STUMBLING INTO HAPPINESS

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.