Isha Foundation
Founded1992 (1992)
FounderJaggi Vasudev
TypeNonprofit organization
FocusYoga, social upliftment, ecological conservation
Location
Area served
India, Lebanon, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore
MethodYoga programs, meditation, tree planting, rural upliftment
Revenue (2020)
$25m (US chapter)
Websiteisha.sadhguru.org

Isha Foundation is a nonprofit, spiritual organisation that was founded in 1992 near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, by Sadhguru.[1] It hosts the Isha Yoga Centre, which offers yoga programs under the name Isha Yoga. The foundation is run "almost entirely" by volunteers.[2][3][4] The word isha means "the formless divine".[5][6]

Isha Yoga

Vasudev conducting an "Inner Engineering" class at BSE, Mumbai

The Yoga Centre at the Isha Foundation was founded in 1994,[7] and offers yoga programmes under the name Isha Yoga. This customised system of yoga[6] combines postural yoga with chanting, breathing (prāṇāyāma)[6] and meditation.[8] It does not belong to a lineage (paramparā), and its practitioners believe it to be based on the founding guru's unique insight.[8]

Yoga classes for business leaders are intended to "introduce a sense of compassion and inclusiveness" to economics.[9][10]

A yoga course for the Indian national hockey team was conducted in 1996.[11] Isha Foundation began conducting yoga programs in the United States in 1997[12][13] and, in 1998, yoga classes for life-term prisoners in Tamil Nadu prisons.[14]

Activities

The foundation organises gatherings (sathsangs) with Vasudev in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where he delivers discourses, leads meditations, and conducts question-answer sessions.[15] It organises annual pilgrimages (yatras) to Mount Kailash and the Himalayas under Isha Sacred Walks. The Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage led by Vasudev is among the largest groups to visit Kailash, with 514 pilgrims making the journey in 2010.[16][17] The trip cost up to Rs ₹5 million (US$63,000) per person in 2021, with cheaper options available in which devotees receive limited interaction with Vasudev.[18]

The centre hosts an annual seven-day-long music and dance festival culminating in the all-night celebration of Maha Shivaratri, a major Hindu festival honouring Shiva.[19]

The foundation sells various products such as yoga mats, personal care products and accessories. Its US chapter reported revenues of $25m in 2020,[20] with the premium programmes being the largest source. The “business leadership” insights program, in particular, was priced at $6500 per person.[21]

Social and environmental initiatives

Project GreenHands

Saplings being readied for transportation at a PGH nursery

Project GreenHands (PGH) was established in 2004 as an environmental organisation. Its activity is largely focused on Tamil Nadu. It received the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar, the Government of India's environmental award, in 2010.[3] Its activities include agroforestry, plant nurseries in schools,[22] and tree-planting in urban centres such as Tiruchirappalli[23] and Tiruppur.[24]

Action for Rural Rejuvenation

Action for Rural Rejuvenation is a health and community-oriented program focusing on rural Tamil Nadu. It was established in 2003, and as of 2010, operated in 4,200 villages with a population of seven million.[25][26]

Action for Rural Rejuvenation hosts the annual Gramotsavam sports festival in Tamil Nadu, promoting sports as a part of daily life in rural communities to improve mental and physical well-being.[27] In recognition of this effort, Isha received India's National Sports Promotion Award in the Sport for Development category in 2018.[28]

Isha Vidhya

Isha Home School premises.

Isha Vidhya, an education initiative, aims to raise education and literacy in rural India by providing quality English-language-based, computer-aided education for children. There are seven Isha Vidhya Schools, with around 3000 students. In 2010, the Life Insurance Corporation of India Golden Jubilee Foundation provided a grant for construction at an Isha Vidhya School in Coimbatore.[29] In March 2022, the initiative onboarded Byju's to provide digital learning tools to underprivileged children in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.[30]

Rally for Rivers

Rally for Rivers was a month-long, nationwide campaign launched by Isha Foundation in 2017 to address the scarcity of water across rivers in India and instill awareness about protecting rivers.[31] Vasudev launched the campaign on 3 September from Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore.[32][33] On 3 October, a river revitalisation draft proposal was presented by Vasudev to Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.[34] The states of Karnataka, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat signed memorandums of understanding with Isha Foundation to plant trees along river banks.[35][36][37][38][39][40] The Niti Aayog and the Ministry of Water Resources constituted committees to study the draft policy proposal.[39][41] Under the name Rally for Rivers, a Cauvery calling campaign was organised which would last over a decade. The project mainly focuses on river Kaveri. In November, at a conference in Germany, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Erik Solheim, discussed Rally for Rivers with Vasudev, and how environmental programs around the world could emulate its success.[42]

Rally for Rivers has been criticised by environmentalists who allege that it was trying to solve a complex problem with a "shallow solution".[43]

Cauvery Calling

The Cauvery Calling project aims to support farmers in planting an estimated 2.4 billion trees through agroforestry, thereby covering one third of Cauvery basin with trees as a means of conserving it. The project has received acclaim from politicians and members of the movie industry, yet environmentalists and public intellectuals have alleged that it presents a simplistic view of river conservation, sidestepping social issues and ignoring the potential harm to tributaries and wildlife habitats.[44][45][46]

A public interest litigation has also been filed in the Karnataka High Court questioning the legality of the fundraising practices for the initiative, and the usage of government owned land for a private purpose without supporting study.[47][48][49][50] In January 2020, the High Court ruled that the foundation needed to disclose details of its fundraising practices relating to the initiative.[51]

Save Soil

The Save Soil movement is an international effort to raise awareness about soil health.[52][53][54] As part of the campaign, Vasudev completed a 100-day, 30,000 km journey from London to southern India to meet with government officials, international organizations, and interested members of the public.[52][55][56] The United Nations’ Convention to Combat Desertification and the World Food Programme have partnered with the organization to address soil degradation and the associated impacts.[57][58][59] Countries, such as Barbados, and states in India, such as Rajasthan and Gujarat, have signed a memorandum of understanding with Save Soil.[60][61] In conjunction with these efforts, the foundation has hosted walkathons for Save Soil in cities across North America.[62][63][64]

Critics have noted that the initiative lacks sufficient engagement with public and private institutions.[65]

Ashram

Adiyogi Shiva statue at Isha Foundation's ashram near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

Isha Foundation's headquarters are located in an ashram on the foothills of the Velliangiri Mountains, adjacent to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve,[19] some forty kilometres from the city of Coimbatore in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.[66] The foundation's construction activities at Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore are alleged to have violated rules and regulations on several occasions.[67][68][69][70][71][72] Environmental activists and the local indigenous community have fought against the expansion of the ashram.[73]

Adiyogi Shiva statue

Vasudev designed the 112-foot Adiyogi Shiva statue at the Isha Yoga Centre. It was inaugurated on Mahashivaratri, 24 February 2017, by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.[74] The statue depicts Shiva as the first yogi or Adiyogi, and first Guru or Adi Guru, who offered yoga to humanity. It was built by the Isha Foundation using 20,000 individual iron plates supplied by the Steel Authority of India[75] and weighs around 500 tonnes (490 long tons; 550 short tons). It has been recognised as the "Largest Bust Sculpture" by Guinness World Records.[76] A consecrated Shivalinga, Yogeshwar Linga, is at its base.[77]

Controversies and reception

In 2016, a couple claimed that their two adult daughters were held captive at the centre.[78][79] The foundation denied the allegation and released a statement by the women asserting they were staying there voluntarily.[80] The case was dismissed in court.[81] Another woman alleged that her adult son was being held captive.[82][83][79]

A report by Newslaundry alleges Isha Foundation's structures in Ikkarai Boluvampatti, Coimbatore, are built without proper permission from the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA), meaning the structures are illegally built.[84]

References

  1. ↑ "The most powerful Indians in 2009: 80–84". Indian Express. 9 March 2009. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  2. ↑ "Volunteering Opportunities". Isha Foundation. Retrieved 16 August 2021. Isha Foundation is almost entirely volunteer run. Every single action and activity of the foundation and its worldwide centers is done on a volunteer basis.
  3. 1 2 Staff Reporter (8 June 2010). "Award for Project Green Hands". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  4. ↑ "'Special Consultative Status' for Isha Foundation". The Hindu. 12 September 2007. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Jaggi Vasudev – Exploring the unlimited". Life Positive. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 Goutham, Shruti (20 January 2011). "In pursuit of peace of mind". Daily News and Analysis. Bangalore. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  7. ↑ Gobalakrishnan 2019, p. 38
  8. 1 2 Waghorne 2013, p. 285
  9. ↑ "The route to 'dharmacracy'". Business Today. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  10. ↑ "Inclusive Economics: Enabling the World'". Huffington Post. 17 May 2010. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  11. ↑ "Morale-Booster says Bhaskaran". Indian Express. 26 November 1996.
  12. ↑ Hamburg, Jay (15 October 1997). "Yoga guru touts peace, not religion" (PDF). The Tennessean. pp. 1B–2B. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2020.
  13. ↑ "It doesn't take a guru to know which way the stress flows". Dayton Daily News. 17 March 1998.
  14. ↑ "Yoga Brings 'Freedom' to Prisoners". The Hindu. 16 February 1999.
  15. ↑ "Isha's Green Salem goes on stream". The Hindu. 14 December 2010. Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  16. ↑ "Isha shows the way". Indian Express. 29 June 2009. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  17. ↑ "Mansarovar is beyond words". Daily News and Analysis. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  18. ↑ Goyal, Prateek (19 May 2021). "Trick of the trade: How Sadhguru's Isha Foundation evades paying taxes". Newslaundry.
  19. 1 2 Hudson & Hudson 2017, p. 2
  20. ↑ "Isha Foundation Inc. | Encompass Rating System by Charity Navigator". Charity Navigator.
  21. ↑ Pundir, Pallavi (23 June 2022). "This Climate Guru Is a Celebrity in the US. In India, He's Accused of Destroying a Forest". VICE.
  22. ↑ "Isha's Green School Movement kicks-off in Kanchi district". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  23. ↑ Staff Reporter (4 October 2010). "Green Tiruchi Movement seeks to rectify ailing environment". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  24. ↑ "Stalin inaugurates Green Tirupur Movement". The Hindu. 25 August 2009. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  25. ↑ "Isha Foundation launches Centre-funded project". The Hindu. 13 October 2010. Archived from the original on 16 October 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  26. ↑ "Jaggi Vasudev in city on May 7". The Times of India. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  27. ↑ "Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar for Isha Outreach". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  28. ↑ "Sadhguru's Isha Outreach gets Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar". Star of Mysore. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  29. ↑ "LIC gives grant to Isha". The Hindu. 7 April 2010. Archived from the original on 10 April 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  30. ↑ "Edtech firm BYJU's partners with NGO Isha Vidhya to educate children in rural areas". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  31. ↑ "Rally for Rivers". Addieu. 8 September 2017. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  32. ↑ Times of India. "Isha Foundation launches 'Rally for Rivers' campaign in city". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017.
  33. ↑ "Go green for rivers: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev". Deccan Chronicle. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  34. ↑ "Indian economy not ready for a startup epidemic: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev". Live Mint. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  35. ↑ "Karnataka, Isha Foundation join hands to plant 25 crore saplings along riverbeds". Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  36. ↑ "River conservation: Maharashtra to organize tree plantation conclave for awareness". Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  37. ↑ "People, govt should join hands to save dying rivers, says Sadhguru". Tribune India. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  38. ↑ Singh, Bikash (18 December 2017). "Assam government inks MOU with Isha Foundation". Economic Times. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  39. 1 2 "Niti Aayog CEO-led group to study Isha Foundation's proposals". Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  40. ↑ "It is our responsibility to hold rainfall and allow it to flow 365 days: Sadhguru". The Hitavada. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  41. ↑ "PMO asks NITI Aayog to examine Isha Foundation's river revival plan". DNA India. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  42. ↑ "Rally for Rivers discussed at Global Landscapes Forum". Outlook India. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  43. ↑ "Indians are incapable of being fanatics". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  44. ↑ "Cauvery Calling: NGOs urge Leonardo DiCaprio to withdraw support". The Hindu. 25 September 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  45. ↑ "Civil Society Groups Ask Leonardo DiCaprio to Revoke Support for 'Cauvery Calling'". The Wire. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  46. ↑ "N Ram questions Jaggi Vasudev's Cauvery Calling, asks why it shifts goal posts". The News Minute. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  47. ↑ Plumber, Mustafa (18 September 2019). "Karnataka High Court Issues Notice On PIL Challenging Fund Collection For 'Cauvery Calling' Project". www.livelaw.in. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  48. ↑ "PIL filed against Cauvery Calling campaign". Deccan Chronicle. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  49. ↑ "PIL to cap cash collection for 'Cauvery Calling' project". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  50. ↑ "HC notice to State on plea to examine Isha Foundation's 'Cauvery Calling' project". The Hindu. 18 September 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  51. ↑ "Disclose details of money collected under 'Cauvery Calling': HC to Isha Foundation". The New Indian Express. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  52. 1 2 "Indian mystic Sadhguru on 100-day motorbike mission to save soil". the Guardian. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  53. ↑ "'Save Soil' campaign: Sadhguru to address leaders from 195 nations at UNCCD". The Indian Express. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  54. ↑ "Save Soil". ishaoutreach.org. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  55. ↑ "Save Soil Movement Touched 3.2 Billion People: Sadhguru | Mysuru News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  56. ↑ "Indian guru is on a mission to save the Earth's soil | Reuters Video". www.reuters.com. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  57. ↑ "Save Soil campaign comes to Bonn". UNCCD. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  58. ↑ "World Food Programme and Isha outreach to partner on food and nutritional security | World Food Programme". www.wfp.org. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  59. ↑ "Growing Support for the #SaveSoil Movement". consciousplanet.org. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  60. ↑ Carrington, Julie (15 March 2022). "Government Signs MOU With Save Soil Movement". Barbados Government Information Service. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  61. ↑ "After Gujarat, Rajasthan govt inks MoU with Sadhguru's Isha Outreach to 'save soil'". The Indian Express. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  62. ↑ "Save Soil Walkathon". City of Tampa. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  63. ↑ "'Save Soil' Walkathon pushes for soil conservation". www.nbc12.com. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  64. ↑ "Save Soil - Walkathon - Walk For Our Children - The Legacy We Leave Behind". consciousplanet.org. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  65. ↑ "India: Doubts emerge over spiritual Yogi's environmental mission | DW | 29.03.2022". Deutsche Welle (DW). Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  66. ↑ Berghella, Vincenzo (2018). Chennai and Coimbatore, India. Berghella. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-578-20085-9. OCLC 1032025559.
  67. ↑ "Forest department issues notice to Isha foundation". thenewsminute.com. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  68. ↑ Thangavelu, Dharani (23 February 2017). "Chorus grows louder against Modi's visit to Isha Foundation event in Coimbatore". Livemint. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  69. ↑ Antony, Kathelene (12 July 2018). "CAG slams forest dept for Isha Foundation 'encroachments'". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  70. ↑ "CAG Slams TN Govt On ISHA Foundations Unregulated Buildings". The Quint. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  71. ↑ "Row over land given to Isha foundation". Deccan Chronicle. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  72. ↑ Goyal, Prateek. "How Sadhguru built his Isha empire. Illegally". Newslaundry. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  73. ↑ Pundir, Pallavi. "This Climate Guru Is a Celebrity in the US. In India, He's Accused of Destroying a Forest". vice.com. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  74. ↑ "PM Narendra Modi unveils first 112-foot tall Shiva statue in Coimbatore". The Financial Express. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  75. ↑ "Gigantic statue of first yoga guru Adiyogi to be unveiled by PM". The Covai Post. 8 February 2017.
  76. ↑ "Largest bust (sculpture)". Guinness World Records.
  77. ↑ "Yogeshwar: A Heartless Yogi". Isha Foundation. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  78. ↑ "Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Yoga Centre accused by retired professor of holding his daughter captive". Firstpost. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  79. 1 2 Ramkumar, Pratiksha (8 August 2016). "My son is being held captive in Isha Yoga Centre, woman says". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  80. ↑ "Isha Foundation denies allegations that yoga centre is holding two women captive". Firstpost. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  81. ↑ "Isha Foundation gets reprieve as Madras HC dismisses plea centre is holding two women captive". Firstpost. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  82. ↑ "'Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Yoga centre has brainwashed my son'". mid-day. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  83. ↑ "Isha Foundation is holding my 32-year-old son hostage, claims another parent". The News Minute. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  84. ↑ Goyal, Prateek (17 May 2022). "How Sadhguru built his Isha empire. Illegally". Newslaundry. Retrieved 4 September 2022.

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Isha Foundation.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.