“How audacious that we can even think that we will allot a day for the earth! Both day and night happen only because of the revolutions of the earth. Our very body is an extract from this planet. Everything that we are is earth. For the human beings who have forgotten that they have just temporarily come out of the womb of this earth and that they will one day be sucked back into this earth, for them, this day is a reminder that you are a part of this earth. If humanity has to live for a long time, you have to think like the earth, act like the earth and be the earth, because that is what you are.” – Sadhguru
The Isha Institute of Inner-sciences has been created with this purpose in mind, designed to promote the experience of a balance with nature. We are blessed to be surrounded by such beautiful wildlife, plants, and land here, so we take care of it, and enjoy it whenever we can – working, dining, playing and hiking outdoors in all kinds of weather. Every aspect of the center has been designed to allow the natural beauty to permeate, so that visitors can enjoy the necessary amenities and a state-of-the-art facility while remaining in constant contact with nature.
The buildings on the campus have been constructed with this awareness. One of the primary reasons that Mahima hall was envisioned as a monolithic dome is because the design reduces the need to use heating and cooling to just 30-40% compared to conventional construction. The building is naturally ventilated, which helps keep the space comfortable for sadhana and programs year-round with less energy used.
The dining hall was also designed to keep its users connected with their natural surroundings. The main walls of the structure are removable, creating an open pavilion so that those inside can still feel the weather in all seasons other than severe wintertime, when the walls are placed back.
Increased awareness of the environment has also naturally led to conservation efforts across the campus. The impact on the environment is reduced by recycling, composting the kitchen scraps, growing some of our own herbs and vegetables, and buying food and materials locally. The volunteers use bicycles rather than cars to get around the campus which also keeps us healthier and stronger.
Visitors and program participants experience this increased awareness of nature by going on hikes and nature walks. In addition, every month three days around new moon and full moon, all external lights are kept off, which brings us more in touch with the significance of these days and with the natural cycles of the moon. Just walking outside without aritificial light or light pollution from cities, simply the open darkness of the sky, the infinite stars, and the coolness of the moon, is an experience which words cannot do justice, but should be experienced by everyone. With just a few days a month if everyone in the world experiences the night sky this way, how much resource would be saved.
Sadhguru explains the necessity of maintaining this connection with nature: "I am always being asked by people, 'Why is a spiritual leader, a yogi, planting trees?' Unfortunately, in human minds, we have compartmentalized our life in such a way that we are breaking up one and hoping that the other will live. Trees are our closest relatives. What they exhale, we inhale; what we exhale, they inhale and keep our lives going. It is just like the outer part of our lung. You cannot ignore your body if you want to live. The planet is in no way different from that. What you call as 'my body' is just a piece of this planet.”
Sat Singh, a full-time volunteer, has been involved in the construction and maintenance since the very beginning of the iii . He explains, “As part of the construction, we have managed to preserve so much of the nature around us and left the ecosystem mostly undisturbed.
One of the things I’ve always admired about this place is that we keep an open mind. We want to build this place to impact humanity, but at the same time, we want to respect nature. This kind of respect for nature is really needed in today’s world. We need to be more conscious about what we are doing to the planet every day. That consciousness is definitely something that we are building here.”
Read more of Sadhguru’s address on the state of the planet or watch the video.
