Moved to https://freewithartofliving.blog

Hi all,

I have moved the blog to https://freewithartofliving.blog
Catch you there!

Art of Living and Religion

Pyrenees, France

Today's post is to dispel doubts in those readers who are confused about Art of Living's place with our personal religion.

Even though Art of Living is born in India and the practices taught come from India, Art of Living is not oriented towards any Indian religions. In fact, the longer I have spent with Art of Living, I have realized that nothing is further from the truth than someone associating the foundation with a religion, nor with any form of human identification.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar puts it beautifully: 'Do not accept or tolerate people for their beliefs, love people for what they are'. And, celebrating diversity is an important part of it. Everything taught in Art of Living is compatible with most religions in the world. From atheists to fully religious people from all religions, irrespective of nationalities participate in the workshops, social projects and especially in celebrations (Eg: World Cultural Festival 2016). Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has brought out the realization in us that we are all one.

Many may disagree with me, and I may not have captured the true essence in Sri Sri's message yet. Sri Sri challenges us to free God, to allow divinity to express itself in the infinite forms as it chooses to people all over the World. In fact, cultural and religious diversity is humanity's truth wealth. We should be celebrating our differences, rather than imposing our version of the truth onto another and destroying it.

I really need a post to explain the significance of Sri Sri to the World, and the genius behind his intentions. His ability to uplift millions cannot be underscored and the significance behind it is severely under-recognized by the status-quo.  India's gift through generations is its great wealth of spiritual knowledge. Just because this knowledge is coming from India, it doesn't mean one cannot enjoy it. We don't apply this bias when it comes to enjoying food, adopting new technologies or political thought?

Spirituality as I have connected with from the Art of Living foundation has allowed me to raise my level of awareness and learn how to walk on this earth like a white cloud, untainted and untouched by events, yet being fully here in service to my personal duties and the grander responsibilities as a global citizen.

I leave my readers with this: Never walk away with a piece of knowledge from anywhere without digesting and questioning it. And, never walk away from it as a result of your personal discriminations.

Satsang

Weekly Saturday Satsang at Art of Living center, Montreal

One of the beautiful aspects of my journey with Art of Living, is that it taught me the true way to celebration. And, satsang is one dimension of the Art of Living. In Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language), it translates to 'the company of truth'.

So, what really is Satsang? To explain that, Ill have to zoom to a few years ago, to my first 6 months into practicing kriya, I ended up back in Mumbai to visit family. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was visiting and a 'Meditate for peace' event was organized. I found myself there in a crowd of 100,000 people. After a talk by Sri Sri, we meditated and started singing a few sanskrit songs. That day, I felt something in my heart; a very slight movement within. It felt very strange, like the quiet click of an unlocking door.

So, when I came back to Montreal, I wanted to find out what it really is about and went to the weekly satsang. I later realized that really was the opening door to my inner joy :). When I go to a satsang and sing these sanskrit songs, a profound state of joy envelops me. Sanskrit and the words are specifically designed to instill a positive effect within and around you. So, when one soaks their heart, mind and body in these sounds in a crowd of happy people, and need I mention the beautiful instruments played?, the uplifting effect it has is very profound. The happiness washes away all negativity piled up through the week, and I leave feeling fresh, magnanimous and full.

The levels of happiness one can reach in satsang is unparalleled to the vices that attract us. I have seen it in myself and many people who come to satsangs regularly, it allows for our mood, energy, positivity and happiness levels to stay high longer and help us focus on the important goals in life.
When there is a balance in satsang, seva and sadhana, then one really has the true sustainable way to be their best, consistently.

The need for knowledge

Pyrenees, Southern France.

Today, after my short kriya, I read a very beautiful point regarding mistakes. 'A conscious mind can never make a mistake. It is only the unconscious mind that allows the possibility'. And, that immediately made me very excited about my ambitions in life.

So, today, I want to touch on the importance of spiritual knowledge. I remember Sri Sri Ravi Shankar saying once that the purpose of spirituality is to make you so strong within, that nothing can shake you in this world. Knowledge as people usually understand is through information collection and analysis of some form. But, true knowledge is what allows our consciousness to rise out of its shortcomings and grow, in every sense of the word.

I went through decades of schooling which was aimed at learning about the physical world, but no where has someone seen the need to teach us how to manage our mind. Students are thrown into universities to handle the highly difficult task of contributing to society through a specialization, but no one is shown the mind management that really holds the key to it all. A philosophy subject here and there attempts at scratching the surface by asking big questions, religious education gets closer. But, spirituality and the knowledge held in it, holds the key. To me, spirituality allows us to experience truth. Where science attempts to divide and analyze reality, spirituality allows the experience of it.

And, you gotta meet some of the awesome teachers that form the back-bone of Art of Living; the glow their presence radiates is so soothing to the heart and mind. Spirituality has allowed them to be some of the finest in their fields, all the while bringing a smile in the hearts of hundreds/ thousands of people around them. And, together, they have done some incredibly projects for the betterment of the societies they work in.

So, when I see what spirituality has allowed them to do: Be the best in their careers, make a significant impact in their communities and live life with a very light and joyous outlook, I can't but say that they have figured out the way to the best of humanness.

So, when I read today that by simply being aware of my actions I can make less mistakes, however simple that may sound, I am very right in being excited; the limitless potential behind the doors I am about to open.

My first experience with Volunteering/ Seva

Where can I start about volunteering? It has been an incredible journey over the last 2 years, as I discovered its joys and perks. It is the most precious gift I could have given myself: a means to self-discovery of my hidden qualities and talents, a sattvic atmosphere to push my boundaries and improve myself, and the sheer delight in watching my improved performance at school.

Seva is beautiful. Seva is any opportunity to make a difference in someone's life without expectations from either side. It is a dissolution of the self into an unsolicited act that has the potential for positive change. Seva has transformed me. I have always wanted to make a difference but was overwhelmed by the thought of going out of my way to help someone. Where do I start? Whom do I help? How do I help? I knew the World needs volunteers, but how does it work?

It all started the summer of 2015 when I was invited to stay after long kriya to join in a volunteer meeting for organizing the world's first International Day of Yoga 2015 celebrations . Art of Living was leading the efforts world-wide organizing events in most major cities. I just became part of a beautiful group of volunteers wanting to organize a free event to celebrate yoga in a big way in Montreal. 

Until that day, all I did was study and lead a self-centric life style. Every action had to have a measured benefit for the day/week. So, cycling my way to the center every week, indulging myself in volunteer activities without expectation was a delight when I discovered how powerful an activator it is to bring the best in you, around you and through you. Every act was a small push out of my boundaries, and my limited vision of my potential. 

That was the summer I switched from being a guest to a host in Montreal and began seeing the beauty of this world for what it is. The world has suddenly become my home and I have embarked on a journey to help my home one small task at a time.

And, for that reason, Montreal and its people hold a special place in my heart, as I am forever indebted to this city for what it has shown me. 

Our Sadhana and attitude towards it.

Seva, sadhana and satsang are 3 dimensions to a complete life. 'Seva' is outward service to others, 'sadhana' is true wealth and 'satsang' is the company of truth. Today, I want to talk about sadhana and in particular our attitude to it.

Wealth as we usually identify with is external, outwards; in the form of assets, relationships or fame. We are constantly lost in the pursuit of achieving this wealth and then, in the struggle to maintain it. But, true wealth is what allows us to be centered, happy and grounded independent of seasonal changes in life.

So, those of you who have learned S.K.Y have this tool that becomes part of your daily sadhana. By acquiring it, you have taken responsibility of your own wellness and have the ability to directly affect certain aspects of your life; be it mood, energy levels, quality of mind and health.

However many people who complete the Happiness workshop take the lukewarm approach in applying this tool, despite having noticed measurable changes after learning it. After the workshop is done, excuses from following through with the daily practice linger and soon S.K.Y is shelved. The workshop becomes a happy memory and life moves on.

As events sway from good to bad, negative thoughts continue piling up in our mind and stress becomes business as usual. And, as you begin seeking solace in external activities with/without success, S.K.Y is lost from you. As you play to the tunes of external events, you have implicitly put more faith in the outside world than within, the one true source of infinite refuge.

So, I urge those who have learnt S.K.Y and have seen its benefits to stop being luke warm and give it your best shot; with 100% of your efforts. Take the 40 day challenge and do it every day. Make a decision if S.K.Y is for you, on the 41st day whether any changes in life can be attributed to it. Investing 30 minutes a day for a high-potential habit is totally worth it, if it delivers.

Don't let yourself cruise life on auto-pilot not having reached your fullest potential. Our life is incredibly short. So, I ask you to look back over the last 6 months and observe if you have really grown out of your experiences and mistakes. If not, sit down and make an action plan to get out of this rut.
Do not give yourself a chance to do less than 100%, for that is the path to stagnation and regrets.

For today, I leave you with this: How willing are you to work for your own success and happiness?

Introspection on Gandhi's beauty.

Today is Gandhi's 69th death anniversary. I want to side track a little bit and write about him. My post will be a little India-centric.

Wow, its been a while since he died, or rather killed. Lately, India has been lucky; a visionary and inspirational leader has taken leadership of the country paving the path to great potential ahead of us. However, today is the day to reflect on India's roots, about its history and origin and so I shall introspect about Gandhi, my second favorite international figure through time.

Unlike most nations, India is lucky; it is born from one man's vision of a non-violent nation. Despite the bloodshed of religious violence marking India's transition to violence, that one man's word quickly prevailed in allowing a peaceful birth of India and Pakistan. India took its first step into the future, the non-violent way, providing an intriguing and unique case study for generations to come.

Many visionaries are born lucky: with a gifted mind or great wealth in one form or another. But, what makes Gandhi so precious is his averageness. He was simply average: not bright, nor gifted with wealth and opportunity. Yes, he was the son of a Prime Minister of a small province, and he got lucky to be pushed to study in UK, but he was a pauper by all standards and he had to work for everything.

Gandhi's humble beginnings in thought and intellect is what makes his journey through our 20th century so beautiful. Out of meager beginnings, he rises out to become one of the iconic, monumental and turning points of human potential. Gandhi's willingness to experiment, question and stand up to conventional thought was acquired. He was persistent in pushing his boundaries, challenge his every thought and grow out of his shortcomings. And, out came humanity's diamond, out of his self-effort.

His biography titled, 'Stories of my experiments with truth' says it all. Given a limited set of skills and resources by nature, he has used his self-effort to be the best possible. He has successfully advocated and advanced critical human values of equality & non-violence, encouraged the importance of self-reliance of rural communities, focused on the empowerment of the individual, cleanliness, self-governance, need I go on? His ideas were way ahead of his time. He was not interested in leading a generation of followers on his philosophy. He wanted to live it and show the world it can be done.

If Gandhi was alive today, he would have hated what we do in his name. He never wanted to be glorified, nor turned into a symbol. He wanted his words heard through how he lived. He wanted each of us to question, learn and grow fearlessly, to help one another and be self-reliant. He wanted India to grow out of its spiritual stagnation and work towards its betterment. Unfortunately, history took an acrid turn after his forced departure. His name was given to a family which used his name to rule India for majority of the time since Independence. Though his image lies in all corners of the country: from the wallets, police stations, government offices to street signs, his words were not translated into our life style. Youth waste away their life through vices bought with paper baring his very image. India will benefit a lot more if they spent a little time learning his message, than the energy spent in superficial attempts at patriotism, let alone the eternal wastage of time through other means.

Gandhi is not gone. He lives through us, his vision of self-empowered nations remains through every single one of us. He gifted Indians a nation built on very sacred values and has shown the rest of the world an example. It is high time our youth stop dwelling in chatter, see through the cloud and start working together for a better future; as Gandhi has envisioned for us.

Thank you Gandhi for your story. You have shown me that anything is achievable by humans, that a brave, fearless heart with a single-minded vision of the best can allow us to march through this misty desert and build a paradise for generations to come. You are forever in my heart, and I only hope that I will be my best and put my efforts on continually advancing my self-growth, while working towards empowering the weak.

And, I am happy your vision continues through the Art of Living foundation, a beacon for all youth to work for the best, nothing less.

Weekly kriya followups.

Today, I want to talk about my Friday night outs every week! Its the one thing I really look forward to. Moving to a new city is tough, especially if it is due to work. Where do you make the right set of friends? How do you create/ connect with a group and make meaning friendships like you had during school or growing up in your hometown?

For me, thankfully, I am plugged into the Art of Living network. So, when I moved to Toronto, all I had to do was go to a long Kriya follow up; eligible for the Happiness program graduates. Every week, all across the world, from well organized centers to residential basements, graduates get together for their weekly followup. All I had to do was visit www.artofliving.org, put in my coordinates and find the nearest followup. You will be surprised at how many of you have one right next door!

Not only do I get the amazing benefits from the long kriya group practice, I get to connect with dynamic young individuals who have amazing stories to tell. Sometimes the group hangs out afterwards for food, or get together for a nice meaningful volunteer activity. The beauty of these groups is that it is a group of individuals who value the positive spin added to their lives. So, naturally, the group is a highly sattvic (or positive) one. It is an environment that quickly turns strangers into good friends. You have to remember one thing about Art of Living: Everyone is family. And, you are treated as such. The longer I have spent time with the group, the more I have healed from my past issues, and the younger I feel. Its simply because it is the best concentration of good, caring, happy, dynamic, mindful and self-aware people you can run into. They have led me from darkness to light. And, believe it or not, I am academically and professionally more successful as a result.

But, more importantly, I am no longer alone.

Art of Living workshops - Happiness program

Today's post is simple, a brief focus on the first workshop offered by the Art of Living: The Happiness program.

The workshop is really to re-introduce us to happiness, experientally. A multi-day workshop, taught over a 3 day period, it is designed to heal and raise our awareness of our potential. Along with beautiful processes that are simply filled with fun and profound practical wisdom, the S.K.Y (Sudarshan Kriya) breathing technique is introduced. 

S.K.Y is simply marvelous. Consciously or not, every person has a toolkit of measures and responses to deal with various issues on a day-to-day basis, be it exercise, daily showers, a weekly house clean, or a simple phone call home. We develop our own ways to sustain our lives. However, they don't compare to S.K.Y's ability to thoroughly fulfill the primary intention: to cleanse and energize the mind and body to help us face life effectively and ace at it. On the way, it is amazing to observe how a long list of problems both physical and mental disappear with its practice. And, to top it off, you become part of the Art of Living network where you can plug into any corner of the world. And, you are always treated as family :)

Yes, its easy to over-state the effectiveness of any solution, but >350 million people managed to learn it in >155 countries? And, the tons of research done to its benefits (www.aolresearch.org)? And, the millions of individuals lead a transformed, fulfilling life as a result. Especially for people suffering with mental health issues, S.K.Y is a miracle. Speaking from personal experience, when you have a tool that gives you control of your own wellness, that instills an enormous sense of confidence in life and that is something no amount of mental health support can offer.

I have begun this blog with the one purpose of spreading positivity, but I want to encourage my readers to think about the intention and the reasoning behind my happiness. I have a Masters degree in Engineering, working for one of the foremost technology companies in the industry, so convincing me on something is hard without well founded evidence. Through my own experience practicing S.K.Y, observing how it has supported and enhanced me in the last few years, and especially the community I got to connect with as a result, I have gained a lot. And, this blog is my attempt to share my experiences and my journey as I travelled from head to heart.

Introduction to the 'Art of Living foundation'.

'Art of Living' is a beautiful organization. Founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the aim is simple: bringing a smile on every person on the planet and to realize the vision of a "One World Family".

What is it that attracts me to Art of Living as the single way into the future? Witnessing the world, I could only come to one conclusion on its functioning: scattered, unfocused and limited-vision entities attempting to make decisions for the rest of us, while poorly motivated actors failing to achieve the desired outcome beyond their own supposedly self-interests. I really see Art of Living as the key to the future because it dissolves all levels of barriers and aims to heal and empower the individual who is really at the root of it all. Art of Living provides an incredible platform for the individual to rest, heal, grow and re-discover the inner charm within. And, a group of happy, empowered individuals motivated to share and realize the grander goal of spreading joy and helping their community leads to some truly amazing things. Zoom out a little bit, and imagine what millions strong communities spanned across the globe can do?

Its quite simple really, in 35 years Art of Living has grown to be the largest volunteer-run NGO in the world. It connects cultures, religions, communities and countries in such an intimate way that my pessimism has turned around. Over 350 million people have benefited from Art of Living's programs world-wide. Innumerable Art of Living volunteers engage in wonderful projects all around the world: re-building communities, resolving communal conflicts, disaster-relief etc and the world is an improving place as a result (Some of my following posts will go into detail on some of these projects). Inspired by one man, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a platform has been created to allow for positive change to occur in monumental proportions globally and quickly. And, the crazy thing of it all, is that it is true.

The brilliance lies in the organizational structure of the foundation (arguably the world's largest startup), the unique and almost miraculous effectiveness of the workshops, a simple and profound unifying philosophy that allows for people of all faith and backgrounds to connect and work together, a beautiful and grandiose vision for the World and behind it all: harnessed power of the individual.

Ground reality...

The world is a tough place for most. Hundreds of millions of people suffer from an uncountable list of problems, let it be resource deprived communities, war torn countries, disease stricken neighbourhoods, or issues like slavery, lack of education, domestic violence. Our oceans and air we breath is a giant garbage dump. We rampantly and carelessly hurt our environment. One estimate states an almost 52% loss of biodiversity on the planet over the last 4 decades alone. In the mean time, entire countries are displaced due to wars, an estimated 46 million humans are subjected to some form of slavery, 2.5 billion people worldwide lack access to basic sanitation, let alone the discussion about electricity, education, nutrition, jobs etc.

When you stop looking at western media's selective news coverage and really open your eyes, the truth is inevitable; that the human way of approaching life is skewed in a very fundamental way. Why else do we keep repeating our mistakes and succeed in provide a heavy resistance to improvement? Be it for simple issues that we can fix: climate change, animal cruelty, preserving bio-diversity, at the very least voting for the right politician.

For the longest time, I wanted to change the world. I knew deep within the truth that 'nothing is impossible by humans'. Yet, looking at this careless, almost lazy way humans allow for disaster after disaster to occur deeply pained me. How can Earth be made into a sustainable home for the soon-to-be human population of 9 billion within a century or two? Yes, there are institutions setup to resolve this very problem. And, recurring UN millennial goals are striving towards that goal, but one cannot hope to solve the human problem by throwing billions into thrashing the place and a few peanuts saved up for the cleanup!

The key in resolving this I soon realized, contrary to popular thinking is in healing and empowering the individual.

Why am I happy?

The summer of 2014 was pretty amazing. Having discovered the Art of Living's Happiness workshop and having learnt the S.K.Y (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga) breathing technique, life turned around. It was like a light bulb going on in my head and seeing all this energy to finally live life fulfillingly.

Life began to flow. I had a melodious rhythm to life. I was able to organize my life to focus on my priorities and develop good habits. I was becoming better, and that is a feeling I loved. But, put all that aside. Why was I happy?

That summer, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of Art of Living was visiting Montreal. And... I got to hear him speak live and meet him in person. Not often in life do we meet people who are smiling and help us smile. Fewer still are people you hear going out of their way to help the needy. I have only read in history books of the handful of men who have left a mark in their respective century, let it be the more recent likes of Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi or Nelson Mandela. And, that's how I felt when I sat in his presence.

And, what felt more weird was when I looked around and realized the community I was with. A group of amazing folk who are striving to bring the world together, raise the level of awareness, joy and wellbeing in individuals and communities at large, dissolving the boundaries of religion, caste, creed, ideologies and bringing humanity as one. That's when it hit me. I have finally found a collective community spread across the world with the simple goal of making this world a better place, to elevate our level of human suffering to levels of epic celebrations. I was home.

My first post

Hello everyone,

Upon great introspection on the nature of the internet and its natural tendency to bubble up negative news and negative thoughts, I have decided its time for me to create a positive blog, a blog with optimism, a blog with enthusiasm, a blog with hope.

Every person has a great deal of history, unique in its turns and twists, in its joy and pain, in its successes and failures, and they have an amazing way to shape the individual. Its makes each of us unique and special in ways we seldom appreciate. And, we carry this history and experience as a burden locked in our hearts, minds and presence around others. Time seems to make us heavier and slower, weighing us down with history than 'lighter and better' with the experiences and knowledge living in this world.

Similarly, my life had its ups and downs, moving out of my home country when I was 13, going for an Engineering degree in Canada, barely turning 17. Life did its job on me, and turning 23, I felt I was 67 years old. And, one bright day, cycling home to work, I hit upon Art of Living, in Montreal; and that week was when I was really born.