I am writing this post from the Isha Yoga Centre at the foothills of the Velliangiri Hills (also known as the Himalayas of South India) which is near a place called Coimbatore. This is a 300 acre campus filled with greenery and the Guru (or Teacher), Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, and his volunteers are building out one of the best centres that is based on ancient Indian wisdom. A lot of work is being done on the practice of Yoga. Yoga is a way of life. It is usually misunderstood to be a set of physical exercises or breathing techniques and sometimes even mistaken to be a branch of Indian Religion. It is not religion. It is spirituality. It is a way of life and goes across food habits, physical well-being, breathing, personal reflection, the spiritual body and mind, etc. The Sadguru says that the human body is the most complex mechanism and it needs a lot of dedication to be able to focus and maintain well-being. It can be done if our way of life is managed well. He asks the question of leaders today, "If you cannot manage yourself, how will you manage others?" An interesting question that all of us must reflect upon.
The whole centre (or ashram as it is called in India) is run and managed by volunteers. So, no one takes home a salary. Yet, you see a smile on everyone's face. They are all here as they believe that they are following their calling. They strongly believe in what they do and have utmost pride in their jobs.
One of the most striking features I noticed in the ashram is the concept of self-service. This is best exemplified in the canteen where food is served. You pick your plate, take the food, eat it and then go out with your plate and clean it. This is not typical in most Indian households where you have maids to do this. There are many other examples too. This concept of self-service is one of the hallmarks of this ashram.
Everything happens in an orderly fashion. You will not hear too much of noise other than the rustling of the trees, the chirping of the birds and human voices which are in hushed tones. The silence and the clockwork precision with which things happen here is absolutely amazing. Just step out of the campus and you will find utter chaos (very typical to Indian roads, cities and villages) but somehow, in the midst of all this chaos, this campus has been built and it has nothing but absolute orderliness. I was wondering as to how this came about....it must be discipline...of the best kind...self-discipline.
The ashram shows how a disciplined life can actually benefit all of us as a human race in the long run. From good health to smiling faces and absolute pride in the work that is being done (whether it is a menial task or something that is more complex), people seem to be enjoying whatever they are doing. All it needs from us is the willingness to be disciplined (from waking up by 4.30am to the food we eat and to the physical practices that we need to follow). The system seems to relax your mind and your body completely...maybe, this is what the Sadguru calls as the Inner-Engineering.
I heard of the concept of the spiritual body here and maybe once I get to know this better, I will write on that. The real learning for me is how to be disciplined in our lives be that at work or at home or at any other place. If we can put things in perspective and take our lives one step at a time in an orderly manner, we will not only benefit ourselves but also the rest of the world.
