can become. Turn your compulsive pattern into a conscious process: this is the essence of fasting.
  
  Just experiment. Start with 25% nature, uncooked, or live food -- fruit and vegetables -- and push it up to 100% in 4-5 days. Stay there 1-2 day, and again cut it down by 10% and in another 5 days, reach 50% raw food, 50% cooked. This is ideal for most people to be active 16-18 h/day
  
  If you eat cooked food, it may take you 15 mins to eat. If you eat raw food, it takes longer b/c you chew more. But your body will tell you your meal is over in those 15 mins. Be a little more conscious of how much you are eating.
  
  Restlessness to Restfulness
  
  Stress is not because of work -- important to remember. Bosses, colleagues, deadlines... These are not inherently stressful. It is our compulsive reaction to the situations that causes stress. Stress is a certain level of internal friction. One can easily lubricate the inner mechanism with some amount of inner work and awareness. It is your own inability to handle your own system that is stressing you out.
  
  How do you stay free of stress, so you have same level of enthusiasm, relaxation and happiness, morning or evening?
  
  Slow down. Run your body more efficiently and at a relaxed pace.
  
  The body doesn't need sleep, but restfulness.
  
  Whatever you do, do it easily, joyfully.
  
  Don't battle with life. You are not anti-life; you are life. Just get in tune with it, and you will see that you will pass through it easily. Keep yourself fit and well. Do some activity that you enjoy: play a game, swim, walk, run. Be active and relaxed at the same time.
  
  When you feel relaxed, awaken.
  
  When it comes to food and sleep, your body is the best judge.
  
  Keep the body in a way that it is not longing to avoid or escape life. Maintain it so that you are longing to come awake :)
  
  If you have not known the sensuousness of life-giving breath that is on every moment of your life, how can you begin to know any other kind. Experience the orgasmic nature of the breathing process called ana pana sati yoga, the yoga of incoming and outgoing breath. Ana pana
  literally means 'in and out.' Sati means 'female consort.' So the reference here is clearly to orgasmic union. It shows how the simple incoming and outgoing breath can become a source of nameless ecstasies.
  
  The simplest way to experience a state of union is this simple namaskar yoga. Put your hands together and pay loving attention to any object you use or consume, or any form of life you encounter. When you bring this sense of awareness into every simple act, your experience of life will never be the same again. There is even the possibility that you could unite the world!
  
  Sex is not the most powerful urge. Hunger is.
  
  Most of the time, thinking about sex is just compulsive behavior. After a certain age, when the play of hormones subsides, once again, it will not matter what reproductive organs someone has.
  
  Your body is just a loan from this planet. What you call 'death' is just Mother Earth reclaiming the loan that she offered to you. All life on this planet is just a recycle of the Earth.
  
  Fear is the result of the incompleteness of your existence. If you have not explored life in its magnitude and multidimensionality, you have limited yourself to the physical body, fear is a natural consequence.
  
  Once you live a compulsive life, you are living the life of a slave. Don't limit yourself to the narrow realm of the physical.
  
  Remind yourself at least once an hour that everything you're carrying are things you've accumulated. Disidentify with your things. Don't let your compulsive thoughts shift you from the existential to the psychological.
  
  You are, therefore you may think :)
  
  Either you learn to live with creation, or you manufacture your own creation in your head.
  
  Attention - turn what is sporadic and intermittent into a flow
  
  Just sit alone for an hour. See what thoughts dominate your mind.
  
  If you know how to touch a person deep enough to touch humanity, each one of us is the same.
  
  To bring out humanity, it takes much more involvement. It means giving yourself.
  
  Love is never between two people. It is what happens within you. Just spend time with something. If you look at everything lovingly, the whole world becomes beautiful in your experience.
  
  Devotion is not a dissection of life, but a total embrace.
  
  The divine is not an entity sitting up there; it is a living force every moment of your life. Devotion makes you aware of this.
  
  Embrace Mystery
  
  If your intelligence is sufficiently evolved and mature, you realize that the more you analyze, the further away you are from any conclusion. Life becomes more mysterious than before. The more you delve into life, you see that it is an endless and unfathomable process. You cannot get it because you are it. If you simply sit here and breathe, you will know life better than through any deep analysis.
  
  A devotee is someone who is willing to dissolve into the object of devotion. If you are a devotee of life, you will become one with it. Don't be an outsider to the life process. Become a devotee. Dissolve.
  
  Prana pratishtha uses your own life energies to consecrate something. When you consecrate a form in this way, it does not need any maintenance. It is quite literally forever. The Indian temples were never places of prayer. The temple was like a public battery-charging space. The idea is to sit and imbibe the energy of the place.
  
  You are encouraged to just close your eyes and be in the space for some time.
  
  Shiva = that which is not
  
  Linga = the form, assumed to be an ellipsoid or 3D ellipse. Modern cosmologist have identified that the core of every galaxy is always an ellipsoid.
  
  Empower your places:
  With rice flour or some grain, draw a triangle, and an upside down triangle on top of it
  Place a small ghee or clarified butter, lamp in a plate full of water at the center
  Place a flower in the water
  
  The flower in the water represents earth.
  Akash or ether, is always present
  
  Earth, air, fire, water
  
  Mount Kailash (the mountain peak in western Tibet, considered a sacred place of immeasurable power and antiquity) is where the maximum amount of knowledge has been store for a very long time in energy form. Kailash is the greatest mystical library on the planet.
  
• 
  Vaishali

  Phenomenal... especially if you're listening to the final 2 hours of the audiobook.
  
  Quotes
  ————-
  
  “The ability to look without motive is missing in the world today.”
  
  “After school, I embarked on a self-study program at the Mysore University Library. I was the first person there in the morning at 9, and the last to be shooed out at 8:30 at night. Between breakfast and lunch, my only sustenance was books. I skipped lunch for a whole year.”
  
  “... Here is a bliss narcotic that is created and consumed by your own system, and which has a tremendous impact on health and well-being. It means that the the human system is wonderfully self-contained... The particular chemical has been named ‘anandamide’, based on the Sanskrit word ‘ananda’, which means bliss.”
  
  “Every kind of pleasantness that we experience, whether peace or joy or ecstasy, is a kind of chemistry. The yogic system has always known this.”
  
  “Our physical and social worlds are governed by boundaries. Our inner world needs none. To attain the ecstasy of borderless unity, which is our natural state, all you need to do is live by the guidelines that all human experience is generated from within.”
  
  “If you turn outward, it is an endless journey. If you turn inward, it is just one moment.”
  
  “Destiny has become a popular scapegoat, a way to deal with failure... Turning inward is the first step from passivity to agency, from being a victim toward becoming a master of your own destiny.”
  
  “Everything in this existence is happening naturally, according to a certain organic law.”
  
  “If you know the nature of life within you, you can completely take charge of the way it happens - but within the broad parameters set by the laws of nature.”
  
  “Your destiny is written by you unconsciously. If you have mastery over your physical body, 15-20% of your life and destiny will be in your hands. If you have mastery over your mind, 50-60% of your life and destiny will be in your hands. If you have mastery over your life energies, 100% of your life and destiny will be in your hands.”
  
  “Anger usually provokes unintelligent action... It is also counterproductive and inefficient.”
  
  “If terrible things have happened to you, you should have grown wise... you should be the wisest of the lot. But instead of growing wise, most people become wounded. In a state of conscious response, it is possible to use every life situation, however ugly, as an opportunity for growth.”
  
  “It doesn’t matter who I meet. I will never speak to them in a manner that I regret later because this meeting could be my last.”
  
  “You come into this world with nothing; you go empty-handed. The wealth of life lies only in how you have allowed its experiences to enrich you.”
  
  “Resentment, anger, jealousy, pain, hurt, and depression are poisons... Most people take lifetimes to understand this simple truth.”
  
  “Can you then respond to the moon? You can. Your body and life energies certainly do. When entire oceans rise in response to the moon, do you think the water content in your own system doesn’t rise as well?”
  
  “Every subatomic particle in your body is responding in a limitless way to the great dance of energies that is the cosmos. The only reason you are not experiencing the life process in all its majesty and profundity is your current state of mental resistance.”
  
  “On the level of human consciousness, you are like a bird in a cage without a door. Existence has not blocked anything for anyone. If you are willing, you can access the whole universe. Someone once said ‘Knock and it shall open.’ You don’t even have to knock, because there is no door. It is open. You just have to walk through. That’s all.”
  
  “If a seed constantly tries to save itself, a new life is impossible. The seed goes through the tremendous struggle of losing what it believes is its identity, losing its safety and integrity and becoming vulnerable, in order to grow into a many-branched leafy tree... without that vulnerability, that voluntary openness to transformation, life wouldn’t sprout.”
  
  “What is love, then? It is just your own quality. You are using the other person as a key to open up what is already within you. Why are you fumbling with keys when there is no lock? You create illusory doors, then you create illusory keys.”
  
  “Once you have upgraded yourself to self-start ... you have upgraded your technology.”
  
  .
• 
  Irene Vincent

  Sadhguru wrote this book in a flowing manner explaining a clear path to one's bliss. He is a true Mystic. If you are truly seeking to be a blissful highly functioning human being on this planet earth, I highly recommend his book.
• 
  Bookish Andreia ❤Audiobook addict❤

  DNF 80%.
• 
  Mehul

  This is the book I will recommend to everyone. Sadhguru's talks and his humorous points in between and his stories and sadhnas everything are just superb. Once you start reading it you will not leave it till end and apply the techniques given in the book to be more aware and step towards liberation. This book tells us only truth straight forward , no philosophies nothing just simple experienced reality. An amazing read. Be aware and separate yourself from accumulations from outside and go beyond the physical. !!
• 
  Cb

  The eastern concepts of karma, chakras, awakening, ego, enlightenment and reality and kundalin energy .....
  These concepts seem to mean different things to different people, which is fine,
  It doesn't mean that they are all untrue. (But so confusing for the rest of us!)
  
  I figured that if I began to internalize these concepts, they would probably mean something a bit different to me too and I would be quite a different person while remaining just about the same...?
  
  I know these concepts are tools to help us see all things hidden, well it is hidden to me at least.
  Do I understand everything that was said in the book?
  I wished I could say YES!
  Yes sir!!!! Everything is now clear and simple to me!!!!
  I feel I am a bit more now!!!!
  I am more mindful! I feel awake!
  
  Baby steps
  Baby steps
  To where we are all going anyway ....
  So slow
  What am I missing?
  Maybe I don't want to see?
  What is the price of seeing????
  
  This author is truly trying very hard to make it very simple.
  It makes me feel that I should get this!!!!
  It doesn't have to be complicated, I do that very very well on my own!!!!
  
  And then the guru tell you a story
  You feel yourself paying attention!
  Sit down, listen!
  Wait for it....he is going to make humour to appeal to your young heart full of wonders
  Where everything is possible
  (Leave your exhausted busy busy mind at the door for this one!)
  
  From all the stories, you have to draw your own conclusions
  Sorry, you have to do your own homework to get to the solution
  I feel that if the solution was given, we would not accept it.
  
  Who is you?
  Who is me?
  
  To know yourself is....
  
  I know a lot, I mean a lot of things!
  And I don't know anything
  
  “I guess you only look like a mouse,” he whispered in my ear, and then beckoned to one of his personal guard.
  “Take her,” he said, handing me over to the oprichnik who reached out his arm to support me.
  I felt myself flush at the indignity of being handed over like a sack of potatoes, but I was too shaky and confused to protest. Blood was running down my arm from the cut the Darkling had given me. “Ivan!” shouted the Darkling. "I want her surrounded by an armed guard at all times. Take her to the Little Palace and stop for nothing.” Ivan nodded. “And bring a Healer to see to her wounds.”
  
  “Wait!” I protested, but the Darkling was already turning away. I grabbed hold of his arm, ignoring the gasp that rose from the Grisha onlookers. “There’s been some kind of mistake. I don’t … I’m not …” My voice trailed off as the Darkling turned slowly to me, his slate eyes drifting to where my hand gripped his sleeve. I let go, but I wasn’t giving up that easily. “I’m not what you think I am,” I whispered desperately.
  
  The Darkling stepped closer to me and said, his voice so low that only I could hear, “I doubt you have any idea what you are.” Then he nodded to Ivan. “Go!”
  
  From Shadow and Bone
  Leigh Bardugo
• 
  Akshay Pai

  A phenomenal non-religious book on mysticism, yoga, well-being, inner peace, and more. It has been structured in two parts. The first part is devoted to making the reader understand the various processes in yoga and debunk myths. It also introduces readers to various dimensions and the non-physical experiences that are unknown to many. The second part of the book deals with the various aspects of what life is and gives numerous exercises and practical experiments for the readers to try and have a glimpse of "out-of-this-world" experiences.
  
  There are a few things that I absolutely love about this book. Firstly, the way in which Sadhguru has explained some of the simplest things in life makes you understand its profound impact and makes you realize that perspectives can make an insignificant routine to a life changing experience. Secondly, this book steers far away from any religion, beautifully explaining its difference with spirituality. Thirdly, unlike most of the books, it does not stop at giving you hopes of the so-called "unrealistic expectations". The author repeatedly asks the reader to experiment with what has been conveyed and gain the knowledge of peace, well-being and out of the body sensations through an experiential process. Finally, the anecdotes in this book are amazing. Some are witty, some are to the point, but all of them successfully convey the intended message to the reader.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. It is not a manual to bliss and harmony but a catalog of what is possible. There aren't any step-wise procedures but that is something the reader is expected to explore, experiment and seek post reading the book.
  
  Best quote from the book: "Yoga is not about being superhuman; it is about realizing that being human is super."
• 
  Douna

  I didn't enjoy part one of the book, but part two: the mind, body and energy is what I enjoyed reading the most - was very enlightening and introduced me to a very new clear dimension.
  
  it helped me realize how to use the mind and body instead of being controlled by it, it was very healthy to understand that.
  
  my perspective about the essence of yoga also matured and became clear why and how i'll include it in my daily routine.
  
  “The accumulative part of the mind is, to put it simply, just society’s garbage bin. It is merely a heap of impressions you have gathered from outside.”
  
  “The problem is just this: the fact that your mind is not taking instructions from you”
  
  “The system of yoga is a technology to create a distinction between you and your mind. There is a space between you and what you have gathered in terms of body and mind.
  
  Becoming conscious of this space is your first and only step to freedom. It is the accumulated physiological and psychological content that causes the cyclical patterns in your life and even beyond.”
  
  “There are only two forms of suffering in this world: physical and mental. Once this distance becomes a constant factor in your experience, you have reached the end of suffering.”
  
  “As the experience of space grows, the mind is no more a mess. It is a great symphony, a tremendous possibility that can take you to great heights.”
• 
  Roben

  I wrote a piece on The Isha Institute in Tennessee for the Local Table magazine, a guide to food and farms in Middle Tennessee. This my preface after touring and reading Inner Engineering:
  
  Life is uncertain - upon this fact consensus builds. Anxiety is ever present. God bless us all.
  With a blooming awareness created by social media, we open to a "small world after all." And free floating suspicion that someone is going to best us hangs in the air.
  Relief in the form of religion and government is often unavailable, muddied by personal needs to justify our own interpretations.
  A day trip in beautiful Middle Tennessee is a handy gift from creation that allows us to climb out of woeful preoccupations. And so I took one.
  The way we eat was my focus and concurrently, I got an answer to our wretched angst. It smacked of an underrated truism: personal responsibility.
• 
  Allysia K

  I loved this book!
  
  This book gets into yoga philosophy in a really user-friendly way. It's full of stories and anecdotes to illustrate concepts, and the lessons contained are very profound.
  
  It's divided into two parts - the first part is the map of the terrain (philosophy), and the second part is more experiential. Part two is further subdivided into the categories body, mind and energy, and discusses ways to optimize your life in these areas (with specific practices to try).
  
  My favorite part about this book is its accessibility. Sometimes non-fiction reads like this can be slogs, but I found it very enjoyable and easy to read. I'll be going back to this one again and again, I'm sure.
• 
  Santhi Swaroop Godavari

  If clarity of thought is an art, Sadhguru is the Picasso of it.
  This book is not just a guide to Joy. If you are a seeker, striving to realise the meaning of your life and to make something out of it, this book can be your guiding light. This has to be read again and again, and the sadhanas have to be practised regularly to make the best of them!
• 
  Luke

  Started out ok as a retelling of the author's personal enlightenment, and a call for us to take full control of our experiences and responses to all creation... many clever preacher stories and a few "this may sound like a self-help book but it's not"... and then it just goes entirely off the rails.