Sadhguru Melts Snowy Toronto with Inner Engineering

The team of volunteers, totaling over 750, worked tirelessly from the moment they learned that Sadhguru would be coming for a third consecutive year to Toronto. To raise awareness, over 200 free yoga sessions were conducted all around the Greater Toronto Area from February to October. Thus with joy, on the opening day of the program with Sadhguru, volunteers eagerly welcomed participants as they arrived, many after long journeys from different parts of the world. 

Sadhguru first addressed the audience with his usual wit: "I am alive, so you must be alive. How awake are you? You need to be awake to all aspects of life. Before you fall dead, you need to know this life fully.” He asked the participants, "During these two days, do you promise to strive a little bit? It is up to you whether you want to strive joyfully or miserably.” 

A photo booth was set up for participants to express their Inner Engineering experiences. During program breaks, many people visited the booth to share their sentiments with props and posters. Some participants created their own props with adjectives, designs and patterns. Words used to describe participants’ feelings included Bliss, Peace, Deeply Touched, Inspired, Humbled and Inclusiveness.  

During the program, an Inner Engineering instructor shared with a heavy heart that Sadhguru’s father had passed away three days earlier. Despite this great loss, instead of immediately returning to India, Sadhguru chose to maintain his schedule and offer the life transforming process to all the Toronto program participants.

 

 

 

 

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Relentless Commitment.

A post shared by Sadhguru (@sadhguru) on Nov 11, 2019 at 9:19pm PST

In fact, on that very day, the Kalabhairava Karma process was being conducted for his father at the Isha Yoga Center in India.

.@SadhguruJV's father Dr. Vasudev passed away in Mysuru on Nov 8, 2019 of natural causes at age 95. While his last rites were performed by the family in Mysuru, the Kalabhairava Karma ritual was performed at the #IshaYogaCenter at 8.30 this morning. pic.twitter.com/lk8Lm6hPB1

A picture of Sadhguru’s father, Dr. Vasudev, was shown along with a poem by Sadhguru dedicated to his father.

1/2
to my Father

You never figured
the guile of this world.
But still served with
absolute devotion to all
you could.

You were always stumped
by the many things that
your children became
But did not fail to support
or celebrate their success pic.twitter.com/0Rspy60q5C

— Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) November 8, 2019

Volunteers noted how poignant the atmosphere became during this time. Many participants were shedding tears. Sounds of Isha played Yugan Yugan Hum Yogi, a rendition of Kabir’s timeless poetry that left everyone in the hall feeling tender and deeply grateful.

Participant Sharings:

Manfred, aged 89, showed his determination to complete Inner Engineering despite falling sick during an earlier program in the year from which he had to withdraw. He shared, “I persevered through a hospitalization, physiotherapy, and met with volunteers at a local library to complete the online course”, so as to attend the Completion program with Sadhguru.

Abani, a geologist flew in from Salt Lake City, Utah and connected deeply with Isha’s environmental outreach. “I was touched by Rally for Rivers and Cauvery Calling and couldn’t wait to be with Sadhguru for the weekend.” 

A young woman and Canadian Customs Officer shared that she first met Sadhguru when clearing him at the airport in 2018. She remembers joking with him when she saw the large group that gathered to welcome him: “You must be very popular.” “I remember his full-bodied laughter and being intrigued to the point of Googling Sadhguru and also downloading the Sadhguru App. When I learned of the program with Sadhguru in Toronto, I enrolled right away. I am touched by Sadhguru almost every day. It is hard to express the feeling -- I feel like I am always in a state of bliss.” 

A participant from Abuja, Nigeria shared, “Inner Engineering was amazing and hilarious. It would be incredible to have Sadhguru conduct Inner Engineering programs in Africa. The insight I gained and control I feel within myself is something I’ll always be grateful for.” 

Kanchana, a young participant, expressed that she has been following Sadhguru for years and knew this year she had to take Inner Engineering. “It would be an understatement if I said that this was the best day in my life. Tears keep coming and I can’t articulate it fully. I bow to Sadhguru and the volunteers for being here.” 

Natalia, originally from Russia, had followed various Indian gurus until she came across Sadhguru on YouTube. “I knew he was my Guru. I’ve been saving money to visit the ashram in India, and when I heard Sadhguru was coming to Toronto, I was absolutely thrilled. Because of my poor English, I didn’t understand everything during the program, but that was not a barrier to experience Sadhguru. When Sadhguru walked the ramp, I went to three different places to touch his feet. He looked at me with an expression that said, ‘I see you, I know you’.” 

Gregory came from Trinidad to be with Sadhguru and shared that he had been watching Sadhguru on the internet for five years. “Everyone rushed to see Sadhguru when he walked on the ramp but I stood in the middle with folded hands and greeted him and he greeted back. It was a beautiful experience and felt magical. This has been an experience I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”

One participant said that he attended Mystic Eye with Sadhguru last year in Toronto. “The 15-minute meditation that Sadhguru led was very profound and gave me an elevated feeling. This year I was wishing to take Inner Engineering with Sadhguru. The day after I was thinking of this, I got a call from an Isha volunteer informing me of the upcoming program in Toronto. It felt like a calling to be here and I can’t contain the joy I feel now.” 

A young participant was initiated into Shambhavi in April by Sadhguru in Philadelphia. “I wanted to go through Inner Engineering and be with Sadhguru again, so I enrolled for the Toronto program. Inner Engineering changed the way I think and made me realize that my thoughts don’t matter as much as I use to think. There is much more to life than what we have in our experience.”

Editor’s Note: Inner Engineering is a technology for well-being derived from the science of Yoga. It is offered as a comprehensive course for personal growth that brings about a shift in the way you perceive and experience your life, your work, and the world that you live in.