Inner Engineering Summary

Summary of Inner Engineering Book by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

Name: Inner Engineering
Rating: 4.7 (19309 reviews)
Author: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

4.7 . 19309 reviews

Short summary

Do we believe in self-efficiency when it comes to tapping into the inner self? Is it genuinely possible to unite all five sheets of one’s being? Is there a way for us to live with purpose and meaning and be masters of our destiny? Sadhguru is a thought leader, visionary, philanthropist, mystic, and yogi. A yogi lives life in this expansive state, and in this transformative book, Sadhguru tells the story of his own awakening, from a boy with an unusual affinity for the natural world to a young daredevil who crossed the Indian continent on his motorcycle. He relates the moment of his enlightenment on a mountaintop in southern India, where time stood still and he emerged radically changed. The practice of hatha yoga, as we commonly know it, is but one of eight branches of the body of knowledge that is yoga. In fact, yoga is a sophisticated system of self-empowerment that is capable of harnessing and activating inner energies in such a way that your body and mind function at their optimal capacity. It is a means to create inner situations exactly the way you want them, turning you into the architect of your own joy.

19 min

10 key points

18 insights

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Table of content

Summary of Inner Engineering
About the author
What is Inner Engineering about?
Who should read Inner Engineering
Topics in Inner Engineering

first key point

The way out is in: Pay attention to your inner mechanism, everything happens from within

Listen the first key point

00:00

Everything you have done in your life so far has been in pursuit of a single thing. Whether you sought a career, started a business, made money, or built a family, it was always because you wanted just one simple thing: joy.

But somewhere along the way, life got complicated.

Let us start with a single question: What do we consider to be a state of well-being?

Very simply, well-being is just a deep sense of pleasantness within. If your body feels pleasant, we call this health. If it becomes very pleasant, we call this pleasure. If your mind becomes pleasant, we call this peace. If it becomes very pleasant, we call this joy. If your emotions become pleasant, we call this love. If they become very pleasant, we call this compassion. If your life energies become pleasant, we call this bliss. If they become very pleasant, we call this ecstasy.

This is what we all are seeking: Pleasantness within and without.

When pleasantness is within, it is termed peace, joy, and happiness. When your surroundings become pleasant, it gets branded success. If you’re not interested in any of this and want to go to heaven, what are you seeking? Just otherworldly success!

Essentially, all human experience is only a question of pleasantness and unpleasantness to varying degrees.

But how many times in your life have you lived an entire day blissfully — without a single moment of anxiety, agitation, irritation, or stress? How many times have you lived in utter and absolute pleasantness for twenty-four hours? When was the last time it happened to you?

The amazing thing is that for most people on this planet, not a single day has happened exactly the way they want it! Of course, there is no one who has not experienced joy, peace, even bliss, but it is always fleeting. They are unable to sustain it. They manage to get there, but it keeps collapsing. And nothing earth-shattering needs to happen for it to collapse. The simplest things throw people off-balance, out of kilter. The thing that stands between you and your well-being is a simple fact: you have allowed your thoughts and emotions to take instruction from the outside rather than the inside.

Everything that ever happened to you, you experienced right within you. ~ Sadhguru

If your thoughts and your emotions are of your making, you can mold them any way you like. There is scientific proof today that without ingesting a drop of alcohol or any other substance, you can get fully intoxicated by yourself. An Israeli organic chemist, Raphael Mechoulam, and his research team initiated a project that eventually isolated a “bliss molecule” in the human system. In lay terms, they discovered that the human brain has natural cannabis receptors.

Our body is capable of producing its own narcotic.

Why is this so? The body can manufacture its own bliss with no external stimulus — and that too, with no hangover! The reason why certain chemical substances, like alcohol and recreational drugs, are dangerous is that they can reduce your awareness, ruin your health, create addictions, and destroy you. But here is a bliss narcotic that is created and consumed by your own system — and which has a tremendous impact on health and well-being! It means that the human system is wonderfully self-contained.

Other similar chemicals have been discovered more recently as well, but this particular chemical has been named “anandamide,” based on the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss. We can infer from this that happiness is just a certain kind of chemistry.

Peace is another kind of chemistry. In fact, every kind of pleasantness that we experience — whether peace or joy or ecstasy — is a kind of chemistry.

The yogic system has always known this.

There is a technology for inner well-being — for creating a chemical basis for blissful existence. This is one dimension of what the author calls “Inner Engineering.” If you are aware, you can activate your system in such a way that simply breathing is an enormous pleasure. All it takes is a willingness to pay a little attention to the inner mechanism.

This is the fundamental shift in understanding that has to happen. Do not look for a way out of misery. Do not look for a way out of suffering. There is only one way — and that is in.

second key point

Design your destiny, wake up to yourself as an existential being, so you can ride situations around you, and don’t get crushed by them

When pain, misery, or anger happen, it is time to look within you, not around you. What you forget is that when you are sick, it is you who needs the medication. When you are hungry, it is you who needs the food. The only one that needs to be fixed is you, to understand this simple fact, for some people, it takes a lifetime!

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third key point

Being fully responsible is to be fully conscious

fourth key point

What exactly is yoga?

fifth key point

The human body is the ultimate machine

sixth key point

Life Sense: Knowing life beyond the senses

seventh key point

Your body is like a barometer. If you know how to read it, it can tell you everything about you and the world around you

eighth key point

You need to eat the right kind of food depending on your inclination and what you want out of your life

ninth key point

There is an intrinsic intelligence within you; this intelligence is what makes all things happen

tenth key point

Conclusion

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What is Inner Engineering about?

In this transformative guide, a renowned yogi shares his wisdom and practical teachings to help readers unlock their inner potential and find true joy. Drawing from ancient yogic practices and modern science, the author offers a step-by-step approach to self-transformation, providing tools and techniques to cultivate balance, clarity, and inner peace. With profound insights and personal anecdotes, this book serves as a roadmap for individuals seeking to enhance their well-being and live a more fulfilling life.

Who should read Inner Engineering

Individuals seeking personal growth and inner transformation.
Those interested in exploring the ancient wisdom of yoga and its practical applications.
Anyone looking to cultivate a deeper sense of joy and fulfillment in their lives.

Topics in Inner Engineering

Yoga Spirituality Meditation Self-Love Mindfulness Happiness Indian Philosophy Self-Discovery Self-Help for Women

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