Isha Yoga Center (Coimbatore) from Bangalore: Travel Guide

Isha Yoga Centre sometimes is also known as Dhyana Linga is situated at a distance of 396 km from Bangalore. Isha Yoga Centre is situated in the foothills of Velliangiri hills near Coimbatore. From Coimbatore, this place is situated at a distance of almost 30 km.

The Isha Yoga Center situated at the foothills of Velliangiri, on the outskirts of Coimbatore, is the headquarters for Isha Foundation. Isha is a sacred space for self-transformation, where you can come dedicate time towards your inner growth. The center offers all four major paths of yoga – kriya (energy), gnana (knowledge), karma (action), and bhakti (devotion), drawing people from all over the world.

How to reach Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore from Bangalore

From Bangalore, Isha Yoga Centre is situated at a distance of almost 400 km. The normal route from Bangalore will be Bangalore->Hosur->Krishnagiri->Dharmapuri->Salem->Coimbatore and then Isha Yoga Centre. This total distance of almost 400 km is covered within 7 to 8 hours.

The Isha Yoga Center is situated 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Coimbatore, a major industrial city in southern India, is well connected by air, rail and road. Major airlines operate regular flights to Coimbatore from Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Train services are available from all major cities in India.

There are direct buses between Coimbatore and the Isha Yoga Center (view the timetable). Taxis can be booked from the airport as well as the railway station. Alternatively, you can contact the Yoga Center’s travel desk to book a taxi to the center. The desk is open 24 hours a day.

Road condition from Bangalore to Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore

The road condition until Coimbatore is really good. There is at least four-lanes or 6-lanes highway from Bangalore to Coimbatore. From Coimbatore to Isha Yoga Centre, the distance of 30 km is on the single road. So it is advised that you leave Bangalore around 10 or 11 o’clock in the night so that you don’t face a lot of problem or traffic on the highways. The total toll tax for a car would be somewhere around 700 rupees.

On the Highways, at the stretch of around every 30 to 40 km, there are good restaurants where you can take a break but most of the shops are Bakery. I like Bangalore to Mysore Highways where you find a lot of restaurants. There is also a bus service to Isha Yoga Center.

Isha Yoga Centre Bus Timings:

At Isha Yoga Center

We reached at Isha Yoga Centre around 5 o’clock in the morning. So we had to park our vehicle just in front of the main entrance and we slept there. There are benches around trees on which you can spend some time until the sunrise.

At 6 o’clock The Yoga Centre opens that means you can go inside from 6 o’clock but there is a procedure to follow if you want to do yoga or meditation the procedure goes like this.

Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore/ Dhyanalinga Timings:

Isha Yoga Center/ Dhyanalinga is open from 6 Am to 8 PM.

Depositing Valuables

• Before proceeding further you will have to submit any valuable and electronic devices at the counter at the counter.
• There will be a form where you will be asked to enter your name, your mobile number and the number of values.
• In short, you are not allowed to take mobile phones or any other electronic devices along with you beyond the counters.
• Once you are done with the Darshanam, at the counter, before taking the valuables, the guy there might ask your name, number of valuables and phone number to verify that it’s you.

Places to see at Isha Yoga Center:

• Naga Shrine
• Surya Kund  (A bathing pool only for men)
• Nandi
• Linga Bhairavi
• Chandra Kund (A bathing pool only for Women)
• Adi Yogi Statue
• Adi Yogi Temple
• Mandapam

Taking Bath at Isha Yoga Center:

There are 2 ponds separately for men and women in which a person has to take bath before doing meditation. These Ponds are called Suryakund and Chandra Kund. The Suryakund is dedicated to the males and the Chandrakund is dedicated to the females.

Once you enter inside before you want to do meditation or any kind of other activities, you will have to take bath in the Suryakund or Chandra Panda depending on your gender.

There are certain precautionary measures one should take before entering these ponds. Some of the measures are:

• you are not allowed to swim inside the Kund.
• if you have any open wounds or any other medical condition you should not enter inside.
• If you have any heart problem or if you are going through any medication you are again not allowed to enter the pond. Even if you want to enter the Kund you should take someone along with you.

They open both of the Kunds at 7:30 in the morning. Usually, there will be a queue of around 20-30 people on weekends. You have to stand in the queue before entering the Suryakund. There is a charge of around 20 rupees. After paying the charges, you will enter a changing room. There is a facility of washroom; you can brush your teeth and you will have to take a mandatory shower then only you are allowed to go inside the Suryakund.

For the shower, you will be given a cotton towel. You should wear only that towel and remove everything else during the shower. Once you have taken the shower, you can then directly proceed to the Kund bath. After entering, we freshened up completely inside the washroom the washroom is really clean and neat and there are around 10 toilets and 4-5 wash basins. It won’t be much crowded but there is a certain rule inside the washroom.

Many of my friends and entered the Suryakund, they experienced that the water was heavy along with some smell of organic plants such as Tulsi. The main purpose of taking bath inside the Suryakund is that the element water helps absorb more energy once you go inside the temple to do meditation.

Apart from that, it is also helpful in keeping the entire place well maintained and hygienic so that you can feel the calmness and faithfulness inside. The holy dip is Ice cold water and I think it comes to the mind and body and dividers of tension. After having the bath in the Suryakund, you are required to go back to the bathroom. You can then change your clothes to fresh ones that you have brought an extra pair from your home.

Going for the Meditation

After wearing the new clothes you can go inside the temple. Throughout the process, you are not allowed to speak. There will be a few persons standing in front of the temple and you need to wait in the queue before entering. There are different kind of slots that one needs to follow. A slot lasts for 15 minutes. So at max, you need to wait for 15 minutes before your slot comes. At the temple, you are not required to make any kind of noise in the premises of the temple and it has to be taught pin drop silence

Once you go inside, you will be given 15 minutes for the meditation. After 15 minutes, a bell will ring. However, if you want to continue the meditation, you should not come out. You can continue doing the meditation then the next batch goes inside for the meditation and it continues.

I did the meditation for around 45 minutes and it was completely refreshing and a different experience. There is a cafeteria nearby where you can then go and have juice or any other snacks.

Aarti Puja

At around 11:30 there will be a Pooja of Lord Shiva. That Pooja is also sometimes known as Aarti. Mostly in the Aarti, there will be a music bowl, some local instrumentals along with the classical raga. The pooja starts at 11:50 and ends at 12:10. If you are going to the Isha yoga center, you must experience the Aarti. It is a really different experience and different from other Aartis.

Isha Yoga Center Events

Isha Yoga Center Programs: Daily Events and Timings

Dhayanalinga timings

• 6 AM to 8 PM

Nadha Aradhana at Dhyanalinga

• 11:50 AM to 12:10 PM and 5:50 PM to 6:10 AM

Linga Bhairvi Timings

• 6:20 AM to 1:20 PM and, 4:20 PM to 8:20 PM

Aarti or Abhishekhma at Linga Bhairavi

• 7:40 AM, 12:40 PM, and 7:40 PM

Free Yoga Programs at Isha Yoga Center

Anmkar Meditation (Daily): 12:30 PM in audiovisual hall or Sadhana hall

Isha Kriya Yoga (Weekends)

• Tamil: 3:15 PM to 4:15 PM and,
• English: 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Thherthakunda Timings

• Surya Kunda only for Gents: 7:30 AM to 8 PM
• Chandra Kunda, only for ladies: 7:30 AM to 8 PM

AdiYogi Statue, Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore

After coming out with decided to roam around. There is a very large statue of Lord Shiva of around 110 feet which is one of the tallest of its kinds in India, called AdiYogi. It is made up of the iron. It is black in color. You can see people taking pictures over there. It is near the parking spot.

If you want to have lunch and any other snacks you can have in the cafeteria near the main entrance. The food is cheap and the quality is nice. After 10 o’clock, it becomes very hot over there. There will be a lot of people pouring in for the Darshanam. So, it is adviced that you reach early to experience everything.

Around 2 o’clock, we left from the isha yoga center back to Bangalore. There will be too much of traffic because you will have to cross the entire stretch of Coimbatore city. Crossing the city of Coimbatore takes almost half an hour to one hour. After that, the highway comes and the traffic reduces.

We started at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and reached Bangalore by 10:30 in the night with dinner, snacks and some frequent stops on the highway. The overall experience was really good if you’re someone who likes to experiences spirituality and different kind of things, Isha yoga center is one of the most beautiful places to see around Bangalore for you.

Places to visit at Isha Yoga Center

Adiyogi Alayam

Adiyogi Alayam has been specially consecrated and structured by Sadhguru to revive the science of classical yoga in all its glory and purity. At the core of the Alayam is the Adiyogi, a linga made of solidified mercury. The energy of this consecrated form fuels ones inner exploration of the yogic sciences.

The vibrant space of the Adiyogi Alayam supports the Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program, a 21 week intensive program held annually in which participants from around the world are trained to teach classical Hatha Yoga. In addition, the Alayam provides a venue for introductory to advanced courses including Samyama, an 8-day silence program which enables participants to reach heightened levels of consciousness and experience explosive states of meditativeness.

Dhyanalinga

“Dhyana” in Sanskrit means meditation and “linga” means the form. Dhyanalinga is a profound meditative space that does not ascribe to any particular belief or faith, and requires no ritual, prayer or worship. A powerful and unique energy form, Dhyanalinga is a doorway to enlightenment and spiritual liberation. In the metaphysical sense, Dhyanalinga is a guru, offering spiritual seekers the opportunity to do spiritual practices in the utmost intimacy of a live guru, something traditionally available only to a few.

Linga Bhairavi

Linga Bhairavi is the most exuberant expression of the Divine Feminine, residing in a triangular-shaped abode at the Velliangiri Foothills. Refined and raw, powerful and colorful, earthy, humane and mother-like, Linga Bhairavi is an absolute woman of ultimate proportions, fierce and compassionate at once. Whether a devotee seeks to acquire, enjoy, or transcend the physical and material aspects of life – Devi is the Ultimate Giver of all that and more.

Unique in her manifestation in the form of a linga, the eight feet tall Devi was consecrated by Sadhguru as a powerful energy form with a solidified mercury core. The consecration of Linga Bhairavi was conducted through prana pratishtha, a rare mystical process that uses life energies to transform mere stone into a deity.

Spanda Hall

The architecturally distinctive Spanda Hall and garden, a meditation hall and program facility is the venue for residential Isha Yoga programs and celebrations. The dominating feature of this space is the exquisite wall mural painting, depicting the life of the first yogi, Shiva. Measuring 140 ft x 12 ft, this masterpiece of art is the largest of its kind in the world. The style of painting, a dying art from the temple town of Guruvayur in the state of Kerala, uses only vegetable dyes and earth extracts.

“The word ‘Spanda’ means primal or primordial. The nature of the hall is such that we essentially made it for programs like Bhava Spandana. It is like a melting pot. Bhava Spandana programs happen extremely easily in the Spanda Hall because of the nature of that consecration. It is built in a certain alignment with the Dhyanalinga and Linga Bhairavi, which has a certain kind of impact and alignment.”

Isha Yoga Center Pictures: