Sadhguru (born 3 September 1957), whose name is Jagadish “Jaggi” Vasudev, is an Indian yoga teacher, author and public speaker. He founded the Isha Foundation in 1992; its centre near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu teaches yoga programmes and is home to the Dhyanalinga meditation shrine and the 112-foot Adiyogi statue of Shiva. He is known for his environmental campaigns, his best-selling books and his large following on social media. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 2017.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Jagadish Vasudev |
| Born | 3 September 1957, Mysore, Mysore State (now Karnataka), India |
| Age | 69 |
| Occupation | Yoga teacher, author, speaker |
| Organisation | Isha Foundation (founded 1992) |
| Education | University of Mysore (B.A. English) |
| Spouse | Vijayakumari (m. 1984; d. 1997) |
| Children | 1 (Radhe Jaggi) |
| Honour | Padma Vibhushan (2017) |
Early Life
Vasudev was born in Mysore to a Telugu-speaking family; his father was an eye doctor with the Indian Railways. As a boy he loved wandering in forests and catching snakes. At 13 he began learning yoga from Malladihalli Raghavendra. After a degree in English literature he ran several small businesses, including a poultry farm and a construction firm, and rode his motorcycle across India.
Spiritual Path
He has said that on 23 September 1982, sitting on a rock on Chamundi Hill near Mysore, he had an experience in which he could no longer tell where he ended and the world began. He left his businesses, travelled for about a year and began teaching yoga classes in 1983.
Isha Foundation
He established the Isha Yoga Center at the foot of the Velliangiri hills in 1993. The Dhyanalinga, a domed meditation space built without steel or cement, was completed in 1999. On Mahashivaratri in February 2017 Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Adiyogi bust, recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest bust sculpture in the world. The foundation’s main programme is called Inner Engineering, and it is run largely by volunteers.
Campaigns
Criticism
Scientists have challenged some of his statements on health and science. The Isha centre has faced complaints about building without the required permissions in an elephant corridor, and in 2024 a court heard a father’s petition alleging that his adult daughters were being kept there; the Supreme Court closed that case after the women said they lived there by choice. The foundation denies wrongdoing.
Personal Life
His wife, Vijayakumari, died in 1997. Their daughter, Radhe Jaggi, is a Bharatanatyam dancer. He underwent emergency brain surgery in Delhi in March 2024 after bleeding in the skull and recovered.
Books
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Sadhguru born?
Sadhguru was born on 3 September 1957 in Mysore, Mysore State (now Karnataka), India and is 69 years old.
What is Sadhguru’s occupation?
Occupation: Yoga teacher, author, speaker.
Featured image: Sadhguru at a “Fashion for Peace” event, February 2019. Photo by Aveda Corporation, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
