This is the ‘Win with Stories’ newsletter. Every week I send an email with a business or life message wrapped in a short story. I also share one actionable tip and a few content recommendations to help you enhance your business storytelling skills.
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What makes Sadhguru so popular
Last weekend I was at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It was a friend’s wedding invitation that got us there.
Our friend and his to-be wife are both followers of Isha Yoga and Meditation. The bride-to-be is a Hatha Yoga teacher who trained at Isha and hence the wedding at the ashram.
Both my wife and I are by nature skeptics. We are never convinced about spirituality and religion in a hurry.
But why am I even talking about this?
Because since the time I entered Isha, I could not get my head around something.
It was the immense love and faith that Sadhguru commanded.
Millions, including our friends who got married, are mesmerised.
Time and again, I asked myself, “What makes Sadhguru tick?”
From corporate leaders to commoners, he appeals to everyone.
The three day trip would have been frustrating one with this question nagging me.
But I stood in front of a counter displaying grains for sale at the Isha shop on Saturday afternoon.
The copy on the shelf board read this.
‘Most Indians are on a single-cereal diet – either rice or wheat. This can definitely cause health problems. It is important to bring a multigrain diet to one’s life.’
Suddenly, the packet of different types of millets and other grains looked tempting.
This read exactly like a story statement that we help founders and leaders come up with.
Rather than explaining the features of a product, service, program or leadership; a story statement explains the importance of it.
That is when the realisation dawned.
One of Sadhguru’s foremost abilities is to explain the why behind everything. Especially the ones behind Hindu rituals and spirituality.
And he does so convincingly using stories or storytelling techniques.
Every nook and corner of Isha and Sadhguru’s talks are about the ‘explaining the why’.
Over the next two days, I could not help but notice this aspect that makes him The Guru for millenials and genzs.
- The sacred water bodies to take a dip, the teertha-kundas, at Isha are presented as places to prepare yourself for meditation.
But why?
Because the water is stored in tanks lined with mercury which is solidified at 99.8 degree celsius.
- My colleague Ranjani remembered that she had watched a Sadhguru video where he said that rubbing bhasma(sacred ash) on the forehead was not a religious thing. It was actually good for health.
But why?
He then explained how sacred ash is poison for dandruff, etc and hence it stops acne and other skin ailments from affecting our face.
- Butha Shuddi Vivaha was one of the ceremonies at our friend’s wedding.
Isha wedding rituals are short and simple, unlike the ones we are used to at Hindu weddings.
The rituals, though, are there.
But why?
There was a Sadhguru voiceover played as a part of the ceremony. This is when he explains the idea behind the ceremony.
That it is a ceremony where the audience aren’t mere spectators but participants. The ritual is to pay respects to the five elements that we are made of. And as two people decide to become one, it is important to do so.
Now I could go on, but you get the drift.
Arguably Sadhguru’s foremost appeal is his ability to ‘explain the why’.
- Young Hindus who were never offered answers to their questions, have found them in Sadhguru’s discourses.
- Non-Hindus who were seeking answers in life, found them in the master storyteller.
- From the Adiyogi statue to the teertha-kundas and the Dhyanlinga(a meditative space that’s also a temple for Lord Shiva) at Isha are all storytelling in motion.
I will go on a limb and say that storytelling is one of the biggest reason for the phenomenon that is Sadhguru.
And whether you are a believer or a skeptic, you’d do well to learn from Sadhguru. He is arguably the best storyteller the country has produced in recent times.
One communication tip for today:
‘Explain the Why’
Hindu traditions or life’s purpose, Sadhguru explains the why better than anyone else.
How is this relevant to us?
In business, career or leadership, we do not explain the why most times. Be it to customers, subordinates or even our teams. Hence efforts or actions taken by our audiences are half-hearted and they do not tend to stick.
How do you explain the why really well?
- Compelling: the logic or the why behind something has to be logical and compelling.
- Simple: the logic cannot be so complex that most cannot understand it. It has to be simple enough for everyone to get it. The lack of simplicity is what Sadhguru has solved for Hinduism.
- Short: whatever your explanation, it should not take more than a line or three. Sadhguru’s explanations are compelling and simple, but also really short.
Try this out, and let me know how it goes.
And if you are seeking some inspiration to become a better founder, leader or storyteller; then Isha Yoga Centre is only a flight away.
But if that seems too far, then I am available through a reply to this email. Ping me, and let me help you start winning with stories.
That’s it from me this week. Tell me one thing that will make you share this newsletter with friends and colleagues 🙂
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