It was a
beautiful January morning. I was enjoying the sun in my balcony when I heard my
mom say, “An Art of Living happiness course is taking place not far away. It
teaches you to remain happy and full of energy.”
This was not
something I had expected to listen early in the morning. “I am already happy
and no course can teach you how to remain happy in a span of six days,” I said.
It was as if my family members had already been expecting this response—they
started persuading me to join this course. But I was adamant.
Gradually, I got
curious about the Art of Living. I started looking it up on the internet. Many
participants praised the course on the web. But I was not ready to believe a transformative change could take place within a short span. Hence, to prove myself
right, I made up my mind to take part in this course.
My first day in
the course was boring. Yes, I was taught certain breathing patterns, which
helped me increase my energy levels. But, I felt this was taught in other yoga
classes as well. I had almost made up my mind for a refund. Just then, I
overheard participants talking about Sudarshan Kriya, which would be taught on
the second day.
This got me
curious. Sudarshan Kriya on the second day could prove me right—or wrong. So I
entered the workshop again, doubting it as usual. This day proved far more
interesting--we discussed so many aspects of life. Every participant could
voice his or her opinion. From each of these discourses, we learnt something
new. The small discussions were thought-provoking and brought a transformative
change.
Finally, the
Sudarshan Kriya was about to start. I could sense excitement among participants.
Ajay Arora instructed us. As advised, I didn’t open my eyes. Sudarshan Kriya was
a 30-to-40-minute breathing exercise, guided by the melodious voice of Sri Sri
Ravi Shankar. For the first time in my life, I got to know what it feels like
to honour your breath and to become one with it. The experience was
indescribable. What a chump I had been all these years! Not willing to join
this programme, thinking I knew everything!
I am really grateful that I had a wonderful
opportunity to explore myself and find out what my true nature is--Happiness.
In short, the Art of Living led to a stress-free, productive and purposeful
life. This course helped me in enhancing my life skills and taught me how to
fully use my potential.
This course
brought about a transformative change in my life not only in terms of an
attitudinal shift, but also in understanding life from a broader perspective. A
well-trained mind is your best friend and an untrained mind is your biggest
enemy. This course taught me how to train my mind and remain happy in every
situation. It taught me not only to have career goals for myself, but also to
have goals which will help me live a balanced and a successful life. Answer the
following questions:
Will you enjoy
getting a job promotion on the day of your break-up?
Will you enjoy
going out shopping if you are tensed?
Will you enjoy
driving your dream car if you have a backache?
You will most
probably say NO. But I can tell you that your answer will be completely
different if you’re a regular practitioner of the breathing exercises taught in
the Art of Living. I implore everyone on this planet to take part in this
course so that you all can also go through the majestic experience I went
through.
