Bangalore, 13 Nov. 2011: The Art of Living ashram played host to 5000 people from all walks of life as after almost two decades, Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar taught the Sudarshan Kriya directly to the gathered congregation.
From Kashmir to the villages in Karnataka to countires such as Egypt, Russia, U.A.E, Australia etc, the diverse gathering comprised young and old, rural and urban alike.
For Mongolian citizens, Tseegii and Selbe, both 21 years old it was a complete stress-free experience. They shared, "We came down to India to attend this course for the first time. We both used to be very stressed and our friend asked us to come to this course. Now we feel very relaxed and peaceful after doing the Sudarshan Kriya taught by Sri Sri."
The program conducted by Sri Sri provided a perfect blend of activities to relax, rejuvenate and refresh with meditations, yoga and various interactive processes. Independent medical research has demonstrated significant fall in cortisol levels, known as the 'stress hormone' among Sudarshan Kriya practitioners. This suggests greater levels of both relaxation and resilience to stress. It is also found that it improves the blood cholesterol profile with significant drop in total cholesterol and LDL (harmful) cholesterol, as well as increase in HDL (beneficial) cholesterol.
Mridula from Nagpur aged 41 years reported an easing of her medical condition peripheral neuropathy and said, "Its not easy to sit on this wheel chair all the time. But the Sudarshan Kriya has worked wonders for me. It has given me the strength to live my life with courage and pride."
It was in Shimoga in 1981 that the Sudarshan Kriya- the powerful, rhythmic breathing technique was revealed to Sri Sri after 10 days of silence on the banks of the Bhadra river and The Art of Living was born. In the beginning, Sri Sri, himself used to teach the entry-level program but as the movement grew bigger, he trained teachers to conduct the programs.
Ever since its inception, The Art of Living, has undertaken a journey with a vision that encompasses the whole world in service, celebration and joy. After 30 years of being in service to humanity, the organization has touched the lives of 300 million people spanning 151 countries across the globe. Today, The Art of Living has evolved into the world's largest volunteer -based humanitarian organization.
