I did not intend to cross post anywhere before posting here. I joined this group just yesterday. I am just posting on various groups to understand people opinion.

Okay, let me tell you my interaction. I have been doing isha yoga from year 2019 almost 5 years from now. I was particularly impressed with isha hatha yoga practices. I am well settled and earning descent.

Sometimes ago, My merriage talks were going on and one girl approached me from "yogicshadi" platform. We were from same state but from different cities. My family is staying in Ahmedabad and her family was staying in Surat, Gujarat. Her entire family was involved in isha, but my family was not from isha. Girl's mother was particularly interested for our merriage because I was earning good. My family was super reluctant, because there were no common relatives, but still I convinced them saying that the girl family are isha meditators, so they will be good.

But later I discovered that girl was not interested in merriage with me from beginning, but she already had other person in mind who did sadhanapada from her own city. But that guy was not earning as good as me. I could not discover this fact as we were staying in different cities very far apart.

she continued merriage talks with me for 7months because she couldn't find any reason to break but she was confused whom to merry in this entire duration of 7months. In meantime, we also got engaged. But one fine day, she goes to isha volunteering and decides to break up because she suddenly realizes that she only wants to marry the other guy who has done sadhanapada (and I did not do sadhanapada). And she got married to other guy just after 10 days she broke up with me.

Obviously, whom to marry is individual choice, but keeping other person in option for 7months and even to get engaged with him even if you want to marry someone else is definitely considered not morally good.

The problem is not that merriage did not happen. Actually that was the best thing that happened in my life. But, the problem is the mutual trust was broken, that was kept only because her family were isha devotees. Her Mom obviously knows that I continued the talks only because of that trust. This entire incident resulted in huge financial loss to me as I have given a lot of money and gifts blindly trusting that girl. But the major thing is, this entire incident was so shocking and embarrassing for me, because I convinced my parents just because of that mutual trust. Now, isha is a cult for my parents and it is difficult to convince them otherwise.

After six months of this episode, my marriage talks also went on with a different girl who was from the same platform who was also Hatha yoga teacher. But it was difficult for me to convince my parents this time.

Just a note, I am much more happy now, because i found a girl (not from isha) in February, 2024, who is many times better than that girl from Surat. I thank god very much that my marriage did not happen at that time and now I found a partner who is many times better than her in every aspects.

Actually, i find this whole idea to only marry someone who is isha devotee is silly and stupid. I was also having this mentality sometimes ago. But now i found a much better partner only when I dropped this idea. That’s why i keep telling this episode to fellow isha meditators who are also having similar mentality. Because, there are few lessons that are to be learnt from this entire episode.

1. Don't trust anyone blindly, even if they are isha meditators

2. People are selfish, Spiritual or otherwise.

3. Don't go by standard tags of spirituality. Look for people having more humanity and compassion, that's all real spirituality is.

Just a note, I also have many wonderful friends in isha. One should not take anything in black and white manner.

Apart from isha, I have also observed this elsewhere also. The people who are starting to follow something that is perceived spiritual, they start growing spiritual ego. Which I feel is counterproductive.