How Can I Quit Smoking?

Kicking a smoking habit can be hard. In this, Sadhguru shows us how we can deal with physiological and psychological factors that come in the way of quitting. Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times.

Transcript

You must look for those things which will heighten your faculties,

Not lower your faculties.

Look at my eyes,

I'm always told,

There is a high.

When you can see better,

Hear better,

Think better,

Visualize better,

There is a tremendous high with life.

Because the greatest chemical factory on the planet is here.

Questioner 1 – Swamiji,

How to come off the addiction?

Sadhguru – I'm sorry?

Questioner 1 – Addiction,

Like smoking,

Like drinking,

Something like that.

No,

Because we know that's bad thing,

But we are addicted to that.

I don't know,

Because I do go for tennis,

I go for… Sadhguru – I'm sorry?

Questioner 1 – I go for sports also,

But sometimes we smoke regularly in three hours,

Once or two hours,

Once something like that.

But I know it's a bad thing,

I have to come out of it.

Sadhguru – I didn't say it's a bad thing.

I don't think it's good or bad,

It's just quite stupid to be smoking.

It's not good or bad,

It's just stupid,

Because this machine was not made to smoke.

This is an eco-friendly machine.

But now you're making it into a smoking machine.

That means it's stupid,

Isn't it?

A well,

Very efficient machine,

You make it inefficient machine.

Is it not stupid?

Is it good or bad?

There's no such thing.

Questioner 1 – Yeah,

We know it's bad,

But… Sadhguru – See,

That's the whole thing.

The moment you call it bad,

You can't leave it.

See,

Whale knows what's bad.

Why are you giving it titles that it is not?

It's just stupid,

That's all.

If you see something as stupid,

You can't be doing it every day.

Somewhere you feel smarter than other people.

Yes?

Questioner 1 – Not because of the taste.

Sadhguru – See,

Now slowly in the world,

People have gotten against you.

Just ten years ago,

If you blow it into somebody's face,

You felt great,

They felt stupid.

Now the equation has reversed in last ten years' time,

Isn't it?

Isn't it so?

So somewhere you thought it's a smart thing to do.

When you were just ten-year-old kid,

You wanted to suck in and blow it out into somebody's face.

It felt like a smart thing to do.

You tell me,

Smoking,

A machine that doesn't smoke,

To make it smoke,

Right now we're working so hard to make our car smoke less,

Isn't it?

Enormous amount of research into fuels and engines and everything is going on to make our car smoke less,

Isn't it?

A non-smoking machine,

If you make it smoke,

Is it stupid or intelligent?

Say it loudly.

That's all.

If you see that,

Slowly it'll drop off.

Now there is a certain chemical factor to this.

Your chemistry has become dependent on nicotine or caffeine and whatever.

That we will change.

You just see,

You do Shambhavi Mahamudra,

Suddenly your whole system is so fired up.

The need to smoke,

The need to drink coffee,

Tea,

Everything just evaporates.

Now if you do it,

It's only for the pleasure of it.

One day you feel like drinking coffee,

You drink it.

One day you feel like smoking,

You smoke,

That's up to you.

But the compulsion will be taken away.

The physiological dependence will be taken away.

We'll do that with a practice.

But first you see that it's stupid to do it.

How do we counterbalance the power of social structures put on by popular culture?

It feels like it sometimes holds youth in ignorance and has them carry out a suede perception of self-worth and can also lead people to destructive behaviors like drugs and alcohol because it's so cool.

It is impossible to escape,

What do we do?

I see it's a popular question.

See,

Instead of looking at these things as moral stuff,

Whether it's right or wrong,

Because never have we been able to really decide what is right and what is wrong,

Isn't it?

For thousands of years we have debated the same things without being able to arrive at what is truly right and what is truly wrong.

One generation thinks this is it,

Next generation thinks that's trash.

Yes or no?

All the time.

So let's look at it this way,

To enhance your life.

Is it the goal?

Is it the reason why you're in the university,

In some way you want to enhance your life,

Isn't it?

Hello?

Well,

Somebody wants money,

Somebody wants wealth,

Somebody wants knowledge,

Somebody wants relationships,

Somebody wants love.

Why?

Because you believe it'll enhance your life in some way.

Yes or no?

Enhancement of life.

We are not looking for money,

Power,

Love,

Anything.

We are actually looking how this can be little more than what it is right now,

Isn't it?

So if you want to be little more,

Is it important that all your faculties are little more heightened than what it is right now?

I'm just saying for simple ways of looking at things,

Suppose you could see better than the way you're seeing right now,

Would your life be enhanced somewhat?

Yes or no?

If you could think better,

See things better mentally,

Would your life be enhanced?

So essentially enhancement of your faculties is enhancement of life in many ways.

This question is everywhere.

Youth in India are asking me all the time,

Sadguru,

You have influence in the government,

Why don't you make marijuana legal for us?

I said,

Why marijuana?

I'll make cocaine also legal.

You want meth?

We'll make that also legal.

What's the problem?

The problem is just this.

So I asked them,

See,

Let me take you,

You know I'm a licensed pilot.

So not me but we'll get another pilot for you.

On a small plane,

We'll take you on a nice ride.

But the pilot comes smoked up.

You want to fly?

No,

They don't say no,

They say,

Ah… Because they think by smoking they're flying.

Then I said,

Okay,

You're not getting it.

You need a major surgery and the surgeon comes really smoked up.

You want this surgery?

Oh no.

So you understand it lowers your faculties.

If you think by lowering your faculty,

You will become better,

Then all the best.

All the best because you will need lot of luck and lot of blessings because you will not live out of your own competence for sure.

Yes or no?

This is why I think everybody is talking empathy,

Compassion because they don't want to live out of their own competence.

They need other people's boost all the time.

No.

If you lower your faculties,

Your life gets lowered or high?

Lowered.

Lowered.

So never use the word high again.

You say,

I smoke and I'm low.

This is… this is not a moral issue for me.

I have no morality in me.

But life should work,

Isn't it?

Suppose my eyes become dim,

Do I live better?

I'm asking.

Hello?

If my mind becomes dim,

Do I live better?

Why do people think by lowering faculties,

Life gets high?

No,

It doesn't.

It's just giving you an illusion like that for which you will pay a price.

At this stage in your life,

You must look for those things which will heighten your faculties,

Not lower your faculties,

Isn't it?

If you're interested,

You come.

I'll show you,

Wait,

Look at my eyes.

I'm always stoned.

Yes,

Look at me.

Never touch the substance because the greatest chemical factory on the planet is here.

Hello?

The question is only whether your ecstatic or anxious is determined by are you a good manager of this one or are you a lousy manager?

That's all that is determining this.

If you're a lousy manager,

You're importing chemicals from outside.

If you're a good manager,

You're conducting this the way you want and blissed out all the time.

There is a high.

When you can see better,

Hear better,

Think better,

Visualize better,

There is a tremendous high with life.

I want you to know that high,

Not foggy high.

Thank you very much.

Reviews

I only listened once but will listen tomorrow!

A wonderful talk, Not only about quitting smoking! Well worth a listen 👍🌟

Really enjoyed this quick talk, love the humour and how obvious the message is.

Thank you for the encouraging words

Thank you!!!

Thankyou for your insightful and amusing take on smoking. Very helpful.

Thanks

Subtle wisdom and some good humor. Thank you 🙏🏼

Perfection

Super cooleeo!!!

Tremendous aproach! Beautiful lesson on how to enhance our lives! 🙏

I don't smoke, but this talk is DOPE!

Great advice as always