One beautiful summer in 2005, five people who had done Isha Yoga programs in India, invited Sadhguru to Singapore. Six months later, in November 2005, these very people had organized an Inner Engineering program in Singapore (offered by a teacher), with 50 participants enrolled on the very first 7 day journey. This was the beginning of an adventure that has grown beautifully with time.

In August 2009, after more than four years, their dreams came true and eager volunteers welcomed Sadhguru at Changi International Airport, for the very first time. 5 events had been planned and packed into two days, that included private meetings and larger public gatherings. Since then the recurrent thought in all their minds has been “When is Sadhguru’s next visit?” Despite his busy schedule, it was not too be far off.

With just two months notice, the Singapore volunteers started planning the events for Sadhguru’s second visit to Singapore. Despite all of them having full time jobs, they still managed to meet, plan, prepare and cook up two special evenings for people to enjoy. This was top priority for all the volunteers.

The day arrived, as beautifully as it does each day, but for Isha meditators in Singapore, it appeared as if it was even richer than ever before. At the airport, a very large Isha family had gathered to welcome Sadhguru. Once again this time it was to be another 3 days packed with talks, a sathsang and luncheon meetings, all to introduce people to Sadhguru and Isha.

On the 10th a Saturday was the Sathsang held at “The Chevrons’. The air buzzed with excitement and the ambience was so akin to the Isha style. Volunteers with such grace and dignity pranamed as meditators walked in to register and each one was greeted in a manner with which one would welcome Sadhguru himself. The mood was set and the energies were on the move from the moment one entered the hall and its surroundings. More than 800 people were present and basked in the enchanting tunes rendered by ‘Sounds of Isha’ band playing live, for the first time in Singapore. The musicians were from various parts of the globe - A violinist from Canada, a mridangam player from Penang, Malaysia, and guitar and vocals from the Yoga Center, they barely had one day to practice together yet a lovely harmony was created and delivered.

Subscribe

Get weekly updates on the latest blogs via newsletters right in your mailbox.

Sadhguru guided the meditators to look within, and work for what really matters to them, rather than being content with the simple process of survival. His address was penetrating,and yet it gently coaxed everyone to explore, question, and discover. The first question, burning and full of emotion, was asked by a young lady who had recently done the Inner Engineering Online.

The evening was filled with laughter, insight, joy, and ended with Sadhguru passing through the audience while Sounds of Isha played Yogeshwaraya Mahadevaya…and then as in every closing of Isha events, meditators burst out into a dance that was an expression of joy and bliss of having been blessed by the Guru. It was with a heavy heart that they finally made way for Sadhguru to leave the premises.

The next day, a special lunch organized by the UBS bank, had Sadhguru address an intimate gathering of people from Canada, USA, UK, India, and of course Singapore. The venue was a stylish mansion that was previously the home of the Prime Minister of Singapore, and now used as a training university for UBS bank. The attentive audience raised questions that were genuine and candid and the answers were equally candid! Sadhguru said, people are giving too much attention to “iphone” and not enough to “I” .

Later that day, the National University of Singapore’s Cultural Center was slowly starting to get filled up. The throngs of people who trickled in were managed with superb efficiency by the many registration desks that the volunteers had set up. The volunteers had organized everything to the most minute detail, over weeks of intense preparation. And the time had come! Since the event was overbooked and registrations had closed a week ahead of the event, a separate hall had to be booked to accommodate 450 more people. At 530 pm, everyone was seated in the arena theater like hall while Sounds of Isha played soft tunes, from the the beautifully decorated stage. This was a public talk for non meditators, and frankly it would have been impossibile to tell they were not yet Ishas as they sat in utmost silence and anticipation. It was even more overwhelming to see how they all converged towards Sadhguru with hands folded in compassion and gratitude at the end of the talk when Sadhguru walked towards and amidst them.

When Sadhguru came in, there was an audible gasp from the crowd. It was a joy to see everyone sitting still, enjoying, laughing, and participating fully in the event. One of them shared: “It felt like even if there were 2000 people , Sadhguru was talking only to me, because what he said was so relevant to my life!”

Later that evening, just as time drew close to the end, Sadhguru initiated the audience into “Isha Kriya” and every single person in the hall sat still for the meditation that drew them closer to the core of themselves and Sadhguru encouraged them to share and offer this to everyone else in Singapore.

Since that night, the volunteers have been receiving an abundance of calls and emails, asking what the next step is, what else they can do, how to sign up for the next programs, etc.

On the last day of his visit, and for the second time again in Singapore, Sadhguru addressed another small group of about 80 people at the Lee Kwan Yew school of Public Policy. Students, faculty, and guests enjoyed the wisdom of an inspiring leader, who spoke about how one can effect the change they would like to see in the world. You may soon see a new DVD available and enjoy the richness of the discussion and answers.

Words fail to convey how this united, joyful group of volunteers organized 3 days of events with such effortless grace, goodwill, dedication and love. They have made a difference in so many people’s live and helped to make Singapore a more joyful island.

To find out more about Isha in Singapore, visit isha.sadhguru.org/Singapore