TheIsha Foundation is anonprofit,spiritual organisation that was founded in 1992 nearCoimbatore,Tamil Nadu,India, bySadhguru (Jagadish Vasudev).[1] It hosts the Isha Yoga Centre, which offersyoga programs under the name Isha Yoga. The foundation is run "almost entirely" by volunteers.[2][3][4] According to Sadhguru, the wordisha means "the formless divine".[5][6]
Isha Yoga
Vasudev conducting an "Inner Engineering" class atBSE,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]
The foundation organises gatherings (sathsangs) with Vasudev in theIndian states ofTamil Nadu andKarnataka, where he delivers discourses, leads meditations, and conducts question-answer sessions.[15] It organises annual pilgrimages (yatras) toMount Kailash and theHimalayas under Isha Sacred Walks.[16] The Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage led by Vasudev is among the largest groups to visit Kailash, with 514 pilgrims making the journey in 2010.[17][18] The trip cost up to Rs₹5 million (US$59,000) per person in 2021, with cheaper options available in which devotees receive limited interaction with Vasudev.[19]
The centre hosts an annual seven-day-long music and dance festival culminating in the all-night celebration ofMaha Shivaratri, a major Hindu festival honouringShiva.[20]
The foundation sells various products such as yoga mats, personal care products and accessories. Its US chapter reported revenues of $40m in 2022.[21] The “business leadership” insights program, in particular, was priced at $6500 per person.[22]
Social and environmental initiatives
Project GreenHands
Saplings being readied for transportation at a PGH nursery
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.[26][27]
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.[28] In recognition of this effort, Isha received India'sNational Sports Promotion Award in the Sport for Development category in 2018.[29]
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.[citation needed] In 2010, theLife Insurance Corporation of India Golden Jubilee Foundation provided a grant for construction at an Isha Vidhya School inCoimbatore.[30] In March 2022, the initiative onboardedByju's to provide digital learning tools to underprivileged children in Tamil Nadu andAndhra Pradesh.[31]
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 inIndia and instill awareness about protecting rivers.[32] Vasudev launched the campaign on 3 September from Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore.[33][34] On 3 October, a river revitalisation draft proposal was presented by Vasudev toPrime Minister of India,Narendra Modi.[35] Thestates ofKarnataka,Assam,Chhattisgarh,Punjab,Maharashtra andGujarat signedmemorandums of understanding with Isha Foundation to plant trees along river banks.[36][37][38][39][40][41] The Niti Aayog and the Ministry of Water Resources constituted committees to study the draft policy proposal.[40][42] Under the name Rally for Rivers, a Cauvery calling campaign was organised which would last over a decade. The project mainly focuses onriver Kaveri. In November, at a conference in Germany, the executive director of theUnited Nations Environment Programme,Erik Solheim, discussed Rally for Rivers with Vasudev, and how environmental programs around the world could emulate its success.[43]
Rally for Rivers has been criticised by environmentalists who allege that it was trying to solve a complex problem with a "shallow solution".[44]
Cauvery Calling
The Cauvery Calling project aims to support farmers in planting an estimated 2.4 billion trees throughagroforestry, thereby covering one third ofCauvery basin with trees as a means of conserving it.[citation needed] 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.[45][46][47]
Apublic interest litigation has also been filed in theKarnataka 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.[48][49][50][51] In January 2020, the High Court ruled that the foundation needed to disclose details of its fundraising practices relating to the initiative.[52]
Isha Foundation's headquarters are located in anashram on the foothills of theVelliangiri Mountains, adjacent to theNilgiri Biosphere Reserve,[20] some forty kilometres from the city ofCoimbatore in the state ofTamil Nadu,India.[67] The foundation's construction activities at Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore are alleged to have violated rules and regulations on several occasions.[68][69][70][71][72][73] Environmental activists and the local indigenous community have fought against the expansion of the ashram.[74]
Vasudev designed the 112-footAdiyogi Shiva statue at the Isha Yoga Centre. It was inaugurated onMahashivaratri, 24 February 2017, by thePrime Minister of India,Narendra Modi.[75]The statue depictsShiva 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 theSteel Authority of India[76] and weighs around 500 tonnes (490 long tons; 550 short tons). It has been recognised as the "Largest Bust Sculpture" byGuinness World Records.[77] A consecratedShivalinga, Yogeshwar Linga, is at its base.[78]
Controversies and reception
In 2016, a couple claimed that their two adult daughters were held captive at the centre.[79][80] The foundation denied the allegation and released a statement by the women asserting they were staying there voluntarily.[81] The case was dismissed in court.[82] Another woman alleged that her adult son was being held captive.[83][84][80]
A report byNewslaundry 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.[85]
^"Volunteering Opportunities". Isha Foundation. Retrieved16 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.
Gobalakrishnan, C. (2019),Sociology of Medical Tourism, Chennai: MJP Publisher,ISBN978-81-8094-291-4
Hudson, Simon; Hudson, Louise (2017),Marketing for Tourism, Hospitality & Events: A Global & Digital Approach, London, etc.: SAGE,ISBN978-1-5264-1437-3
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