Latest news with #JaggiVasudev
New Indian Express
22-04-2025
- New Indian Express
Pocso case against four Isha Yoga staff over assault on boy in Coimbatore
COIMBATORE: After a woman raised allegations of sexual assault of her child at the Isha Yoga Home School in Coimbatore, an FIR was filed against four Isha Yoga staff under the Pocso Act in January this year, and a police investigation is under way. The complaint was lodged by a 46-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh, who detailed a series of incidents that allegedly occurred between 2017 and 2019, involving her son and a former student at the institution. The complainant said her son was subjected to repeated sexual assault and harassment by a fellow student, as well as physical assaults and threats. Despite the incidents being reported to the school's house parents, principal, and general coordinator, no substantial action was taken by the Isha Yoga management, the complainant stated. She claimed that the school management dismissed her concerns, citing the gender of the victim and the elite status of the accused student's family. She further alleged that the school pressured her to avoid police involvement, warning of reputational damage to the institution's founder Jaggi Vasudev. The complainant stated that her son suffered severe trauma, displaying symptoms of depression and withdrawal, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown period when classes shifted online. Despite multiple attempts to escalate the matter to the school's leadership and the institution's founder Jaggi Vasudev between 2019 and 2024, she received no resolution and was eventually asked to leave the ashram premises in June 2024. The complainant claimed she faced threats and harassment. While the accused student was booked, the All Women Police Station in Perur also registered a case under sections 9 (I), 10, 21 of Pocso Act and Section 342 of the IPC against four persons at the Isha Yoga Centre, and have forwarded it to the Special Court for Pocso Cases in Coimbatore.
The National
15-03-2025
- Health
- The National
Indian yogi Sadhguru's free meditation app beats Chatgpt for first million downloads
Indian yogi Sadhguru has called on people to look after their mental health and check up on people around them, as he hopes his meditation app will help three billion people worldwide. The new app achieved more than one million downloads in 15 hours when released on February 26. This outstripped ChatGPT, the generative-AI chatbot, which hit one million over five days after its launch in 2022. The Miracle of Mind app has since exceeded 1.9 million downloads in the past two weeks. The well-known environmentalist released the free seven-minute app, Miracle of Mind, to promote well-being through focused and conscious breathing. 'We must understand, our mental health and sanity are a fragile privilege that we must protect and nurture. Just as your physical body might be healthy today and could fall sick tomorrow, your mental health can also flip,' Sadhguru, 67, told The National. 'It is very important that each of us take individual responsibility that you will stay mentally healthy and ensure those around you also stay that way,' he said. For this to happen, 'you must unleash the miracle of mind'. '[The app] is offered for free because we want three billion people to close their eyes and meditate for just seven minutes a day. This can change the world in subtle ways,' he said. 'If three billion people are a little more calm and sane, it will be better world to live in for all of us.' Sadhguru, or Jaggi Vasudev, has a massive following with more than a billion views on YouTube and 13 million followers on Instagram, where he posts advice on wellness and environmental action. Tens of thousands gather when he holds meditation sessions in India and overseas, including in the UAE. The app provides users with a simple seven-minute practice, often accompanied by calming music, that incorporates a breathing routine as a daily, practical tool to address anxiety. 'For too many people right now, their brain has become their enemy,' Sadhguru said. 'Just a few decades ago, mental health problems were something that happened to someone else. But now, either someone you know or you yourself might be going through it. 'Scientists and global health organisations are predicting a mental health pandemic. Every year, nearly 800,000 people commit suicide. This means every 40 seconds, someone takes their own life.' One in eight people suffer a mental health condition, according to the World Health Organisation. Sadhguru hopes to offer solutions and raise awareness so people consciously use their minds to tackle high stress levels that can be triggered by digital burnout and loneliness. The yogi hopes the free app will give people 'a simple meditative process that you can do anywhere to bring a sense of peace, joy, and exuberance into your life to create mental health, emotional stability, and balance'. Mental health solutions are often viewed as costly or time-consuming, but Sadhguru said the ambition of this app is to encourage anyone to take a step towards wellness. He said it was created 'to make sure that at least in small measure, people learn to access this instrument that is the human mind'. The mind is 'the greatest gadget on the planet', he said. 'This greatest gadget on the planet, instead of being a miracle, has become a misery manufacturing machine for most people. You may call it stress, anxiety, tension,' he said. On the app, Sadhguru's voice takes users through breathing exercises starting with seven minutes with an option to continue through to 21 minutes. Questions can also be asked in one section with AI-powered replies from the yogi. A team of volunteer coders at the Isha Foundation, a non-profit organisation Sadhguru founded, worked on the app, which is being studied by experts from Harvard. Dr Balachundhar Subramaniam, professor of anaesthesiology at Harvard Medical School, said the Isha Foundation's meditation practices improve sleep patterns and social interactions. 'This is a free, guided meditation with no strings attached,' he said. 'The breath and the mind are connected. This meditation incorporates breath and thoughts beautifully in a very simple way. Sadhguru has spoken about yoga, meditation, inner engineering and life. There is a vast amount of wisdom here.' Dr Subramaniam said research on a 15-minute version of the app used by more than 70 healthcare providers showed reduced signs of stress and mood disturbance. More research is planned with larger sample sizes using Miracle of Mind.
