''Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy'' is a 2016 book authored by an Indian yogi and mystic
Jaggi Vasudev
Sadhguru (born Jagadish Vasudev, 3 September 1957) is the founder and head of the Isha Foundation, based in Coimbatore, India. The foundation, established in 1992, operates an ashram and yoga centre that carries out educational and spiritual ...
. The book was featured among
''The New York Times'' Best Seller in the spirituality and self help category for November 2016. The book is intended to be a spiritual guide with practices for personal growth, and also a look at the author's own spiritual journey.
Structure
The book is divided into two sections. Part One contains five chapters: When I Lost My Sense; The Way Out Is In; Design Your Destiny; No Boundary, No Burden; ...And Now, Yoga. Part Two has four chapters: Body; Mind; Energy; Joy.
The first chapter in Part One sets the scene with a brief autobiographical account of Sadhguru's life, the primary focus of which is to recount the spiritual experiences of the writer which later paved the path of his life; hence aptly titled When I Lost my Sense. The second chapter, The Way Out is in, talks about the need for a paradigm shift in the seeking of joy, which Sadhguru believes is the ultimate goal of all human beings. He prescribes looking within at the source of experience to seek joy as opposed to trying to find it in the outside surroundings. Similarly, he advises not to find a way out of suffering, but rather find it inwards.
In the third chapter, Design your Destiny, Sadhguru gives a guarantee to the reader: do the right things and right things will for sure happen to you. Taking action in your hands is the key to designing your own destiny. The fourth chapter, No Boundary No Burden, is about the nature of the word responsibility in the context of Inner Engineering philosophy, and cultivating the ability to be responsible/responsive in life. Responsibility is defined as the ability to respond to everything that is in human experience and it is advised that humans understand their capacity to be limitlessly 'responsible' by shedding the burden of enslaving themselves with boundaries. The last chapter of part one, "...And Now Yoga", elaborates upon the true nature of yoga, the concept of the five
kosha
A ''kosha'' (also ''kosa''; Sanskrit कोश, IAST: ), usually rendered "sheath", is a covering of the ''Atman'', or Self according to Vedantic philosophy. There are five ''koshas'' (Panchakoshas; ; the five sheaths), and they are often v ...
s, the types of yoga, and finally the idea of finding the perfect alignment with existence.
Part 2 of the book explores the concept of layers or sheaths in a human being's identity. There are three individual sections in this part, titled Body, Mind, and Energy which deal with the first three of these layers. Each section is further divided into subsections, with each subsection ending with a Sadhna (practice) section which outlines short spiritual practices to incorporate the philosophical point discussed.
Part 2 ends with a brief section called Joy: The Beginning, which outlines the need of joy in human beings' lives and the aim of the author to bring joy within people's consciousness. The book ends with a glossary of terms and a brief introduction of Isha Yoga Foundation.
Launch
Published on September 20, 2016 by
Spiegel & Grau
Spiegel & Grau was originally a publishing imprint of Penguin Random House founded by Celina Spiegel and Julie Grau in 2005.
On January 25, 2019, Penguin Random House announced that the imprint was being shut down and the two founders were l ...
, the book was launched in the United States in New York's
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
. The author's subsequent book and lecture tour covered 17 cities in North America, with a total audience of 26,000 people. Outside the United States, the book was launched on November 13 in London. In India, the book was launched in Mumbai on December 15 by filmmaker
Subhash Ghai Subhash may refer to:
People
* Subhash Agarwal, Indian professional player and coach of English billiards and snooker
* Subhash Awchat (born 1960), Indian artist and author based in Mumbai
* Subhash Bapurao Wankhede (born 1963), Indian politician ...
and also at the
Jaipur Literature Festival
The Jaipur Literature Festival, or JLF, is an annual literary festival which takes place in the Indian city of Jaipur each year in the month of January. It was founded in 2006. It is the world's largest free literary festival.
The Diggi Pala ...
and at the
Kerala Literature Festival
Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), founded in 2016, is an annual literary festival held on the beaches of Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
The Festival on the beach is a non-aligned platform, committed to providing an open and liberal forums for debates ...
by actress
Manju Warrier
Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978) is an Indian actress, producer, classical dancer and playback singer who primarily appears in Malayalam language films. She is the recipient of several awards including one National Film Award, one Ke ...
. In
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...
, the book was launched on March 17, at a talk by Sadhguru.
Reception
After its United States launch, the book entered
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list in the health, religion, and self-help categories, and ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' bestseller list in the non-fiction hardcover category. The book won the 2017
Crossword Book Award
The Crossword Book Award (formerly known as the Crossword Book Award (1998–2003), the Hutch Crossword Book Award (2004–07), the Vodafone Crossword Book Award (2008–10), the Economist Crossword Book Award (2011–13), Raymond & Crossword Bo ...
under the non-fiction category (popular choice awards).
A review in ''
Deccan Chronicle
''Deccan Chronicle'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (D ...
'' said the book recast
Patanjali's ''
Yoga Sutra
The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' is a collection of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sutras (according to others, including BKS Iyengar). The ' ...
'' in layman's terms.
The review further stated that the author neither takes a "moral high ground nor seeks to be prescriptive" but offers a "pragmatic approach".
References
{{reflist, 30em
External links
Book homepage
Books about spirituality
Self-help books
2016 books