Until recently, Round Rock resident Alison Joffrion fell under into the unfortunately all-too-familiar category of over-worked, over-stressed, and exhausted. An IT professional who works at the State of Texas comptroller’s office, she works long hours in a high-pressure environment. She took Wellbutrin and Zoloft just to maintain her equilibrium, and despite contraindications, had a regular regime of three glasses of wine in the evening just to unwind.
Fast forward one year and things are remarkably different for the 37-year-old Alison. She no longer drinks. She has a healthy diet that has calmed lifelong stomach issues, and she no longer has a need for anti-depressants. Her job is as hectic as ever, but she no longer finds it a source of stress. She has new-found endurance and energy, and she says she finds herself intently involved with the work she is doing instead of worrying about what is going on with people around her. “I can accomplish more in the same amount of time,” Alison says. “My boss has noticed and commented, and has even started giving me high-priority items.”
What caused such a dramatic change across such a range of issues? Her journey of transformation happened seemingly in spite of herself, Alison says. About a year ago she began exploring some yoga videos on YouTube. She liked the way doing the videos made her feel, but she wasn’t consistent.
Then, after asking a friend about how he always approached life so calmly, he gave her a book with an intriguing title. The book, Midnights with the Mystic, is about a very successful real estate developer who, after a lifelong search for meaning, met a yoga master from India. The book is a record of their late-night conversations. It gave Alison a deeper look into the ancient science of yoga, and prompted her to further explore the methods the yogi had shared with the author. She ended up taking the “Inner Engineering” course that taught a 21-minute daily practice called Shambhavi Mahamudra that, she says, has been the crux of her transformation.
“I used to really operate out of fear,” Alison says. “But after about a month of doing this meditative practice, my mind became very calm, and I became much less reactionary. I have a sense of serenity in knowing that external situations don’t have to control how I am inside.” This gives her added confidence at work, too, with the knowledge that “change will continue to happen around me, but I will be able to handle whatever it is.” With this centered state also came new reserves of energy – her sleeping habits naturally shifted from 7 hours to 5 hours per night – and an increased dedication to her work and family. “I stay much more connected to my family and talk to them more, and I’m even cross-training co-workers when I have time at work. They come to me more with questions, too.” Alison says it’s been an eye-opening journey. “I never expected that changes like this would stem from doing such a simple practice. I’m still amazed at how good the whole thing feels — it’s really exciting.”
Alison’s after-work habits have also changed. She noticed that her meditation practices didn’t seem to agree with her wine habit, and she stopped drinking. Instead of watching TV, she spends time volunteering with other local meditators, trying to build community and reaching out to share the practices that have given her such vitality and fervor for life. This past December, she and just 8 other volunteers planned an Isha Yoga community event, and, fortified with enthusiasm and a new sense of adventure, Alison learned to play the guitar just so that she could play at the event. The celebratory evening drew over 100 people from the area and introduced a spirit of well-being and healthy community with the ultimate intention of raising consciousness. Alison and the other volunteers are currently working on planning local events (such as one recently held at UT) to offer Isha Kriya.
Derived from the ancient science of yoga, Inner Engineering and the Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya that Alison learned may help reduce or even eliminate common compulsive behaviors and addictions. It has been a welcome relief for many struggling with some of the most prevalent dependencies, including tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug abuse—cigarette addiction alone affects 23% of the U.S. population (70M people). Inner Engineering has also been reported to help relieve common psychological compulsions such as overeating, gambling, and the growing problem of sexual addiction.
Because Inner Engineering offers a meditative process and not the vigorous yoga she was used to at the gym, attorney Maria Blakemore hadn’t expected to lose weight as a result of participating in Inner Engineering. “This one course completely changed my life… I went from being someone who ate anything, including McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc. to someone who, immediately after the class, decided to completely drop chicken, beef and pork from my diet. I have lost approximately 30 pounds, and 25 of the 30 pounds were lost within the first three months,” emphasized Maria. “Inner Engineering however, is not really about losing weight. It is about balance. Losing weight or gaining weight (for those who are underweight) is something that happens once balance comes into your life.”
Musician Kirk Morton of Nashville found a renewed zeal for life and kicked several addictive habits he’d been struggling to overcome for years. “The (Inner Engineering) yoga practice has enabled me to overcome serious depression without medication and a 3-pack, 30-year cigarette habit with no withdrawal or cravings,” said Kirk of Nashville, TN. “It has enabled me to stay away from drugs and alcohol, to clean up my diet, and exercise…It has deepened and changed me in such profound ways that I cannot express. This yoga is a miracle.”
Sadhguru, who designed the Inner Engineering program, says what seems to be miraculous is simply a by-product of raising human consciousness. “Every aspect of your life, a human being is capable of making it conscious… Once it’s a conscious process, it is not something which is compulsively working within you; it is something that you decide,” Sadhguru explained in a recent talk. “That is how human life should be. Isn’t it? Everything you decide. You’re not pushed or pulled into anything… how much of what you need in your life can be decided by you.”
As Sadhguru explains it, the object of the compulsive behavior, whether it be food, gambling, or cigarettes, doesn’t matter; It is the subconscious drive behind the behavior which needs illumination. The simple 21-minute practice of the Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya elevates a person’s conscious awareness. With increased awareness, the subconscious drive behind the addiction loses its power to control your life.
“I was a regular user of cocaine just prior to taking the class with Sadhguru…I was so stressed-out that I didn’t have any moments of peace in my life, nor did I know I was 100% stressed out,” admits Denise Waters, a salon owner outside Chicago. “I credit Sadhguru for helping me learn how to see things differently and have stayed off cocaine with an effortlessness for which I am most grateful… that chapter of my life has been closed.”
Medical studies are currently underway to quantify many physical, mental and emotional benefits of the Inner Engineering program. Initial research findings reveal benefits across a broad spectrum.
For more information on the health benefits of yoga and meditation, visit www.BeBreatheBlossom.com/Health
I can’t believe the kind of fun life has become for my husband and me, simply because of the Kriyas. No alcohol, yet living it up all the time! Won’t exchange this for anything in the world!