Please call or email me for details.

M Vikram
Faculty, The Art of Living
Phone: 65219241
email: manikya.vikram@vvki.net
Blog: manikyavikram.wordpress.com

What is living life 100%? It means good physical health and a stress-free life, a good quality life. The 18 to 20-hour Art of Living workshop spread over 6-days gives you the key to living life 100%, to experience a quantum leap in the quality of life. The Art of Living course teaches “Sudharshana Kriya” along with other simple techniques in a fun-filled format. Millions across the globe cutting across religion, continents, countries, color, creed etc have benefited from the program.

Breath is the easiest route to achieving good physical & emotional health. Sudharshana Kriya is a simple rhythmic cyclic breathing technique. The techniques taught in the Art of Living program are widely researched. All Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS) and National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro-Sciences, Bengaluru (NIMHANS), amongst many other research institutions have researched Sudharshana Kriya and related practices.

Improved energy levels, good focus, cool temperament, a sense of well-being are some perceptible benefits that participants generally experience after the program. Participants often report many long-term benefits in conditions such as vertigo, migraine etc. People suffering from modern day life-modifying diseases such as diabetes, cardiac ailments, allergies, asthma benefit when “Sudharshana Kriya” becomes a part of their regimen. Professionals find their focus increase many folds.

The Art of Living program benefits everyone.

Join us for a free session on Monday, 18-April-2011 at World University Service Centre, 18, Spur Tank Road, Chetput 6.30-PM.

M Vikram
Faculty, The Art of Living
Phone: 65219241
email: manikya.vikram@vvki.net
Blog: manikyavikram.wordpress.com

A little more on breath before we look at other 3-sources of energy. When we breath, the gross body or the “sthoola sharir” gets oxygen and the subtle body or the “sukshma sharir” gets ‘Prana’. We are swimming in an ocean of ‘Prana’. It is the ‘Prana’ levels that influence most things, especially the negative emotions. Our judgement will be better when we are full of ‘Prana’ because our awareness will be high. Please refer to earlier post “MORE ON PRANA” on this Blog for more on breath as a source of ‘Prana’

The second source of energy is food. Food has a direct bearing on our mind. In Hindi there is an old saying “Jaisa ann, waisa mann”. Translated, it means “quality of the mind depends on the kind of food”.

A saint used to visit a king’s palace every day and perform pooja and Bless the King and his retinue. After the pooja, he would partake the prasadh. One day, after the prasadh, he took a silver vessel in which some payasam was served, putting it into his bag, he left the palace. The king and everyone in the court were confused. Why did the holy man take the silver? He just had to indicate and the king will have been more than glad to offer him much more. After a couple of days, the saint brought the silver back and left it at the palace. Every one was baffled. The king ordered a thorough inquiry. It was then found that the prasadh served on the day the sadhu took the silver, food grains confiscated from a dacoit caught by the king’s men was cooked and served!

Please see earlier post: “BEING A VEGETARIAN IS A SANER OPTION”

Tomorrow on “sleep / rest and meditation” as sources of energy.

Wishing you all a life of awareness and happiness.

Let us do a quick calculation.:
A 40-year old is actually 3.50-lakh-hours old. That is 40-years X 365-days X 24-hours = 3,50,400-hours. This is how long it has taken for the body to lose its suppleness, elasticity to stretch and relax. During these 40-years, the body has also stored various stresses in the tissues. That is why one has to be patient and consistent with yogic practices such as pranayama & asana.

The third key that Maharshi has given is “sathkaro sevitha” meaning with “honour & respect”. When one gets into yogic practices applying these three keys, one is assured to be in a state of “dhrudha bhoomiha” meaning “solid like a rock”. One can be serene & dynamic, serene inside and dynamic outside.

Your efficiency & focus on what ever you are doing will be 100%. Isn’t this what we all want? Will this not get you close to your goal in life?

Commitment is required when it comes to yogic practices. What is commitment? To do consistently that which is not very pleasant to begin with, but with time, the benefits become apparent

The second key that Maharshi Patanjali has spoken in his yoga sutras is: “nairantharya” meaning “consistent practice”

Thus commitment & consistency with pranayama guarantees excellent results

The awareness that you are yourself so full of ‘chethana’ opens up a different dimension. The awareness that everything around you is changing gets you to appreciate the dynamism of life. Look at your own body. Every cell is so active and changing every moment. Your body is like a great city. There are millions of micro lives on your skin, in the mouth, intestines. Millions of cells being born, growing, dying this instant, make your ‘body’. Your body is just like a great metropolis!

Every 21-day, you have completely new skin, constantly growing from inside out. Every few months, you have completely new set of bones. In a year’s time, every cell in your body is new. Your body is not the same that it was last year! Open your eyes and become aware that every thing is changing, growing, shedding, and springing back. Life is so dynamic.

Just become aware! Wake up!

How do we get ‘energy’ or ‘prana’?

There are only 4-sources of energy: food, breath, rest or sleep and meditation. Once you learn how to tap and nurture the 4-sources of energy, the key to a healthy & happy life is always with you. A life of awareness and fullness opens up. You will simply bounce back, whatever be the challenge. You will stay focused, resulting in better efficiency in what ever you are doing.

Like fish in the sea, we live in an ocean of air or ‘prana’. The breath is nourishing. Breath rids the body of toxins, especially the stress-generated toxins such as cortisol & lactates. In fact, breath is the major route for these obstinate chemicals to leave the body. Thus, pranayamas properly learnt and consistently practiced ensure both immediate and log-term health. We will look at other sources of energy in the future posts

The 6-day Art of Living course starting from 12-Apr at WUS Center, 18 Spur Tank Road, Chetput is a perfect setting for all to learn pranayamas and many other ancient practices in a thoroughly enjoyable and easy way

Cambridge Dictionary describes STRESS as “great worry caused by a difficult situation, or something which causes this condition”. Stress is perhaps the biggest challenge of the modern times. Even a child in the womb does not escape stress. When one is unable to handle stress, depression and all other related sequel set in. Going by the current incidence and rate of increase, in the next decade or so about 50% of the population is expected to be depressed, requiring treatment.

At the gross level, namely the body, the damage is very obvious and evident in early onset of a host of life-style diseases. Treating the diseases resulting from stress & depression is only treating the symptoms. The problem is deep-rooted and seldom addressed. The solution to stress is really at the subtle level, namely the mind. Let us understand this a little better.

A disease-free body & a stress-free mind are really health – SWASTHA

When we breath, at the body-level (gross level – referred to as sthoola sharir) we get oxygen. But the subtler aspects of our self, namely the mind (referred to as sukshma sharir) gets prana or the life-force. Yogic practices such as pranayama are essentially channelizing the prana. Pranayama are very scientific. The positions that you take facilitate better flow of oxygen and prana. For instance.: In kanishta pranayama, the three positions that you take anatomically facilitate the lower lobes, the middle lobes and the upper lobes of both the right & left lung to open up. Over a period of time and with consistent practice, pranayama increase the lung capacities.

No monthly statements to be settled and paid! You can breath all the air you want – FREE.

It is never too late! Learn and get into practice. Help every one around you to jump in too

That Rajasekar, the deceased inspector chose to interfere with nature and end his life is in itself sad. What is most apparent is that he was unable to cope with the work-related stress. In his case, his personal life also seems to have taken a beating, adding to the stress. It seems that only stress has driven him to the extreme step. Stress is probably sine qua non to suicides. The source and circumstances of stress may differ. A person’s inability to cope with it seems to lead to suicide. The factor common to inspector Rajasekar or the constable or any other person committing suicide is undoubtedly, stress.

Is it possible to avoid stress, especially in departments such as police etc? The answer will be an emphatic ‘NO’. But, the capacity to handle stress can be learned and ways to eliminate stress can be practiced, whether in the police department or outside.

Only by going through structured courses to learn highly effective yogic practices such as Sudharshana Kriya and Pranayama can people lead stress-free life. They need to be consistent in the yogic regimen too. Modern medicine backs this fact. Look at the huge amount of research on yogic practices and the beneficial effects on stress. Research shows that Sudharshana Kriya & Pranayama (SKP) lower typical stress-induced obstinate biochemical mediators. Another benefit is the cessation of addictions such as alcohol & tobacco with SKP, a bonus.

Can we, as responsible citizens, appeal to the policy makers to mandate proven methods such as SKP to police personnel and people in similar stress-prone departments?

Inspector Rajasekar was with me in the special courses that we gave the Chennai City Traffic Police a few months ago at the Chennai Police Commissionorate, Egmore, Chennai. There were many who quit alcohol & tobacco during the course itself. But, follow-up was virtually impossible, given the awful work hours and huge personnel shortages faced by the department. Initiating personnel into yogic practices and creating the environment to help consistent practice is the need of the hour

The 6-day Art of Living workshop teaches you to use the breath to achieve a healthy body and a calm mind. You get to learn ancient breathing techniques that rejuvenate and revitalize in a simple and enjoyable way, popular in over 150-countries