the Art of Living course

3 hrs everyday for ONLY 6 days

Doesn't matter what you believe in
Doesn't matter who you believe in
Doesn't matter where you are from
Doesn't matter who you are

All you need is to give 100% to every moment in the course.

All the experience the Good Books talk about
Could be yours
The course offers that much and more.

Do It.

Check this Link.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/dec04_2/a2338

If you come across similar research do share them.

thanks!

Experiments with Meditation 1

1.Lots of stress in life...good!
2.Too much work...good!
3.Nothing is happening, things are stuck, slow...good!
4.Important deadline ahead, no motivation to give your best...good!

All these situations we have experienced at some level. Did you know these situations make excellent antecedents for great meditations? I have, only recently.

Let me start with situation 4. Important deadline ahead, no motivation to give your best..dislike the situation, yourself, rest of the world, but heck its got to be done.

I am in the last stages dissertating, I NEED to, HAVE to transcribe the last set of interviews, and these are so maddeningly routine, monotonous they are a tough job. I need to be more attentive cos I already hate doing it and put myself through this monotonous task of transcribing interviews, not 10 or 20 but much much more(6 hours to transcribe each tape)

So here I am one day at room 4G27, a tiny carrel, that the library offers free to future docs like me, and professors and other people who I suspect in previous life times must have definitely lived in caves. The carrel is about the size of a closet, enough space to sit, plug laptop and other research gadgets. Vastu Shastrically built to make you work, it is impossible to digress or waste time on any other activity. I betcha those rishis lived in caves for similar reasons. They must have felt the same way, you know, the same way to get to the meditation, keep meditating, till you get the answers to life, cos who wants to extend time living in caves!

So here I am again, one day...
I do everything I can to keep working, and today the mind will not listen. Usual threats / motivators - 'what will other people think?' 'as an art of living person what kind of example are you setting?' 'what will parents, friends, your clients, boss think? just would not work.

Cajoling, begging also did not work. I did every trick to get to the transcribing, but NO, today, my mind was rebellious, tired of threats, begging, tired of everything, and the carrel wasn't helping either -- increasing negativity, darkness, gloom, stress, all bad or so I thought.

I glanced at the Gift of Silence CD and thought, well let me do this experiment. Let me really see, and experience if the meditations by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar really help, I mean HELP. I have read meditations help, and I am regular with my home practice, yoga and meditation twice a day because its a preventive, long term kind of alternative to good health and a happy mind? You know what I mean?

I want a quick fix right now! I am down and out, mood is especially dark right now. Will it help? Can meditation also act as first aid, A QUICK FIXER to my current mood.
I did "Contentment" meditation the theme was relevant to my situation. I heard Sri Sri' words, and a beautiful quietness enveloped me. His voice, the meditation, don't know how time flew, I have no recollection. Somewhere my mind surfaced, and then it was gone, gone. Soon hearing instructions to 'gently open the eyes' and yes I was out of it. The researcher in me of course still had questions, well now that was good! So What?

I still cant believe how my hands reached for the transcriber, and just as easily I began to type and listen and worked for the next 4-5 hours uninterruptedly, there was such joy, the very work some 30 minutes ago my mind had rebelled so much. Unbelievable! I was able to move past the speed bump with such grace. No threats, begging, cajoling, whatever. Work flowed.

See, meditation works even as a band aid, as a quick fix, when you want to move past a speed bump life or work has just presented before you.

20 minutes of letting go followed by 4-5 hours of uninterrupted work by a calm mind.
Corporate Honchos are you listening?

More experiments with meditation in coming blogs. Looking forward to hearing from y'all!

Inviting His Holiness to Texas A&M

It took almost a year to get A&M to finally invite His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for a symposium at College Station. Of course it would not have happened without the support of people who came forward to help, and Srividya, a big thanks. Hmm, all in all, a moment for me to savor. Sri Sri will however not come this Oct 28-Nov 2, scheduling problems, so commitment will be worked for Spring 2009. But this is a move in the right direction, I am proud and happy.

But what a way to learn! My gosh, I feel I can work with any system, it just takes one step at a time, really, that's all. Now I am a big believer of chipping away a conservative behemoth like my campus and soon enough knocking on the right doors got us to send the invitation. And I love my university with all its flaws and perfections! Knocking one door at a time, meeting one person at a time. Hearing "No", "We don't this kind of stuff", "Its a great idea, but.." in all kinds of tones and undertones, polite, rude, short, long, well meaning, well intended, all sorts of responses, makes it more fun, when I look back and think. "Impossible" is nothing.

I would very much like to think the greatest road blocks for Art of Living projects, especially the few I am helping organize, comes from other AOL folks. This is an overloaded and subjective comment. I just wanted to say it aloud. In Bold font. This is a pet peeve/strong pattern that pops up in the heat of discussion. I never voice it loudly, it would take too much guts to spill. But Only because my identity - who I am, what I stand for entwines around the projects I have taken up. Even a hint of a critical eye is enough to trigger this drama sequence. I get too emotional to calmly explain projects which I feel should be very clear to everyone just because its Art of Living and importantly because I say so :-)

Another Seva related question. I am never sure if I should work at my projects the way I handle my work at school. For example, for school work, I will carefully handle politics, play "the cards" to make sure I am never short changed or blind sided, make choices that are not necessarily the "right things to do" but "smart choices". For AOL related work, I am all for passion, no compromises, give it my all and sometimes if I want my day to start well, I will first do Seva, which boosts my Prana big time. So this clear dichotomy works well, but I feel something is not right. Should'nt every part of my life be a cohesive integrative whole? I don't know. Its almost like I put all my mind for work and all my heart for AOL projects. This dual separation keeps my life in order and simple. But a small persistent voice says 'but that's not giving your 100% at work!"

Give me feedback.

hugs.

Everyone,

Hi, long time, no see.

Been up to the neck and more with work, excellent antidote for rising above mundane stresses, little dramas and other chaotic events that scale over to Tsunami propostions if left unchallenged.

Here I am blessed with good work. But in the heat of deadlines, pressures of comparisons, performance and fear of being judged I forget the "goodness". Insecurities and lack of confidence styme my efforts, my mind from giving a 100%. Time and again this is the hardest part of me. To believe in myself, value my thoughts, expressions, count my blessings and keep that smile, damn, since when did that get so hard.

I am a vending machine. OK, thats out, phew, now I can begin taking small steps being with my patterns. I have a huge respect for them, cos with not a moment's notice, they rear up and seem to take total control over me. Its like those bhoot's and bhootinis appear in the darkness of my mind and heart. Whooosh, hihihihihi..funny ever noticed those ghostly things come only in the dark? I need knowledge only if my mind will be open, need to be centered, need that , need this, if only, but ....whatever.

Some tears, then more tears...as frustrations build up, feeling helpless, thats routine and a toe hold in facing up to my patterns. Myabe they will loosen their hold, if I am helpless enough, frustrated enough, that I give up all efforts, cos nothing works, right? Then there is peace, for some time, before the next pattern-wave rises and ....subsides. Hearkens me back to 9th grade physics, wave theory, blah, blah... remember waves surround us, periodic disturbances propogating in space and time.

and as an extension (lots of higher level physics folks read my blog, so bear with me and be nice if you can)

- doing regular sadhana reduces amplitude (right?) i.e. how far I get displaced from the center/source AND

I wonder when I believe I am strongly connected to the Source (at the other end, so to speak), then no amount of tugging, sharply pulling and quickly releasing my string will trigger wave disturbances of big proportions? and yada yada yada.

Bring the comments, no strings attached.

hugs and L from the wave.





love, hugs and

Opposite Values

Its your turn people! Tell me, what do you think are opposite values, and how do they impact our lives?