Jagadish Vasudev, also known as Sadhguru, was born in Mysore, India on September 3, 1957. He is a mystic, visionary, and yogi who had a unique ability to make ancient yogic sciences relevant to contemporary minds. Sadhguru was the youngest of five children, with two sisters and two brothers. His father, BV Vasudev, was a physician at the Mysuru Railway Hospital, and his mother, Susheela Vasudev, was a homemaker. Due to the nature of his father's work, the family moved frequently, living in Shimoga, Guntakal, and Chikkaballapur before returning to Mysore in 1969.
Sadhguru has been named one of India's 50 most influential people, and his work has touched the lives of millions worldwide through his transformational programs. He is an internationally renowned speaker and author of the New York Times Bestseller Inner Engineering, A Yogi's Guide to Joy. Sadhguru has also been an influential voice at major global forums, including the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, addressing issues as diverse as socioeconomic development, leadership, and spirituality. He has been invited to speak at leading educational institutions, including Oxford, London Business School, IMD, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, and MIT. In February 2017, Sadhguru was the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan Award by the Government of India, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service.
Sadhguru established Isha Foundation, a non-profit, volunteer-run organization operating in more than 300 centers and supported by over 11 million volunteers worldwide. The foundation aims to address all aspects of human wellbeing through powerful yoga programs for inner transformation and inspiring social outreach initiatives. Sadhguru has also initiated several projects for social revitalization, education, and the environment, impacting the lives of millions of people worldwide.
In the fall of 2017, Sadhguru initiated Rally For Rivers, a nationwide campaign aiming to implement sustainable and long-term policy changes to revitalize India's severely depleted rivers, which found great support among India's people and leadership. With over 162 Million individuals pledging their support, Rally for Rivers is the largest ecological movement in the world to date. In the fall of 2019, Sadhguru launched Cauvery Calling, a uniquely modelled project that focuses on enhancing farmer wealth while simultaneously impacting river flow and riverine ecosystems. It will enable farmers in the Cauvery basin spanning Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to plant 2.42 billion trees. In the United States, Isha Foundation is headquartered at the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee, offering a variety of programs that provide methods for anyone to explore and experience the yogic science in its full depth.