Description
Achieve absolute well-being with the classical science of yoga
The practice of what is commonly known as hatha yoga is but one of eight branches of the body of knowledge that is yoga. Yoga is a sophisticated system of self-empowerment that is capable of harnessing and activating inner energies in such a way that your body and mind function at their optimal capacity. It is a means to create inner situations exactly the way you want them, turning you into the architect of your own joy. A yogi lives life in this expansive state, and in this transformative book Sadhguru tells the story of his own awakening from a boy with an unusual affinity for the natural world to a young daredevil who crossed the Indian continent on his motorcycle. He relates the moment of his enlightenment on a mountaintop in southern India, where time stood still and he emerged radically changed.
Teachings and tools for a life of joy
As Sadhguru explains, the term guru means, “Dispeller of darkness, someone who opens the door for you. As a guru, I have no doctrine to teach, no philosophy to impart, no belief to propagate. And that is because the only solution for all the ills that plague humanity is self-transformation. Self-transformation means that nothing of the old remains. It is a dimensional shift in the way you perceive and experience life.” The wisdom distilled in this accessible, profound, and engaging audiobook offers you time-tested tools that are fresh, alive, and radiantly new. Inner Engineering presents a revolutionary way of thinking about our humanity and the opportunity to achieve nothing less than a life of joy.
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Sébastien GARNET –
Good!
Stacy Lynn Johnson –
Wonderful book and filled with lots of humorous insight and stories
ST –
Great book, especially if you’re familiar with Hinduism and quantum physics doesn’t hurt, either. Many people think he’s a con artist but he is globally recognized as one of the greatest humanitarians of all time. Unfortunately, I think he’s gotten too popular with people who think it’s a fad and it’s hurting his image. Forget all that and just listen to him and he is a phenomenal teacher and speaker. People don’t get how humble he actually is. He has millions of volunteers doing charitable and environmental projects all over the world and it will be a great loss when he goes. Hopefully, not before I do.
Kim –
Per chi ha desiderio di intraprendere un cammino di consapevolezza di conoscenza e di cambiamento radicale questo è una breve guida pratica di un corso che è solo per chi ha realmente intenzione di evolvere
Tetsukuh –
This book is easy, the wisdom of Sadhguru is powerful, and the book propose some very easy and practical exercises that help to understand the meaning of a section. Sadhguru is using common good sense and it helps to just realise that simple changes can be powerful in your life.
gstiles –
This book changed the way I look at life. It taught me how to find true joy and peace through yoga. Sadhguru shares his life story and how he discovered inner happiness. It’s an easy read and helps you take control of your own joy. Highly recommended!
Phanindra –
I debated whether I should buy this book or not because I have read many of Sadhguru’s books and articles and watched his videos. So I assumed I “knew” most of the stuff. And yes, the book is indeed a rehash from his lectures with little new material. But I am wrong in assuming that I do not need this book. I actually found that this book is a pretty good summary of Sadhguru’s teachings and offers several new insights. It is really a “guide”!
The book started on a “wrong note” for me. In the introduction titled “The four letter word”, Sadhguru starts to debunk several “spurious and dangerously misleading teachings in vogue in our world today”. I was surprised to see that one of them is “do only one thing at a time” which Sadhguru interpreted as a way of “obliterating the power of a phenomenal multidimensional machine called mind”. When there are innumerable scientific studies that conclusively prove that multi-tasking does not lead to productivity and is in fact a poor utilization of brain’s capabilities, ridiculing it without understanding the basis for it is something I did not expect from Sadhguru.
But the chapter “No Boundary, No Burden” compensates for my initial disappointment. This chapter is a beautiful exploration of the word “responsibility”. This is my favorite chapter of the entire book and Sadhguru’s awesome wisdom is at display here. This chapter is one of the chapters that constitutes “Part One” of the book, a part that offers a lot of wisdom that forms the basis of Yoga. One of the topics touched upon is “Pancha Koshas”, the five sheaths or layers that we are composed of. Sadhguru’s description of these Koshas is one of the best I have read. But he puts “Pranamaya Kosha” (energy body) after “Manomaya Kosha” (mental body) while the Yogic and Vedantic tradition actually puts “Pranamaya Kosha” before “Manomaya Kosha”. This is a fundamental error and I hope it will be corrected in the future editions of the book (Or possibly Sadhguru has an explanation for this and I was wrong).
In Part Two, Sadhguru addresses Body, Mind and Energy. In Body, he explores Hatha Yoga and the popular “Surya Namaskar” (Sun Salutations) and then proceeds to discuss the topics of food, sleep and sex. On the topic of food, Sadhguru does not directly ask us to stop eating meat, but convincingly argues that a vegetarian diet with 50% raw food is ideal for most people. Food advice is often controversial even when it comes from the most revered nutrition experts. So I think his claim that “raw vegetables” take least time to digest and pass through the system can be contested. He himself says “raw meat” takes more time to pass through the system than “cooked meat”, so it is only logical that “raw vegetables” should take more time to pass through the system than “cooked vegetables”. In fact, traditional Indian health system called “Ayurveda” (which Sadhguru mentions in the book), recommends “cooked food” over “raw food” as raw food is difficult to digest. But Sadhguru is absolutely right in saying that raw foods have much more nutrients than cooked food and do a lot of good to the body. In the end, one should follow his advice of “listening to the body and do what is good for it”.
The chapter on Mind is my other favorite chapter in the book where Sadhguru explores the “limitations of intellect”, “head vs heart conflict” among other things. Yogic terminology such as “Manas” (Mind), “Buddhi” (Intellect), “Chitta” (Consciousness) are explained with impeccable clarity and insight. These complex concepts seem simple enough to be understood, thanks to Sadhguru. The chapter on Energy explains “Chakras”, “Kriya Yoga”, “Consecrated Spaces” among other things. Though the topics explored here are very interesting, they seem somewhat disjoint.
Overall, this is a very good book. It is a wonderful introduction to Yoga and Well-being offered in Sadhguru’s inimitable style, filled with jokes and anecdotes. There are Sadhanas (Spiritual Practices) offered through out the book which are very useful. I practiced one of them (when you are very hungry, don’t immediately eat; wait for 2 mins and avoid reactionary response) and found it helped me to improve my awareness. So this is a very practical book which we can immediately put to use. I recommend it for everyone.
Em96 –
Thank you Gurujji for teaching me that I have agency over my thoughts. I indeed have responsibility over what is in the world, and I am empowered to go through life. I have been touched by your grace and I hope to keep aware of what actually is in my everyday life.
Kush Sareen –
Although I’ve ready many books throughout my life this is the first book I’m writing a review for. Thought provoking and inspirational, this book resonates with me like no other. I’ve read many books by authors such as Eckharte Tolle, Osho, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Ramana Maharishi, etc however none of them put it as simply as Sadhguru does in this book. Every time I’m going through a tough phase or I’m feeling down I pick up this book and start reading it. Every passage, every sentence, every word has been crafted carefully – just reading the book is a great joy! Sadhguru is an unbelievable man, his perception of life and what it means to be human is incredible. He is a buddha of modern times and truly a dispeller of darkness (The word guru means dispeller of darkness). I’ve taken most of his meditation and yoga courses and I can assure you they are truly transformative. If only they taught this to every child in school, we would be living in a totally different world.
It’s a strange thing how from the beginning of our lives we are put on a wheel where we are constantly running in pursuit of happiness. We chase money, power, pleasure, love, sex, drugs. We spend so much time and energy chasing other people, and material objects. We chase a certain status, a certain recognition from society. We become slaves to our desires. By the time one desire is fulfilled we have a hundred other desires waiting. We come into this life with all sorts of expectations, if we don’t get what we want we are miserable – but even when these desires are fulfilled we often find ourselves missing something or looking forward to the next desire, and like this life just flies by and before we know it we are on our death beds. There is a constant greed within us for more and more, we are never willing to settle. The biggest problem is – We have everything, but we don’t have ourselves. Our experience of life is just limited to this body and mind, but these are just things we’ve accumulated over time, so then who are we? What is the nature of our existence? Society provides us with all sorts of belief systems, philosophies, religions. You run to your priests for answers, you run to the scriptures for answers. You look into books for answers, yet you are still not settled, the longing for more is still there, misery is still there, you are not free.
Through inner engineering, Sadhguru talks about desire, the nature of joy, the mind, the body, what it takes to live a life of fulfillment. He addresses the fundamental longing within each human being and his meditative courses provide the methods to which one can know what is beyond this body and mind. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who is interested in growth, inner transformation, happiness, fulfillment, spirituality or just life itself. No matter what stage of life you’re in or what your background is – this book can definitely be of great use. This book does not provide any sort of ideology, philosophy, dogma, or form of belief systems. Everything is based on Sadhguru’s own sheer experience of life and therefore people from all walks of life can take something from it. A life transforming chance – don’t miss out!
Em96 –
Absolutely amazing book and a must-read. I am not a reader normally but this book is fantastic and life-changing! It contains so much insight and everything you need in it to improve your wellbeing and life! It also has everything from touching and funny stories to scientific facts, personal accounts and practical tools to enhance your wellbeing and spiritual life. It has everything you could ever want inside. I cannot recommend it enough!