Discover the subtle art of being receptive to Sadhguru without his physical presence. As he addresses the inner battles of a volunteer, Sadhguru unveils the essence of a true spiritual bond that transcends time, space, and sight.
Questioner: Namaskaram, Sadhguru. We don’t get to see you or be with you much at the Isha Yoga Center nowadays. There are many ups and downs that I go through, and I struggle with my sadhana and my emotions. How do I know that you’re with me even if you’re not here physically?
Sadhguru: For you to be with me, what is needed? Do you think I need to be in the same room? There are many people sitting here in the back, with trees blocking their view. They cannot see me, but they are still fine. It is not necessary to see your Guru in order to be with him. Because if you sit with me, most of the time, I will say, “Please close your eyes.” This is because you are better able to be with me when your eyes are closed.
About your struggles with your sadhana… It is the 21st century, so we are not able to do certain things. I have shared many times how they made us do sadhana in the 20th century. I first started Yoga at 11 or 12 years of age, with Maladihalli Swami, who was a very nice but “cruel” man, just like me. So, morning 3:45, 4 o'clock sadhana starts and goes on for four to four and a half hours – very intense kind of Yoga. We had our last meal at 7 o'clock the previous day.
I was made in such a way that no matter what and how much I eat, within two hours, I would always be hungry. So, every night, I would sleep hungry, even today. Maybe that is why I wake up so early. So I was always hungry, and then in the morning, the only thing that we got was water. So, I drank a lot of water and then started the Yogic practices. There were only boys. We were allowed to wear only a tiny loin cloth tied tightly, nothing else, and we were smeared with castor oil from head to toe.
After three or four hours of Yoga, no trace of oil should be left on your body. Everything should be absorbed by the body or should have evaporated. You sweat so much that it should be gone completely. As the boys were doing three to four hours of Yoga, they wanted to rest a little bit. The moment they sat down, one of the senior boys would come with bamboo slats and whack you nicely on your backside. And then the saying was, “Once you have welts on your backside, anyway you cannot sit.”
Some of you may need a push because you may not have the sense to do it by yourself. But this is the 21 century; please act sensibly. After so many thousands of years of experience of living on this planet, we should have figured out that we do not need to do things by force. And you are not here out of compulsion – you are here by choice.
What is existentially true is more important than how you think and feel. Because how you think and feel is your business; you can change it any moment you want. One moment you can think of a tiger; the next you can think of a flower.
Then why do you not think and feel the way you want to? “No, my emotion is going by itself.” Why is it going by itself? It is your emotion. If my hand was moving around by itself, would that not be insanity? It is my hand; it must go where I want.
Similarly, your thought and emotion should go where you want. This is why you should practice the discipline of Yoga. If you need some support, you can talk to someone. There are no bamboo slats here; we have other methods. Do not expect things to fall into place on their own.
As a human being, it is your business to make yourself go the way you want. You may not be able to make others go the way you want, but you must go the way you want. Stop coming up with excuses, “Why do my emotions happen like this?” You are out of control – that is the reason why you are here. “But Sadhguru, 5:30 a.m.! I don’t feel like it.” Tell the sun, not me. I did not set the time for 5:30 a.m. Guru Pooja is fixed at 5:30 a.m. so that you catch the first ray of sun.
If you change the sunrise timings, I will also change everything. You must clearly understand the reality of existence. The truth of existence is more important than how you think and feel because that is your making; you can change it in this moment. You cannot change the truth of existence. That is not your making – it is the way life is. If you do not make a distinction between the truth of life and what you make up in your head, then that is insanity. But since you have a lot of company these days, it is becoming normal.
If too many people are mad, that becomes the new normal. This is what is happening everywhere in the world. Many say, “But this is how I feel.” I do not care how you feel. You must feel the way you want.
