ISHA YOGA CENTER

[Isha Yoga Centre - Shrine of the Divine Energy]

[Dhyanalingam] Situated against the backdrop of Velliangiri Mountain known as Dakshin Kailash, the Isha Yoga Centre founded by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev reflects both the stillness and the grandeur of the surrounding mountains. On the outskirts of the cotton city of Coimbatore, the centre houses the Isha Foundation which is devoted to advancing physical, mental and spiritual health through yogic science. The Foundation manages a unique Dhyanalingam meditation shrine and multi-religious temple, over 25 Yoga centres, an ashram and hospital.

The sacred shrine of divine energy housing the Dhyanalingam was completed in 1999. It is the largest in the world and the first of its kind to be fully consecrated. The Dome that encloses the Dhyanalingam is the section of an ellipse. It has been built with only traditional materials like burnt bricks and mud mortar stabilized with lime, sand, alum and herbal additives which ensures a life of at least 5,000 years. The Dome measures 33 feet from the ground level and has a diameter of 72 feet 8 inches at the bottom. It weighs approximately 700 tons. The absence of any framework, ring beam centering, steel or concrete in the structure or in the construction of the Dome makes it a unique structure, perhaps the only one of its kind in the world.

[Dhyanalingam] The Dhyanalingam is different from other lingams meant for worship, which were solely for self-purification. The Scriptures expound that a Dhyanalingam can happen only through a Grihastha Yogi (a yogi with a family). The Sadhguru being a Grihastha Yogi himself, has, along with other men and women devotees created the Dhyanalingam. Since it is a reservoir of energies emanating from people who have gone into deep meditation, the powerful vibrations around it make even those unaware of meditation, experience a state of meditativeness.

The Dhyanalingam radiates different vibrations of the seven chakras to augment the spiritual potential of all who come here and is a place where spiritual transformation can happen in an instant. Visitors are allowed to sit in meditation at the shrine for any length of time and bask in spiritual warmth. A unique feature of the shrine is that the sadhak (devotee) does not bring any offerings here; he simply sits in meditation with extended palms to receive spiritual vibration. The temple is open daily to persons of all faiths. The monks who maintain the temple call themselves Ishas. It is one of the few temples in India where women take care of its maintenance for 15 days of the month