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Grammy-winning artist SZA recently shared her transformative experience at the Isha Foundation in Tamil Nadu, India, where she participated in the Samyama program, a deeply spiritual retreat that emphasizes meditation, silence, and self-reflection. Taking to Instagram, SZA described her time there as “profound and chaotic and beautiful,” revealing that she was disconnected from her phone, mirrors, and even eye contact for over eight days. Reflecting on this experience, she wrote, “I have no words for my Samyama experience… for a fundamental yapper, I lost my mind, then found it.”
The intense silence and meditation allowed SZA to dive deep into her thoughts, eventually finding clarity amidst the chaos of her personal and professional life. Despite feeling overwhelmed upon returning to the outside world, she shared that “somehow it’s all settling quietly and loudly at the same time.” She thanked the Foundation saying, “Infinite thanks to @isha.foundation @sadhguru @chekothari and EVERY Isha volunteer that took care of my mother and myself. My love for the process and this life is indescribable. Namaskaram.”
This wasn’t SZA’s first visit to the Isha Foundation, as she had attended the ashram in 2021, but the recent program had a particularly lasting impact. During her time there, she was moved by the music performed by students of Sadhguru Gurukulam Samskriti, a school operated by the Foundation. The school integrates academics with holistic practices like yoga, music, and martial arts. Sharing a video of the
performance, SZA was visibly emotional, remarking, “The scales, the syncopation, the runs… INSANE… they brought me to TEARS.” Hinting at incorporating the music into her projects in future she said, “I’ve already asked to sample it and sent it to the production gang.”
Sadhguru, the founder of the Isha Foundation, has described the Samyama program as a journey where participants realize they are “not the body, not the mind, and not the world around you.” The immersive experience, lasting for eight days, involves complete silence and focused meditation sessions, offering individuals a chance to transcend their karmic limitations and reach higher states of consciousness.
As she continues to express gratitude for this life-changing experience, her connection to the process remains “indescribable.”