(Paris) “Within 25 years, 60 to 70% of people (in the world)” could practice a form of yoga, estimates Sadhguru, superstar yogi met this week at UNESCO in Paris by AFP.
“Yoga is a science that was passed down to us from the very first yogis 15,000 years ago” but “I think it’s coming generations (who) will pick it up,” adds Sadhguru aka Jaggi Vasudev, 65. , which has 10 million followers on Instagram.
Many Westerners discovered him during the health crisis, thanks to his videos posted daily.
Punctuated by bursts of laughter and his famous “hello? », these interventions combine teachings on life, practice of yoga and reflections full of humor.
No need to wait for International Yoga Day, of which it was the star in Paris, to realize that this age-old practice recognized for its health benefits has gone far beyond the borders of India and is fueling a well-being market. be growing.
While yoga isn’t “twisting your body all over the place, neither is it a philosophy, ideology, new religion or belief system, it’s a wellness technology, it’s is inner and it’s the best there is,” said Sadhguru, dressed as usual in a turban and a huge light-colored shawl.
Meditation, postures, breathing, mantras…: these “internal tools” are “within everyone’s reach, as long as you learn how to use them well”, assures the master yogi.
He who does not hesitate to appear with the stars of the planet, from Will Smith (after the slap at the Oscars) to Paris Hilton, is also close to the nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has made yoga an instrument of radiation of India in the world and is at the origin of this international day of yoga celebrated every June 21.
The discipline is also listed by UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity.
“I think it’s the next generation that will really take the turn of yoga which is a chemical plant. If you use it well, it creates ecstasy, if not, torment,” says the master yogi.
An inveterate biker, Sadhguru is also at the origin of many projects in favor of the environment and biodiversity. He is convinced that it is the inner transformation of the individual, an integral part of the living, connected to it in all its forms, which will allow that of the planet.
He established a famous yoga center and non-profit foundation near Coimbatore, India, Isha, which developed educational and environmental programs, including planting more than 25 million trees in a deforested southern province. from India.
He regularly speaks at forums such as TED conferences or at major universities (Harvard, MIT, London Business School).
His presence in Paris attracted 1300 people to UNESCO where he received a standing ovation after a lecture and a guided meditation.
Previously, dancers and musicians had delighted the rather young audience.
