Art of Living and I

Dear Readers,

Welcoming you to my Blog, where I wish to share my journey with you.

Art of Living has been an integral part of my journey of life. Doing the Part 1 Course, which was then called “Basic Course” was life transforming for me. My husband who was ill and down with Arthritic pain had to join the Course, but because of his resistance I went and sat down; with no clue what I was going to experience.

Today we are both Art of Living teachers !

The corner stone of Art Of Living is Sudarshan Kriya, a powerful breathing technique that cuts down stress and helps individuals focus on the present moment. Today this program is taught around the world as part of the Art of Living course. His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation, a UN affiliated non-governmental agency, and is the inspiration behind many charitable organizations devoted to the service of others.

Doing the course was an experience but coming in close proximity with Sri Sri who is lovingly addressed as Guruji across the globe is another experience. Coming face to face with him is experiencing the infinity of love. Tears kept rolling down when I first saw Him in Kolkata and had no answer as to why I was in that state. It was hardly important whether He was saying something or not. A most delicate feeling suffused every level of my being, as if a fountain were streaming from within.

In His presence, buds blossom, eyes light up and a wave of peace and comfort heals all wounds in the heart. A drop of love resonates in the stillness of Being, taking one beyond time and space into eternity.
Guruji was born in Papanasam, Tamil Nadu to Smt. Visalakshi Ratnam and Shri R. S. Venkat Ratnam. He was named “Ravi” (a common Indian name meaning “sun”) because his birth was on a Sunday and “Shankar” after the 8th century Hindu saint Adi Shankara.

He was a gifted child. By the age of four, He was able to recite parts of the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Sanskrit scripture and was often found in meditation. His first teacher was Sudhakar Chaturvedi, who had had a long cooperation with Mahatma Gandhi. He holds degrees in, both, Vedic literature and physics and also a graduate degree in Bachelor of Science from Bangalore University.

After graduation, Guruji travelled with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The 1980s saw him initiate a series of practical and experiential courses in spirituality around the globe.

Guruji says that His rhythmic breathing exercise Sudarśana-Kriyā came to Him in 1982 “like a poem, an inspiration”, after a ten-day period of silence on the banks of the Bhadra River in Shimoga, state of Karnataka, adding, “I learned it and started teaching it”.

Guruji’s ability to connect with people is perfectly effortless and His spiritual appeal, irresistible. To use the words of one of his ardent followers, Sri Sri is as compassionate as Jesus, as playful as Lord Krishna and as erudite as Adi Shankara. He has this uncanny ability of helping people unburden their stress-filled minds. His invaluable sayings act as balms for wounded souls.

Words by themselves are inadequate to express what a Master or a Guru brings to one’s life. His presence, His love, His grace and His smiling attention can uplift one from the miseries and the sorrows that life brings us.

I feel blessed and privileged to be an Art of Living teacher today.