When Jagadish “Jaggi” Vasudev makes his entrance into the room, his larger-than-life persona takes over.

The energy shifts, leaving me somewhat intimidated, anxious and alert.

But the moment Sadhguru, as he is popularly known, begins to interact, he comes across as a warm, friendly, fatherly figure.

The flowing robe, disarming laugh and casual language strips away the stuffy, untouchable aura of a traditional saint.

The Indian spiritual leader, mystic and founder of the Isha Foundation, was in town recently for a series of events and StarLifestyle was granted an excvlusive interview with him.

On adolescents these days

Our conversation begins with him addressing the increasing rates of mental health problems among adolescents.

“It is not a mystery that if there is no nourishment in food, physically, you will not be healthy.

“What is not prevalent in people’s understanding is that if there is not enough micronutrient supply, you could also become mentally ill,” he says.

While a lack of essential micronutrients does not automatically cause a diagnosed mental illness, severe or chronic deficiencies can heavily disrupt brain chemistry and trigger or worsen mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety, brain fog and fatigue.

Sadhguru points out: “There is an ecological issue that needs to be sorted, but there are also social issues.”

He emphasises the need for human and planetary well-being.

“Everybody is trying to blame these issues on social media, but it depends on how you use technology – some people use it for their well-being, others use it to hurt themselves.

“Social media may be hastening, highlighting or exposing a few things, but more importantly, there is a lack of emotional security in society.”

When he was growing up, the charismatic Sadhguru shares that he was a wild character.

Long before he wore spiritual robes, his early life in his birthplace of Mysore (now Mysuru), Karnataka, was defined by an intense, rebellious energy; a refusal to fit into societal norms and a deep obsession with motorcycles and exploration.

“For most children, 70% of their influence comes from their parents and relatives, and 30% from school, friends, news, etc.

“Today, the parental influence on a 12-year-old is 20%, school is about 20% or less, and the rest is largely by those who don’t care about the child.

“It’s a strange world where social media and AI algorithms are nourishing the child,” he says.

Both parents needed

With loosening family structures in the “name of freedom”, Sadhguru says our idea of liberation is reacting to the exploitation of the past.

“It’s not the way to create well-being.

“It may bring stability to the individual concerned, but the first person who suffers is the child.

“Women are in a transitory state in the world in the sense that they are moving from one kind of life to another.

“I’m not saying it is the woman’s fault, but we must address what are the needs of a female human being and know what makes her good physically, mentally and emotionally to fulfil her life.”

Sadhguru speaks with logic, humour, wit and a deep understanding of modern human psychology.

He says: “Male and female are not two separate species; they are one species that complement each other, not opposites as people present them.

“Corrections are needed in every society, but these should not be reactionary corrections.

“It takes two parents to provide the child with stability, but that is not what is happening today.”

Asked for his opinion on whether consulting mental health professionals can help alleviate the problem, he candidly says: “I have maintained a discipline in my life that I don’t form an opinion about anything – you don’t know how hard that is!

“When I look at you, even if I’ve known you for 25 years, I won’t have an opinion of you – I just look at the way you are right now.

“It’s important because an opinion is a prejudice you arrive at from the limited data you gather.

“So if people are breaking down and committing suicide, I think it’s inhuman to have an opinion about that.”

Sadhguru adds: “Yes, we need solutions.

“If you do not strengthen the human being, if investments are not made to strengthen the inner nature of the individual to become more stable from childhood, whatever society does, i.e. change the education system, fix the parents, ban social media, etc, the results will be disastrous.”

Engineer yourself

A habit he has cultivated is to think, not worry.

“Thinking means creating something that is not there, while worry means a corrosion of your thinking mechanism.

“Let’s say I have a little bit of information about something, but the picture is not there, so I create it.

“If I’m constantly thinking about creating this picture, it causes friction.”

It took Sadhguru one afternoon in his 20s to get into a blissful state.

“But you’re not normal,” I interject, to which he quickly responds: “What do you mean I’m not normal? I’m like any one of you.

“I just happened to realise what was causing my turbulence.

“It is something you have to observe and experience yourself.

“Every aspect of life needs a certain level of application, but people think they can be blissful by fixing the outside world.”

What about the inside, he questions.

He says: “Every suffering you’re going through is essentially your intelligence working against you – call it stress, anxiety, whatever.

“So engineer yourself in such a way that your body, mind and emotion work for you, not against you.

“I’m not trying to sell you a programme, but this is something that is fundamentally important.”

Sadhguru has authored numerous books, including the bestsellers Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide To Joy and Karma: A Yogi’s Guide To Crafting Your Destiny.

The former teaches practical tools from yogic science to cultivate inner peace, while the latter reinterprets karma as a tool for action and personal freedom rather than fate.

He also has structured, seven-minute guided practices that are available through a mobile app.

“True meditation creates a slight, conscious distance between ‘who you are’ and your physical body or accumulated thoughts.

“This separation brings an end to suffering and lets you engage with the world without being overwhelmed by it.

“Pleasure is always dependent on external stimuli, people or situations, and cannot be sustained, while bliss is self- generated, constant and undisturbed by outward gain or loss,” he says.

Saving our soil

Earlier during his talk on “Crafting a Conscious Planet” for a small group of businesses and the government, Sadhguru spoke on the urgent need to restore soil health and safeguard the future of food.

He urged the audience to recognise the long-term implications and act before the situation worsens.

“It’s a privilege to be the most evolved creature on any planet, but we are multiplying our problems to the point that we are wondering if our planet will survive.

“We are not eating our food or our children’s food – we are eating the food that belongs to the unborn child.

“That’s not good. So please act,” he said at the event held at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) in Kuala Lumpur.

He highlights that topsoil is the uppermost layer of soil, typically found at a depth of 13-25cm.

It is rich in organic matter, microorganisms and nutrients, making it crucial for plant growth and the overall health of the ecosystem.

This layer supports most of Earth’s biological soil activity, and is where most of the soil’s nutrients are concentrated.

When soil loses its organic content, it turns to sand.

In 2022, Sadhguru started the Save Soil global movement to raise awareness of soil health and address the rapid degradation of agricultural topsoil worldwide by urging governments to mandate 3% to 6% organic content in agricultural soils.

According to the United Nations, up to 40% of the world’s land and soil is already degraded, weakening food production and livelihoods, while droughts have increased in frequency and duration by 29% since 2000.

The agency warns that if current destructive practices continue, up to 90% of the earth’s land or topsoil could be substantially degraded or at risk by 2050.

Calling for policy-level intervention, Sadhguru stresses that protecting soil health must become a priority for every nation.

He notes that Malaysia, with comparatively lower population pressure, has an opportunity to take decisive action.

“Policies must change in every nation and be oriented towards the soil health of that nation.

“And in a country like this, where the population pressure is not very high, it’s much easier to do,” he adds.

Sadhguru culminated his visit here with a global Mahasatsang (spiritual gathering) in Batu Caves, Selangor, and led the “Soak in the Ecstasy of Enlightenment” programme in Mitec.