Sadhguru (born Jagadish Vasudev, 3 September 1957) is the founder and head of the

Isha Foundation Isha Foundation is a nonprofit, spiritual organisation founded in 1992 near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. It hosts the Isha Yoga Centre, which offers yoga programs under the name Isha Yoga. The foundation is run "a ...

, based in Coimbatore, India. The foundation, established in 1992, operates an ashram and yoga centre that carries out educational and spiritual activities. Sadhguru has been teaching

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

since 1982. He is the author of the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' bestsellers '' Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy'' and ''Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny'', and a frequent speaker at international forums. Sadhguru also advocates for protecting the environment against

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

, leading many initiatives like Project GreenHands (PGH), Rally for Rivers, Cauvery Calling, and the Journey to Save Soil. In 2017, he received the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

, India's second-highest civilian award, for his contributions to spirituality and humanitarian services. Also in 2017, Sadhguru unveiled the

Family

Jagadish Vasudev, commonly referred to as Jaggi, was born on 3 September 1957, in

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

, Karnataka, India. He was the youngest of five children to Susheela Vasudev (mother) and B.V. Vasudev (father). His father was an ophthalmologist at the Mysuru Railway Hospital and his mother a homemaker. Vasudev married his wife, Vijikumari, in 1984. In 1990, Vijikumari and Jaggi had their only child, Radhe. Vijikumari died on 23 January 1997. Radhe trained in

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

at the

Kalakshetra Foundation Kalakshetra Foundation, formerly simply Kalakshetra, is an arts and cultural academy dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art and crafts, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music. Based in ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. She married Indian classical vocalist Sandeep Narayan in 2014.

Education

After completing his formal education, Vasudev was uninterested in post-secondary schooling. One year later, however, he enrolled at the University of Mysore, where he studied English literature. While studying literature, Vasudev received second rank. Although his parents wanted him to continue his education with postgraduate studies, Vasudev disagreed and began a career in business.

Work

After graduating from the University of Mysore, Vasudev went on to build his first business, a poultry farm, in Mysore. Vasudev explained that his motivation to start a poultry farm was driven by the serenity it yielded in the hours he wasn't working. The business required minimal attention throughout the day, so Vasudev was able pursue other interests during his time off, like writing poetry. The business grew profitable, but his family repeatedly criticized and opposed his decision to work with poultry. This led Vasudev to enter the construction industry with a company named Buildaids. He started the company in partnership with a friend, who was a civil engineer. Though Vasudev had no formal engineering training, he used the experience gained from building his poultry farm in his new endeavour. At the age of 25, after a series of spiritual experiences, he shut down his businesses and began to travel and teach yoga. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev with wife Vijayakumari (01)

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev with wife Vijayakumari (01)

In 1983, he taught his first yoga class, in Mysore. He began travelling across

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

on his motorcycle, conducting his style of yoga classes, known as Sahaja Sthiti Yoga, subsisting on the income from his poultry farm rental and donating the funds received from his students.

Spirituality

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev with wife Vijayakumari (07)

Although Vasudev was not brought up in a spiritual household, he recollects one of his first spiritual experiences occurring after he turned 25. On 23 September 1982, he drove up Chamundi Hill, and as he sat on a stone, Vasudev had his first spiritual experience. He explained that, "All my life I had thought, this is me...But now the air I was breathing, the rock on which I was sitting, the atmosphere around me — everything had become me." After about six days, Vasudev had another similar experience at home. Six weeks later, he left his businesses and travelled extensively, in an effort to seek insight into his spiritual experiences. After about a year of meditation and travel, he decided to teach yoga to share his inner experience.

Personal interests

In his earlier years, Vasudev had a love for driving motorcycles. One of his favourite places to drive was the

Chamundi Hills The Chamundi Hills are located 13 km east of Mysore, Karnataka, India. The name comes from the Chamundeshwari Temple at the peak. The average elevation is . Attractions The Chamundeshwari Temple is located atop the Chamundi Hills. Patro ...

in Mysore, though he sometimes drove much further, including to Nepal.

Isha Foundation

In 1992, Sadhguru established the

as a platform for his spiritual, environmental, and educational activities. In 1993, he began searching for a location to establish an ashram to cater to the growing interest in his yoga classes. In 1994, he purchased land near the Velliangiri mountains in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and inaugurated the Isha Yoga Center. Since establishing the Isha Foundation, he remains its head. The foundation's activities are run mostly by volunteers. The organisation offers yoga programmes, known as ''Isha Yoga''. The foundation aims to improve the quality of education in rural India through an initiative called Isha Vidhya.

Environmental activism

Through the Isha Foundation, Sadhguru has launched several projects and campaigns focused on environmental conservation and protection, including Project GreenHands (PGH), Rally for Rivers, Cauvery Calling, and Save Soil. Sadhguru established PGH to address water and soil issues in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

through reforestation efforts. Launched in July 2019, the "Cauvery Calling" campaign focused on planting trees along the Cauvery river's 0.65-mile wide area to replenish water levels in the river and the groundwater table. In 2017, Sadhguru launched "Rally for Rivers", a campaign intended to build widespread support for river revitalization efforts across India, similar to the "Cauvery Calling" campaign. In 2022, Sadhguru completed a 100-day motorcycle journey from London to India to bring attention to his "Journey to Save Soil" campaign, which focuses on raising awareness about soil degradation issues and the benefits of using organic matter in farming. In May 2022, he addressed the leaders of 195 countries at the

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD) is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through ...

to speak about "Journey to Save Soil". Both

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, host of ''

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'', and podcast host

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, have invited Sadhguru to discuss this movement. On

World Environment Day World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on 5 June and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It is supported by many non-governmental organizations, businesses, government entities, and represents the ...

2022, Indian prime minister,

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

, attended an event with Sadhguru to discuss efforts to improve soil health. The UN FAO has stated that "90% of the Earth's precious topsoil is likely to be at risk by 2050". However, views have been divided on whether the "Save Soil" campaign is addressing this issue. Maria Helena Semedo, deputy director-general of FAO, opined that "Organic armingmay not be the only solution but it's the single best ptionI can think of." Meanwhile, one environmental watchdog has characterized Sadhguru's approach as "

greenwashing Greenwashing (a compound word modeled on " whitewash"), also called "green sheen", is a form of advertising or marketing spin in which green PR and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization's products, aim ...

Speeches and writings

Sadhguru has authored over thirty books, including the ''

'' bestsellers '' Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy'' and ''Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny''. Sadhguru is a frequent public speaker who has been invited to address many prestigious forums and conferences across the globe, such as the

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' Millennium World Peace Summit, the British

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, the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, and the

International Institute for Management Development International Institute for Management Development (IMD) is a private business school in Lausanne, Switzerland specializes in executive education offering open enrollment programs for senior executives, as well as longer-term educational engageme ...

. He has also spoken at the annual

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in 2007, 2017 and 2020.

Honors

In 2017, Sadhguru was awarded the

, the second-highest

civilian award This list of civil awards and decorations is a partial index to articles about notable civil awards and decorations. It excludes Law enforcement awards and honors and ecclesiastical decorations, which are covered by separate lists. See :Civil aw ...

from the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

, in recognition of his contribution to the field of spirituality and humanitarian services. The same year, Sadhguru unveiled the

Adiyogi Shiva statue The ''Adiyogi'' statue is a , and steel statue of Shiva with Thirunamam at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It is recognized by the ''Guinness World Records'' as the "Largest Bust Sculpture” in the world.Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

''. He stood 92nd in ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...

'' list of 100 most powerful Indians in 2012 and 40th in ''

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new o ...

''s list of fifty most powerful Indians in 2019.

Political views

When Ayushmann Khurrana asked him how to choose the "correct political stance", Sadhguru responded by saying that he does not subscribe to a political party, and others shouldn't either. He stated that, "party membership should be cancelled because this is becoming a tribe." Accordingly, he encourages individuals to vote for a given party after evaluating their performance in office to "see who makes more sense". However, his views are occasionally perceived as Hindu nationalist and thus close to the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...

. In 2019 he referred to a Muslim student in London as a "

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...

," for which he apologized after heavy criticism. After recognizing the failure in the "government's communication" of the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act in India, Sadhguru spoke in support of the act.

Relation to Science

The contents of Sadhguru's speeches occasionally contradict common scientific knowledge. Although India approved the ratification of the international

Minamata Convention on Mercury The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. The convention was a result of three years of meetin ...

to ban its usage, Sadhguru advocates the use of mercury in the context of traditional Indian medicine such as

Siddha medicine Siddha medicine is a form of traditional medicine originating in southern India. It is one of the oldest systems of medicine in India. In rural India, have learned methods traditionally through master-disciple relationships to become loca ...

. He has addressed questions about the use of mercury by stating that individuals who have not studied and mastered the ancient practices of Siddha medicine should not consume such substances. However he was criticized for putting statements about toxicity into perspective. Additionally, Sadhguru was criticized for statements about the negative effects that a lunar eclipse can have on the body's energy.

References

Bibliography

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External links

*
Isha Foundation's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasudev, Jaggi 1957 births Living people Indian Hindus 20th-century Hindu religious leaders 21st-century Hindu religious leaders 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians 21st-century Hindu philosophers and theologians Hindu reformers Hindu revivalists Indian spiritual writers Indian Hindu yogis Scholars from Mysore Spiritual teachers University of Mysore alumni Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in other fields Indian environmentalists Advaitin philosophers Idealists Indian Hindu monks Indian Hindu missionaries Indian male writers Modern yoga gurus