California Soaks in the Sunshine of Sadhguru’s Bliss & Wisdom – Inner Engineering Live

With the Sounds of Isha in the background, over 2300 participants eagerly awaited Sadhguru’s arrival as they had only seen him on a computer screen for the Inner Engineering Online course. The program started off with the practice session. Everyone wanted to know when Sadhguru was coming and their anticipation was palpable. One of the participants shared, “I have been waiting for this my entire life and I cannot wait to finally meet Sadhguru. I’ve been unable to sleep because of the excitement and when he entered the hall I couldn’t control my tears. It was as though a ray of light had entered my life.”

Recognizing their excitement, Sadhguru’s first sentence was, “We are not online!” setting the crowd into throes of laughter. He continued, “As humans, our greatest ability is to use tools. We dominate this planet simply because we can use tools.” Sadhguru started the participants on their journey towards wellbeing, prompting carefree laughter and cheers of agreement, and at other times instilling a contemplative silence. By the end of the day, the participants and the volunteers were visibly impacted and as one participants shared, “I’m not sure what exactly I expected from this program, but coming today was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.”

Over 90% of the people travelled to Long Beach from all over the US and rest of the world: from China to New Zealand, from Spain to Argentina, from South Africa to Scotland! Making this a global audience with just one goal – to experience the magic of Inner Engineering. One such participant was a 73 year old woman who rushed to touch Sadhguru every time he came closer to the participants. All the participants, including those who were seated in the differently-abled section, danced with abandon and immersed themselves fully in the program.

Sunday began with a vibrant morning session which introduced participants to aspects of Shambhavi Mahamudra, preparing them for the initiation to come. At the day progressed, participants were initiated into the full practice of Shambhavi. During this time the hall was filled with an immense amount of energy. Even during the break times, participants didn’t want to leave the hall, surrounding Sadhguru to be closer to him. And as Sadhguru walked towards the participants, there were tears of love, joy and gratitude.

A volunteer shared, “The overwhelming desire of the participants to catch a glimpse of Sadhguru made me realize how much his presence is needed to transform the world.” Volunteers shared how the program amplified their willingness and helped them experience a deeper transformation.

Sadhguru closed the program saying, “Right now many, many things are happening in the world. Technology is going through the ceiling but the most important thing that is needed right now is to upgrade individual human beings. Everything else is getting better than the human beings. That’s not a good thing. Machines are getting better than the human beings. That’s not a good thing. Time to upgrade humanity. That’s means you! You thought we’re going to do this to somebody, no that’s means you. This is something you must do for yourself. You have the tools in your hand right now. You must use this to see… if I see you after six months, you must be a much better being than what you are right now. Is that a promise? If that is a promise, I will match it with something else for you.”

Participants and Volunteer shared their experiences of the weekend:

“My nephew, Daniel Castillo was born with a club foot, spinal dystrophy, and has undergone many surgeries throughout his childhood. Because of these ailments, and other family situations, he became depressed. His anxiety kept him from attending regular school, and establishing good relationships. A couple of years ago, I was able to get him a spot for Inner Engineering in San Diego. Because of his insecurities, and fears, he walked out of the program. After that his ailments worsened. He started reading about Isha yoga, and following Sadhguru. Slowly, he began to realize that he should have completed the program. He has seen all the great benefits to my life once I started practicing, and was amazed at my recovery. I also have fractures. I fractured my C-3, and C-4 years ago. But Shambhavi and other practices have led to a remarkable change in my system. He reached out to me to register for this program. Friday was my son Fabian’s birthday and as we were headed for a birthday dinner before helping with the setup at the hall. Unfortunately, we were hit very badly from behind. Our car was totaled. We all ended up in the hospital. I have an abdominal contusion, and neck sprain, Daniel had his nose fractured on both sides, and lumbar, and neck sprain. My son Fabian was not hurt. This was so unfortunate as we were so hyped up, and excited about getting to Long Beach. But let me tell you that these boys are resilient. I feel resilient as well. Daniel told me the accident broke his nose, but not his spirit. We both showed up on Saturday for the program. I was there in the morning, took off my neck brace and supported in the hall. Daniel, with pain everywhere, was determined to make it through the program, and he did! He withstood even the pain of sitting in positions for hours, and doing his practice. His nose was purple by Sunday. But he never complained once! He is so grateful for this gift. We all feel like we’ve been given a new lease in life. We will not waste it. That is something we promised each other. We thank Sadhguru, the coordinators, and all the other volunteers who made this possible.

Another sweet moment that stood out to me was: One of the participants who was handicapped was to meet with Sadhguru. This boy’s mom was escorting him in the wheelchair. Everyone made way for him and when they reached the stairway was the same moment Sadhguru came down the steps. He saw the boy and blessed him. I saw Sadhguru embrace him like his own child. So beautiful to witness. I couldn’t contain my joyful tears. I could see the boy was so happy! He was just lit up! ” – Zayra Castillo

“I can see the light inside others and feel an immense amount of love. The man who cuts  me off in traffic, his light shines. My teenager who stumbles and makes mistake, I feel compassion and understanding. I feel more pleasant about what used to be stressful situations. I also feel clearer about my role as a human being on this planet.” – Tara M.

“What more could I ask for?! I feel as though I finally woke up and I have been asleep my entire life. I feel much more alive, calm, meditative, aware and I can live my life more consciously. For the first time I can see myself for what I really am. I can enjoy my children like I have never before and they keep asking me what I have done to make myself into such a ‘supermom!’” – Natalia I.

“All I can say is I am full of gratitude to whatever and whoever made it possible for me to attend the program.  Being in the presence of Sadhguru is something one cannot explain but only experience and my anticipation and excitement to be part of this program since January became a reality this weekend.  I witnessed what true grace and divinity could do to a person.”  – Karli L.

“Volunteering as part of the LA Mega Program with Sadhguru during April 21-22 weekend was nothing short of a roller-coaster ride for me. Every moment was so blissful and everything I did felt so meaningful. Being part of the ushering team, I had the opportunity of greeting almost every participant. I distinctly remember noticing a mix of reactions from the participants when we were guiding them into the hall on the 21st at the start of the program – some seemed very enthusiastic while some of them were completely skeptical; some participants were very eager to be in Sadhguru’s presence and go over the program, while some others seemed curious to see what the program has to offer. Irrespective of what the reactions of the participants were at the start of the program, on the 22nd when we were welcoming participants back into the hall after the first initiation – all I saw was smiles, contentment and tears of joy. It was truly a privilege to witness this kind of a transformation and contribute in whatever way I could towards the program. I experienced how wonderful an experience becomes when I give myself one hundred percent. The burden of “What about me” truly got lifted and I could see myself becoming completely willing irrespective of what activity I was performing. No amount of words will ever do justice to express the amount of gratitude I have for Sadhguru’s grace and Isha. All I can wish for is many more opportunities to volunteer and offer myself in every way possible towards Isha’s initiatives and programs.” – Nikhila S.