Art of living for good health
WHEN I joined the recent Art of Living (AOL) seminar, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew almost nothing about the course, except that it was started by an Indian guru named Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The only Ravi Shankar I knew was the internationally known sitar player. When an AOL volunteer named Nameeta Dargani sent me a flyer about the course a year ago, I paid no attention to it. You see, I’m not a guru-tripper and it seemed to be just another Indian meditation or yoga course. It turned out my initial impression was not entirely correct.
What got me into the program in the first place was mainly the insistence of businesswoman Julie Ang, whom I met in Cagayan de Oro during one of my seminars there. She took the AOL course and it changed her life.
She wanted me to take it, too, and even offered to sponsor me. “What have I got to lose?” I told myself. The next problem was finding the time to be free for five evenings and the whole day of the 6th.
Unexpectedly, my schedule cleared up when the AOL seminar was to be held. It was to be conducted by Hong Kong-based AOL teacher Ruth Kuok, whom I never heard of and whose background and qualification I knew nothing about.
Impressive
But I couldn’t resist the curiosity because I saw a lot of Ravi Shankar books all over India when I was there last September. I also found out that the AOL seminars were being held in 144 countries all over the world. That was quite impressive.
During the first evening, held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati, I saw familiar faces, some former students of mine and old acquaintances. Others were readers of this column. The rest I was meeting for the first time.
Like me, most of them knew nothing about the course or what happened there. They attended because they were persuaded by friends, relatives and graduates of the course. I learned that most of the work of the AOL Foundation was done by volunteers, including the teachers, who were not paid.
Kuok gave very little hint of what would happen during the course. She started right away with the exercises after a very brief introduction. Like lambs being led to the slaughter, we all just followed the instructions on faith.
There were simple yoga stretching exercises and then we were introduced to the breathing techniques which were at the core of an AOL basic training program.
Breathing for health
As a whole, the breathing technique is called Kriya. It consists of some very simple breathing protocol or rhythm meant to improve health in all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
We were not told of these effects until later in the course. We were asked just to observe the results, experience them for ourselves before we were given the rationale or explanation for them.
This was frustrating at first, but I played along and quietly obeyed instructions without protest or questions.
One thing more, we were asked to refrain from eating meat, smoking or drinking alcohol for six days. One lady participant was relieved that the prohibition did not include sex.
The effect of the first day lessons was very good. I felt completely relaxed and at peace; my blood pressure, usually elevated, dropped even before I took my regular medication. My head cleared up.
So I attended the next day, and the next, completing the sixth day to my great surprise and astonishment. I rarely could finish a course that long. But I made it!
What made me and the rest of the 40 participants (who were divided into morning and evening classes) stay the course? The testimonials on the sixth day said it all: Everybody found the program beneficial one way or another.
Two women said their insomnia was cured and they could now sleep without need for a pill. Others said they became less irritable and more at peace with themselves. A businesswoman said she became more tolerant of her employees’ mistakes, and so on.
The effects the participants reported are borne out by the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. The regular practice of the breathing exercises called Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayama, according to scientists, lowered the bad and increased the good cholesterol level; decreased blood cortisol and blood lactate levels (both associated with anxiety and stress); increased beta brain wave activity on the left frontal, occipital and midline regimen of the brain indicative of heightened awareness.
They also found that people suffering from depression and other negative emotional and mental states were greatly relieved through regular practice of these techniques.
I find that the AOL Seminar complements, and does not contradict, the Inner Mind development seminars that I teach.
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=37685
The only Ravi Shankar I knew was the internationally known sitar player. When an AOL volunteer named Nameeta Dargani sent me a flyer about the course a year ago, I paid no attention to it. You see, I’m not a guru-tripper and it seemed to be just another Indian meditation or yoga course. It turned out my initial impression was not entirely correct.
What got me into the program in the first place was mainly the insistence of businesswoman Julie Ang, whom I met in Cagayan de Oro during one of my seminars there. She took the AOL course and it changed her life.
She wanted me to take it, too, and even offered to sponsor me. “What have I got to lose?” I told myself. The next problem was finding the time to be free for five evenings and the whole day of the 6th.
Unexpectedly, my schedule cleared up when the AOL seminar was to be held. It was to be conducted by Hong Kong-based AOL teacher Ruth Kuok, whom I never heard of and whose background and qualification I knew nothing about.
Impressive
But I couldn’t resist the curiosity because I saw a lot of Ravi Shankar books all over India when I was there last September. I also found out that the AOL seminars were being held in 144 countries all over the world. That was quite impressive.
During the first evening, held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati, I saw familiar faces, some former students of mine and old acquaintances. Others were readers of this column. The rest I was meeting for the first time.
Like me, most of them knew nothing about the course or what happened there. They attended because they were persuaded by friends, relatives and graduates of the course. I learned that most of the work of the AOL Foundation was done by volunteers, including the teachers, who were not paid.
Kuok gave very little hint of what would happen during the course. She started right away with the exercises after a very brief introduction. Like lambs being led to the slaughter, we all just followed the instructions on faith.
There were simple yoga stretching exercises and then we were introduced to the breathing techniques which were at the core of an AOL basic training program.
Breathing for health
As a whole, the breathing technique is called Kriya. It consists of some very simple breathing protocol or rhythm meant to improve health in all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
We were not told of these effects until later in the course. We were asked just to observe the results, experience them for ourselves before we were given the rationale or explanation for them.
This was frustrating at first, but I played along and quietly obeyed instructions without protest or questions.
One thing more, we were asked to refrain from eating meat, smoking or drinking alcohol for six days. One lady participant was relieved that the prohibition did not include sex.
The effect of the first day lessons was very good. I felt completely relaxed and at peace; my blood pressure, usually elevated, dropped even before I took my regular medication. My head cleared up.
So I attended the next day, and the next, completing the sixth day to my great surprise and astonishment. I rarely could finish a course that long. But I made it!
What made me and the rest of the 40 participants (who were divided into morning and evening classes) stay the course? The testimonials on the sixth day said it all: Everybody found the program beneficial one way or another.
Two women said their insomnia was cured and they could now sleep without need for a pill. Others said they became less irritable and more at peace with themselves. A businesswoman said she became more tolerant of her employees’ mistakes, and so on.
The effects the participants reported are borne out by the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. The regular practice of the breathing exercises called Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayama, according to scientists, lowered the bad and increased the good cholesterol level; decreased blood cortisol and blood lactate levels (both associated with anxiety and stress); increased beta brain wave activity on the left frontal, occipital and midline regimen of the brain indicative of heightened awareness.
They also found that people suffering from depression and other negative emotional and mental states were greatly relieved through regular practice of these techniques.
I find that the AOL Seminar complements, and does not contradict, the Inner Mind development seminars that I teach.
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=37685
posted by Misteryo Philippines Network (MPN) at 11:28 PM
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