In case you haven’t seen it already, please watch “Kangana Ranaut Shares Her Life Changing Experience After Doing Samyama With Sadhguru” on YouTube, where by some merciless twist of fate, I ended up being portrayed as a guy doing 5 to 6 years of kadi sadhana (कड़ी = hard , Thank you Google Translate!) before attending Samyama.
For those who don’t know her, Kangana is a leading Indian Bollywood actress with a massive fan following and plenty of awards to her name. It was a big surprise for me (and I’m sure for many other Ishas) to realise that Kangana had attended Samyama.
This is definitely uncommon and well deserved recognition for Isha and Sadhguru because it is quite rare that someone of such a high profile celebrity status would go through the various pre-requisites and the intense preparation required for a program of this nature. So, if you’re reading this, Kangana, thank you for your efforts and devotion and the wonderful sharing in your video!
Well, since we were in silence for 8 days, it would have been super awkward I’m sure, even for your biggest fan, if she was sitting right next to you, to not be able to say a word to you. Probably for the best (I’m all for kadi sadhana as you know).
Anyway, coming to my experience, I had the rare privilege of being able to attend this program a second time in this lifetime, and obviously didn’t want to waste the opportunity. The first time was in 2013, the same year I did the Isha Hatha Yoga Teacher Training, and while it opened up things for me back then, it was much more explosive this time around.
The preparation for this program involves a lot of daily sadhana, a (relatively) strict diet, and heaps of planning. But once you’re there, it has the potential to become something of the beyond.
I kept everything up in preparation, to the best of my ability, and threw myself into the long hours of meditation (initially struggling but eventually settling) and processes.
Being a full time Hatha Yoga teacher definitely helped as sitting in Ardhasiddhasana for long hours is a part of our job description.
There was also the fun challenge of trying to fit in all the hatha yoga practices and kriyas and meals in the breaks with no sense of time which made this program quite unique and interesting.
In terms of outcomes and experience, all I can say is the seeking intensified and with Sadhguru’s grace, I was able to find a completely new level of clarity, balance, ease and stillness within. Obviously, any written description of the experience would only distort what it actually is.
Coming out of the program and back into ‘normal’ life is not easy but thanks to the new sadhana, it can be. One thing is certain, I will not drop this precious tool and will encourage as many people as I can who are willing, to make this journey and discover this dimension within themselves.