Yoga excercises to lose weight

Losing weight brings a lot of dedication, commitment, disciplined lifestyle with it. Many of us want to lose weight, we try different diets, work outs, we circuit train and yoga too but somewhere down the lane we tend to lose hope, get bored with the training and give it up. The vicious circle goes on, and body also get tuned to these activities, the next time you hit a program – the body takes longer to break the pattern. Which means that next time you train to lose weight, you will have to put more effort to achieve your goal. One need to sweat it out day in and day out, fight the boredom, shred the inertia to get the fruitful results. Someone is going to smile over a period of time looking into the mirror.

Yoga can help to lose weight. The best part about yoga is that it leaves you fresher and more energetic than before after the work outs. Yoga considered being more of aerobic exercise burns less calories during the workout compared to other strenuous workouts which are as effective. Yoga has its own sweet ways to cut the flab. It is a slow process but it cuts the fat as a knife cuts the butter. Let’s look at the best asanas which can help you to lose the fat.

1. Surya Namaskar: 12 yoga poses combined to form a sequence called Surya Namaskar. It is the best yoga has to offer as far as the poses are concerned. It works on the whole body especially on the big muscle group. A beginner can start with a few rounds of it and gradually increase the no. of rounds. It helps to shred the weight and also known as king of the asanas.
2. Warrior Pose: The warrior pose strengthens the hamstrings, thighs, legs and ankles as the body weight is transferred on the thighs with the forward bend. It helps to stimulate abdominal organs which can help increase the stamina. Stamina built up can help you to keep going over a longer period of time.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Cobra Pose: This is the pose which works on the chest and the back region. The heart opening pose helps to take deep breaths resulting in more oxygenated blood being pumped to different parts of the body. The oxygenated blood helps to burn the fat. Helps in toning the buttocks too.
4. Bow Pose: This is more of an advanced yoga pose but not only helps in burning the fat but also helps in toning of arms and legs. One can feel the stretch in the abdominal region taking this pose. The stretch helps to loosen up the fat in the region. Continous practicing of this asana further melts the loosen belly fat.
5. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Side Bends: It’s as important to work on muscles in the stomach region as often as working on other muscles group. After a certain age the body stops to grow and the fat starts accumulating in the stomach region. Side bends helps to melt those love handles. These bends might not help to burn a lot of calories but will be instrumental in inch loss. Don’t be surprised if you need to wear belts as your pants will be loose the next time.

These poses can work wonders on the body but as mentioned before, weight loss is combination of many other factors which cannot be avoided. A disciplined lifestyle and eating habits can take you long way to the body you have ever dreamed of.

Yoga in the Office ** Please Share **

De-stress yourself at your workplace with yoga

Doing yoga in the office can be fun, innovative and relaxing with many long term benefits. Prolonged work on the computer strains the neck, shoulder and back muscles, which leads to tension and stiffness. Unless attended to properly, it could impact your ability to function effectively at the workplace, affecting your overall quality of life. Office yoga comprises of a sequence of simple exercises you can perform quite unobtrusively at your desk, at any time of the day.

Making office yoga exercises a part of your routine can work wonders as they wipe away body pain, fatigue and tension and increase overall muscle strength and flexibility, keeping you fresh and revitalized through the day. The exercises don’t demand much time, and can be done in spurts throughout the day, sparing you from unnecessary discomfort in the long run.

Suggestion: If you are wearing tight, uncomfortable footwear remove them before starting the stretches. You may also wish to loosen your tie and belt.

Here are a five office yoga exercises you could try for a start.

Neck Roll

1. Close your eyes.
2. Let your chin drop down to your chest.
3. Begin the circular motion of your neck slowly, by moving the right ear to the right shoulder, taking the head backwards and then bringing the left ear to the left shoulder.
4. Keep your shoulders loose and relax.
5. Rotate your neck 3-5 times and then switch directions.

Cow Stretch

1. Keep your feet on the floor.
2. Bring both hands on your knees.
3. While inhaling, stretch your back backwards and look towards the ceiling.
4. While exhaling, stretch your back forward and drop your head forward.
5. Repeat this exercise for 3-5 breaths.

Seated Forward Bend

1. Push your chair away from your desk.
2. Remaining seated, keep your feet flat on the floor.
3. Take your arms behind the lower back, keep your back straight and interlace your fingers behind your back.
4. Bending forward from the waist, bring your interlaced hands over your back.
5. Rest your chest on your thighs and relax your neck.

Eagle Arms

1. Stretch your arms straight in front of your body and parallel to the floor. Palms facing the ceiling.
2. Cross your right arm over the left (bend your arm slightly at the elbow if needed). Bring both palms together.
3. Lift both elbows. The shoulders slide down your back.
4. Repeat this exercise with the left arm over the right.

Seated Spinal Twist

1. Sit sideways in your chair.
2. Place your feet flat on the floor.
3. Holding the back of the chair with both hands, twist your waist to the right towards the back of the chair.
4. Turn to the other side. Repeat this exercise a few more times.

Temple Rub

1. Keep your elbows on your desk and place your hands on your temples.
2. With small circular motions gently rub your temples first clockwise and then anti-clockwise.
3. Do this for 10 – 15 long deep breaths.

Yoga practice helps develop the body and mind bringing a lot of health benefits yet is not a substitute for medicine. It is important to learn and practice yoga techniques under the supervision of a trained Sri Sri Yoga teacher. In case of any medical condition, practice yoga techniques after consulting a doctor and a Sri Sri Yoga teacher. Find a Sri Sri Yoga course at an Art of Living Center near you. Do you need information on courses or share feedback? Write to us at info@srisriyoga.in.

In one moment of samadhi there is a million years of rest

April 22, 2012


So we will recapitulate what we have been doing in the last two days.

How meditation can happen in many ways.

Meditation is a happening, this is the first point.

Second is, meditation is effortless. The key for meditation is effortlessness. It is not doing something but doing nothing and that is meditation. And creating a condition where you really can do nothing is all that is important to look into.

So how can this happen? We saw many methods or many ways.

Through physical manipulation, Yoga, Tai Chi, all these can bring a certain amount of calmness in the mind. Not totally but a certain degree of meditativeness can come by exercise and physical manipulation.

Second is pranayama. This is even more important because we have five bodies to us (Panchakosha). First is the physical body, then the pranic body which is the bio rhythmic force or bio electro-magnetic energy. Then, we have the mind or the consciousness; then the intuitive body which is a further refined consciousness, and then the blissful.

Usually we think the mind is inside the body, but it is the other way around. Body is inside the mind. I usually give the example of the Phantom Arm. Even though the arm is amputated a person feels the arm is still there, i.e., the subtle body which is still there.

So, through breathing techniques and breathing exercises, the mind becomes very serene, calm, and happy.

Then through any of the five senses the mind can become meditative. Through taste, smell, sight, sound and touch. Then through emotions; heightened refined emotions. Love, compassion, sense of service, all these can bring a certain degree of serenity to the mind; it becomes very calm and meditative. Through emotions you can attain the same meditative state.

Then through intellectual understanding.

One of the examples I gave is, when you go to a space museum or watch a space movie, then you see the earth in contrast with the universe, and how small this earth is, and where you are to what this universe is. That stimulation of the intellect brings a different context to life and makes the mind meditative. That little chattering mind just shuts off. The mind is chattering all the time, finding fault in others, or oneself, and suddenly you find all these things are insignificant compared to the vastness of the universe and of this existence. The awareness about this existence suddenly takes you to another plane of serenity, of calmness.

So through intellectual stimulation also meditation happens.

Q: Can you speak on how devotion can transform the ego in order for the self to be realized?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Listen, what is devotion? It is a state of Love.

What is ego? It is a sense of separation and a boundary; a wall; an identity.

Love seeks to dissolve the identity, love seeks to merge. Ego wants to maintain one sidedness. So they play different roles and they can coexist at different times.

So when there is love at that moment there is no ego, and when there is ego at that moment there is no love.

When you want to take up a challenge, love does not work, ego works. Ego can take challenges. But when you want to relax and have fun, at that time, ego does not work, love works. Do you understand what I am saying?

That is why nature has put both things in you, it has put love also and ego also. But if you are stuck in ego, it is like getting stuck into your shoes. You don’t know how to get it out of your feet. Then you are bathing with the shoes on, you are sleeping with your shoes on. You should know when to remove your shoes and be at home.

So love is the first thing that has happened in life. As soon as a child is born and it opens its eyes and looks at the mother, there is love. In that very first glance it receives love from the mother and gives love to the mother. But the ego comes at the age of three. Identity becomes very strong after three years and then it grows, and sometimes one gets stuck with that.

But when you become very old; most senior citizens if you see, there is no ego in them. They become like a child again. Past ninety hardly anybody can maintain their ego.

Before three you can’t have it and past ninety you can’t have it. It is almost like sex; there is an age for it, after that it is not possible and before that it is not possible. But they all have their roles to play.


Q: Hello Sri Sri, I have friends who feel that this earth is past the tipping point with all of the overpopulation and destruction of some of the natural resources, like the oceans, rainforest. A lot of people feel hopeless and hopeless. I tell them that there is a perfect divine order amidst all the chaos.

So, my question is, do you think that I am just blowing smoke above the wind pipe or the planet and the population will be just fine?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is good to be concerned, but not to be paranoid. There is a difference.

If you are paranoid you can’t do anything about it also and you just lose your peace of mind.

But at the same time you can’t say, ‘Well, God will take care of everything and let us just carry on with what we are doing.’ You can’t say that either.

God will provide us even if we exploit this planet a little more, somehow nature will provide more of that.’ You can’t say that. We need to definitely care for the planet.

And see, when the tipping point had come, this concern has come also. Nature or that big mind has put the concern in the minds of millions of people.

Today more and more of the population is concerned about the environment like never before. Do you see what am I saying? Today people are concerned even in small villages. In remote corners of the world they are talking about preserving the earth and organic agriculture, and not using chemical fertilizers. This concern has infiltrated into remote areas today.

At the same time, people are so paranoid, angry and agitated about it. ‘Oh, we are destroying the planet.’

I would say just relax. Don’t get paranoid but be concerned.


Q: What is Samadhi?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Dhi means the intellect and Samadhi means where the mind is in total equanimity; where your whole system is in total balance, that is called Samadhi.

Body, mind, spirit, everything is in such coordination and serenity. There are so many different types of Samadhi.

One is called Laya Samadhi, which is like, when there is some music going on and you are completely dissolved into it. You know you are but you don’t know where you are.

Then there is Pragya Samadhi, Asamprajnata Samadhi, etc.

Also, there is a Samadhi where thoughts are there, ideas are there but you are very tranquil. And there is a Samadhi where there are no thoughts, just a feeling is there.

So there are many different types of Samadhi.

It is said that the joy of Samadhi is described as – in one moment of Samadhi there is a million years of rest. ‘Koti Kalpa Vishram’ – million years of rest in a moment, is Samadhi.

It is also described that the pleasure in one moment of Samadhi is equivalent to one thousand units of sex.

So why celibacy happens to a Yogi is very natural. You don’t need to make an effort to be celibate; you don’t need another body to rub yourself on to find ecstasy. You just sit and there is a heightened joy and bliss that just wells up within you.

That is why celibacy is not a practice that you do; it is a happening wherein every cell of your body is in a sort of thrill and bliss. And bliss is what you try to achieve in sex. I hear sometimes one achieves bliss and sometimes one doesn’t, but people get tired. That is what I hear.

But in Samadhi you don’t get tired in spite of having that deep experience of joy. There is with no excitement, no feverishness, no tiredness, but an elevation which is energising you every moment. So that is why celibacy happens.


Q: Does meditation help one to come out of grief when a close one passes away?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, it does help.

Meditation definitely helps to come out of grief when a close one has crossed over to other side.

See, death is a very certain thing. Nothing is more certain than death, for sure. However you have lived your life, you are going to die. Successful or unsuccessful, you will die. Famous or infamous, you will die. Rich or poor, you are going to die. Healthy or sick, you are going to die.

It is not only sick people who die, healthy people also die. Everyone will die one day, so death is the most certain thing. You accept this truth, the reality and so you can say, ‘Oh you are gone, bye for now. I will see you few days later.’

Meditation definitely helps you to overcome grief. Not only that but when you meditate, the vibrations reach across to them and they feel peaceful.


Q: When there is a difficult situation, should I simply accept it or fight it out?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Fight it out, if you feel.

If you feel you have done your 100% and you can’t fight it in any way, then pray. Pray for help!

First you accept the situation as it is and then fight it out. And after fighting, again accept. A fight should be sandwiched between acceptance and that is the essence of Yoga.

Yoga means what? Acting with acceptance and with serenity; acting with the total vision.


Q: After death what happens to the soul?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Well, it gets ready to come back. It goes and stands in the line for another body. Millions are waiting to come back to the planet. That is why I tell people who have suicidal tendencies and want to kill themselves, not to do it. You have waited a long time and in a long queue to get a body, so don’t destroy it. It is very precious.


Q: Where was I before I came into this body?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Very good question! Before I got this body, where was I?

The consciousness is very ancient; the mind is older than the stones. I tell you, keep this question. This is a very important question. Don’t be in a hurry to get an answer.

In this very question you will find the answer, and you will go deep into meditation and much more. I am here now, but everywhere too.


Q: Do you need to set an alarm to come out of meditation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No, usually not because it can be too jarring.

But if you keep an intention that I will meditate for 20 minutes or half an hour then your eyes will open. You have an inbuilt clock inside that works with your intention.

Have you all tried this inside mechanism? Just put an intention in your mind, I have to wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning and right at 5 o’clock in the morning your eyes will open. There is an inbuilt clock inside you. Use it!

For meditation, sit for 20 minutes. Don’t sit for too long in the very beginning. When you come out of meditation you will forget where your home is and where your car keys are!

So, I would recommend 20 minutes or half an hour in the beginning, not more. It is not possible also to sit for longer. Automatically your eyes will open and restlessness will start coming if you sit too long. Don’t force yourself to sit for too long; 20 minutes minimum and half an hour maximum.


Q: Why do I feel hurt when I do meditation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Do you know why you feel hurt? It is because meditation is kindling that space which is love inside of you. It is bringing up the love from deep within you.

Love is connected with hurt; do you see what I am saying?

So you may feel sorrow, you may feel some emotions come up and tears well up. Don’t judge them at that time, just be with it.

If it becomes a little too unbearable then take some long deep breaths. Do some pranayama, some breathing exercises at that moment and then you will see it will soothe you.


Q: How to balance life while working for a cause?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, that is a challenge.

When you intend it, when you think it, and when you say it that you can do both, though they appear to be conflicting, you will succeed in your job and succeed in your cause.

‘I have a cause that is greater than my job’, when you see this then you can do both.

If your passion for the cause overtakes the job concern, then you will say, ‘No, I throw away my job, I will pursue my cause.’

It is a tough road to tread on but it yields a lot of results. It is more fulfilling in that sense.

Any big achievement needs some sacrifice somewhere.

If you want to be in a comfort zone then balance both ends. But if you say, ‘I don’t care too much about comfort. This is my compelling passion and I want to take up a greater cause’, then you need to jump in.


Q: How does singing helps in meditation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Singing does help. Singing creates a vibrant atmosphere and increases the prana that helps you to calm the mind and go deeper into meditation. So singing is a component.

Do you know that 70% of English language is Sanskrit? How many of you have heard about this?

Sister is swasa; daughter is duhita; go is gachcha. The root of English language is Sanskrit.


Q: Why has He created life?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Why should He not create life?

He has created life so that you could ask this question. If he would have not created, you could not have asked this question!

I don’t know. I have no idea. I think God needs better adviser though. He made things too complicated.


Q: How to accept the present moment?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Like now, this moment I have accepted your question, and I am here now. Got it? It is spontaneous.

The present moment is inevitable. Whatever exists is in the present moment. Even a future thought is in the present moment. Your future worry is not in the future, it is in the present. Even the past memories are in the present. You can’t escape from the present.

Your worry about the past is also in the present. You simply have to wake up and see the present is inevitable, that is all.


Q: Is anger good?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you want to use anger for something and it is in your control then it is good. If anger controls you then you are in trouble. Do you see what I am saying?

You can use anger as a tool, but if anger starts using you then you lose everything; the cause also is gone.

Most people do this. When they want to fight against injustice, they lose it and the very cause for which they are fighting is defeated. In third world countries, and all over the world, they burn buses, burn trains and cause so much damage. Behind every riot, they think they are fighting against injustice; any riot, anywhere in the world.

My interpretation for WAR is – Worst Act of Reason. There is a reason for which you go to war. Anyone who goes to war, they will justify the war. But it causes so much damage and doesn’t give you anything. That is why one needs to find alternative ways. Peaceful, nonviolent demonstration is the best, like the Gandhian principles.

We did this now in August in India. You must have heard about it in the papers. IAC – India Against Corruption, we are founding members of this. We did this movement without a single act of violence or disturbance anywhere in the country.

The Art of living was the main patron, main source, and all our volunteers made sure that no anti-social elements get into this anti-corruption movement.

Standing up against corruption and crime, it could have gone wild. People could have burnt homes, and could have done all sorts of things. But no, there is commitment to non violence. And suddenly during the whole time, the crime rate had gone down in the country. Everybody was standing up for a cause.


Q: What is sin?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sin is that which gives you suffering and suffering to others in the long term. That which gives you pleasure for a short while but causes you to suffer for the rest of life is sin. But that which may appear painful in the beginning but in a long run uplifts you, that is merit.


Q: What is the secret of meditation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There are three types of space. One is the external space, in which all the four elements are there. The second type of space is the inner space where thoughts and emotions come from; this is called Chit Akash.

Then there is the third type of space where there is only bliss. And these three spaces are connected, the outer space, the intermediate space of thoughts or the subtle body, and the causal space of bliss and of love.

So every time you have experienced some love or some happiness or some peace, you are in touch with that inner space. You just touch and go and it brings that energy inside you.

So with enhanced energy, meditation happens. And meditation also enhances the energy, it is both ways. When your energy is uplifted, then meditation happens.


Q: Why it is a challenge to be compassionate to ourselves?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Because we are in the habit of blaming ourselves.

On the spiritual path, the first rule is stop blaming yourself. This is a rule. If we can apply this rule then you will progress very well on the spiritual path.

See, what is spirituality? What is a spiritual path? It is getting in touch with yourself, the core of your being. Going inward to be in touch with yourself.

If you keep blaming yourself, how can you go near yourself? You will never want to be with someone who blames.

The biggest impediment for meditation is self blame. You can never be at peace, you can never dive inside and you can never transcend when you blame yourself. So never blame yourself.


Q: What does dance express?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, when you are happy, every step you take is a dance. You dance your way through your life. Wisdom makes you dance through all situations.

A movement stretched in rhythm is dance. Sound stretched in rhythm is music. Life stretched is celebration!


Q: What are your thoughts on a one world government and a one world family?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: A one world family is what is most practical right now.

I leave it to the politicians to think about a one world government. They have established The World Bank, but for a one world government I don’t think any politician will be ready for that, as of now. But at least if the United Nations would become more powerful and more proactive, rather than taking a back seat, it would be good for the planet.


Q: (A member of the audience spontaneously asked a question without a mike, hence the question was inaudible)

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Listen. You are breathing? Yes, you are! Definitely. You know it, I know it and everybody knows it.

So what is happening? The air is entering inside your body and the same air is going out of your body and traveling the whole world. Can you say, ‘This is my air’?

The subtler you go you can’t posses it or own it. On the level of the gross you can say, ‘This is my body.’ Definitely!

Even then, your body is emitting vibrations or energy all the time. You are losing energy and gaining energy from the cosmos. There is a continuous flow and every cell in your body is changing.

You are exchanging energy all the time. You are nothing but a particular vibration, a wave function, a frequency.

One particular frequency is called Susan, another particular frequency is called Jeffery, and another particular frequency is called Michael. You are almost like a particular TV channel.

Like from a tower different channels are aired and the channels can be caught in anybody’s home in any television.

You can’t say, ‘BBC is coming in my television but how can it come in the neighbor's television?’ They are the same waves.

Your consciousness is also a wave function and it has so many possibilities, so many avenues.

It is like the sun. When the sun has come totally inside your window, you can’t say, ‘Oh the sun has come into my window, I have captured the sun!’ No. The same sun will totally be there in the neighbor’s window as well, and all over the world. This is spherical thinking.

We are trained in linear thinking. If something is born it has to die, this is linear thinking.

Think spherically. The Vedanta gives you spherical thinking. The ancient people knew spherical thinking and that is why they use the word perhaps; perhaps this and perhaps that.


In Jain religion and Jain philosophy also they use perhaps. This is a very interesting thing to understand. With spherical thinking, the intellect is stimulated and it is charged to transcend the limited and see the truth beyond.

So the sun is here totally and there also totally. And you are just a vibration. As the body you can’t be everywhere, but as consciousness you can be in many places.

If you have touched a flower, your vibrations have gone into the flower.

Have you heard of biometric locks? They are locks that will open only when you touch them.

If you had spoken about these locks 20 to 25 years ago, people would have laughed at you and would have thought you are insane. Everything is possible.

So everything is just a wave function. The whole universe is a wave; a field of consciousness.



Q: Is refusing medication considered as suicide?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No! If someone wants to refuse medication and wants the body to take its natural course then it is not suicide. It is okay.

But if someone out of anguish tries to strangle themselves and end their life then that is suicide; as far as I am concerned. I would call that suicide.

Sometimes people who are in coma they are force fed or they are kept on a machine for a long time. What I would say for them is let them go naturally, don’t force feed them. This is my personal opinion, but there are different opinions on this issue.

When you know that someone cannot survive and cannot come back to being normal then there is no point in keeping them alive like a vegetable. I would say remove all the tubes and let nature take its course.

Our consciousness is very ancient

Bali, Indonesia

Wisdom from Sri Sri post

See the ocean, how non-stop the waves keep coming. It doesn't get bored.
Birds sing the same song, they don’t get bored. Every morning birds sing, all their life. They don’t get bored. It is human beings who get bored. ’Oh once again the same thing.’ And why do we get bored? It is because of memory.
You remember what you have done before and so you get bored. Memory is a blessing and also a curse. It is both. It is because you get bored that you feel the need to look for something different, something new, and that is how creativitycomes up; you look for the ultimate. Otherwise you could have remained like an animal doing the same thing every day. But you can’t do it because you get bored. Isn’t it?!
So in that sense boredom is a blessing. Because you get bored, you move on, you look forward, you become a seeker and you rise higher. At the same time, boredom is also a curse because it doesn’t allow you to be stabilized in one place; stabilized in yourself, and your mind keeps jumping from one place to another aimlessly. You get bored about everything and you can’t enjoy anything. Do you see what i am saying?
Boredom is a blessing when it leads you to wisdom. And boredom is a curse when it leads you to frustration and depression.
These are the two different paths that boredom leads you to.

You are bored and so you can’t enjoy, and when you can't enjoy you get depressed and frustrated. You go into that direction. Or, because you are bored you wake up and you start with a quest. You move ahead and you look into the self which is fresh all the time! The self is ever new. Because you are bored with the ephemeral, the surface, you go deep into the self.
Are you getting what I am saying?
So boredom is both a blessing and curse. A blessing because it takes you away from the routine monotonous life, makes you aware and brings life into you. And it is a curse because it doesn't let you stabilize; both!

People who are in love don’t get bored. Heart knows no boredom. Head knows boredom. But in life both are essential, the heart and the head. If you are only in the heart, it is no good. You become mushy mushy. And if you are only stuck in the head, that is also no good. Balancing both, that is yoga. Spirituality is balancing the heart and head together.

This is especially for those people who feel they are a failure in their life. Anyone who feels that they are a failure, just wake up! So what?! Life is so eternal.
We have 365 days in a year and there are so many years in your life. For one day or two days you feel you are wasted, life is a failure, never mind! Similarly, so many lifetimes we have come here; we have been here so many times and our consciousness is very ancient.

See, the full moon is there. So on one full moon, if it is cloudy and the light cannot shine on the earth, the moon does not get upset. Never mind if on one full moon you cannot see the moon rising, so what? The moon is still there. Like that, inside you there is potential, there is divinity which is so complete. If it has not come to the surface on one day, never mind!
You have all the great qualities. If some does not exhibit on some particular days, never mind.
Don’t blame yourself, don’t analyze yourself too much. Are you getting what I am saying? We start analyzing ourselves too much to the extent that we feel so upset and we go down. We are so hard on ourselves.
Never mind, in so many lifetimes, if one life is wasted, so what?! I am saying this only for those who are feeling very down. Don’t mis-quote me and take it for everybody and then say, ‘Guruji said waste this life time. Let me drink and make make merry and forget about any practices.’ No!
I am saying this to those who are desperate. Who are feeling so bad about themselves. I am telling them, never mind, wake up! These many years are wasted, never mind, don’t worry. Future days will be bright.
All regrets happen only when you are looking towards the past. If you are walking and your head is turned backwards, then that is called regret. Turn your head and look forward, then it is always bright. If your head is twisted, then you will regret, regret, and regret. Just drop it and move on.

Your hankering for pleasure is causing depression in you.

Your hankering for pleasure is causing depression in you. Wake up and see all pleasures are momentary. How long will it stay? 5 to 10 minutes you find joy and then it’s gone!

October 15, 2011

(Below is the transcript of Satsang with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.You can watch the Live webcast of future satsangs)

Q: Guruji, we have focused a lot on the solar plexus this week, the solar plexus is also known as our second brain. You said it’s usually the size of an almond but it grows in size as we meditate. Can you comment on the importance of the solar plexus?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Solar plexus is the center of gravity of the body. Your body can be balanced with a stick on your solar plexus. It will balance. And all the functions of the brain are done by the solar plexus, so it’s important. Your emotions get locked up there. And I heard from a doctor, a scientist he said that the solar plexus is small, but in those who do yoga and who are yogis who do a lot of meditation, it really becomes much bigger, almost 3 or 4 times the normal size. So then you have control over your parasympathetic nervous system and all those things. Also much more control over your body, your senses and your mind. That’s what a very well known doctor said, and it is also the experience of many people.

Q: Guruji, many of us who are surrounded everyday by electronic devices, TV, Internet, cell phones; do they leave an impression on us? Do the electronic emanations from all the devises have a harmful effect on our spiritual life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes you can’t avoid them. Use them but don’t use them too much. You can have one or two televisions at home, but having it in the bathrooms?! I don’t consider it a wise thing to do. At least in one place you should leave your mind to be free. Don’t keep newspapers and magazines in toilets and bathrooms. (Laughing) We should limit our use of electronic devices. These days you cannot avoid them. There is radiation everywhere, there are TV towers everywhere, and there are telephone towers everywhere. You hardly find a place where there is less electromagnetic radiation. In the ashram there is no cell phone, it doesn’t work, even for me. In a way it is good. So you come to ashram, there is no cell phone in the ashram, finished! No cell phone communication for ten days. But still internet and other things are there.

Q: Dearest Guruji, I’ve been noticing in the midst of the course that I’ve been getting emotions of love, which then change to fear, to hatred and then to love again changing from one to another constantly. What can I do to keep my consciousness coming out of love only?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Take life in its totality. Don’t try to choose, relax. Got it? That’s a trick. Because you always say I want only love. Suppose it doesn’t happen, you get angry. You’ll start blaming yourself, start blaming others. You will start blaming the technique, so the best way is to be hollow and empty. Allow things to come the way it is coming and move on further. Just be aware of it and then move on further. Only love should come is not possible, unless you are so detached from everything. If you have total detachment then nothing but love comes from you. And to grow into that level is natural on the path. Once you’re on the path, in this knowledge, you’ll suddenly see you are growing. ‘Oh wow! This is it, this is it’, that awareness just comes up, isn’t it? Tell me for how many of you it’s already happening? See look at that, so many.

Q: Guruji, can you please talk about who your Guru was or is? And also the tradition of teachers that you come from, thank you!
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I have already spoken about it in a Guru Purnima talk, but another time we’ll talk about it.

Q: What is the significance of looking at the moon and then towards the beloved in the karva chauth offering?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See festivals are celebrated with significant events in the history. You celebrate Christmas because there is a significant event. People celebrate Eid because some day in the past something good happened on that day. So, like that we celebrate. So each festival has a story behind it or has an astrological significance. Like that, Karva Chauth is the 4th day after the full moon, where women fast the whole day for the well-being of their husbands and then they celebrate and eat. This is practiced and there are some stories behind that. Like Diwali, several stories are connected with Diwali, the festival of lights, one being the coming home of Lord Rama after 14 years of exile. Another story is how a wicked person who was bothering everyone was defeated and when he was defeated he was asked what your last wish is? He said that on this last day on which I am exiting this planet I want everyone to light lamp and get rid of darkness and celebrate my leaving this planet. See that’s a very good wish of someone who was like Hitler, who tortured people. Lord Krishna wife Satyabhama, she defeated him. He was so powerful that no man could defeat him, but when woman stood before him, he took it very lightly. What can this woman do? But really, the woman defeated him. Krishna’s first wife defeated him and Krishna was behind it. The name ‘Narakasura’, which means man of hell; this came because he created hell for everybody and he tortured people. So then he was asked, ‘what your last wish is now that you are dying?’ He said my exit should bring light into everyone’s life. So everybody should light a lamp, light as many lamps as possible, celebrate their life, forget all the bitterness and celebrate life and so Diwali came to be. So like that there are so many stories. Karva Chauth, there is one story. There was a King Satyavan and his wife was Savitri. He lost everything and he lost his life also. When death came to take him she prayed and her sankalpa was so strong that she brought him back to life. The soul which left the body came back to life again. So that is known for Karva Chauth. And there are so many mythological stories. She said sun will not come and sun did not come for that many hours, whatever. Something like that, there are many stories. So Karva Chauth is one other festival. Celebrate, doesn’t matter for what; fast and then feast. That’s all life is about. Isn’t it?

Q: Dear Guruji, I have had thoughts of suicide many times in my life. Please help me. What happens if one commits suicide?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Oh ho! Suicide is the most foolish thing a person can ever do. It’s like someone is shivering in the cold and they went out and removed their jackets. What do you call them? Foolish! You are already so cold. You are feeling cold in a heated auditorium, in a heated hall and you go out and say, ’I’m cold, I’m cold, I’m cold’, and remove all your jackets. Leather jackets, your t-shirts, and your inner garments, everything you are throwing out. Will the cold become any less? No! People who commit suicide find themselves there because they are so attached to life. They are so attached to some pleasure, so attached to some fun and joy that they want to kill themselves. So when they kill themselves they find themselves in a bigger soup. ‘Oh my God, this restlessness, these desires which has created such an intense agony inside has not gone. Body has gone but the agony has remained’. It’s only through the body that you can dispel the agony; you can get rid of misery. Instead you destroy the very instrument by which you can get rid of agony. That is why this knowledge is so important. If people do pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, meditation they will realize that, I’m not the body. So what? What is it that I’m hankering for in life? Hankering for love? Attention? Money? Pleasure? What is it that you are hankering? These hankering are boiling desires and it’s creating this foolish idea inside you to commit suicide. Dedicate your life for social cause, for some higher cause. If you feel you have to commit suicide, I tell you I need you to do my work, (clapping) so you better stay back. When you think only about yourself, me, me, me, me, what about me, then this is what happens. Depression comes in. Forget about yourself, you die for a cause but don’t kill yourself. It’s worth dedicating your life for something higher. I need you. You come here do work there is so much work to be done; help me out. Know that you are useful to me. At least if everyone else says you are useless remember, no I am here born at this time because I have to be, I have some use and Guruji needs me, so I’m not going to commit suicide. Got it?! So, do my work, if you cannot do yoga, meditation, then sweat and do my work. And I have lots of work that I can give you. I can give some work for the entire nations and entire population. I have plenty of work to do. So whatever you need, a square meal I will provide you. You need a roof above you, I’ll provide you. I guarantee you, but don’t kill yourself. The human body is so precious you know! After so many different lives and different bodies we get human body, human birth. Being a frog, a scorpion, and being a chicken somewhere, being a mouse somewhere in some hole, and after being a cat jumping around here and there and a dog somewhere, and a bird somewhere, and worm somewhere, then you get a human life after going through all those births. It’s so precious. Your hankering for pleasure is causing depression in you. Wake up and see all pleasures are momentary. How long will it stay? See they are so momentary, 5 to 10 minutes you find joy in them and it’s gone. Then what other things do you hanker about? Some people appreciating you? My dears it has no meaning. People may appreciate you in front of you; behind you they may feel jealous about you. That’s what happens. They praise criticize you today, tomorrow they criticize you. So what? Do you see what I’m saying? What are you hankering for? Appreciation from people? What is appreciation? Just a few thoughts that are passing their mind and you think they are going to do it forever? They have limitations. So what? Good comments come; some people have bad comments, so what. They criticize you, so what? Those who criticize you are also going to die, so what? All finished! And you the one being criticized will also die one day. Why are we so much bothered about adulations, somebody’s appreciation, or criticism? Why can’t we just be our self? You know it takes such a big load off our head, not being bothered by anybody’s criticism, anybody’s adulations we are just ourselves, natural. If you live so lightly where is the question of depression? Do you see what I’m saying? So those who get these thoughts of committing suicide, it is just your prana which is low, so do more pranayama and dedicate your life to a higher cause. There are millions of people who are suffering more than you, look at them. When your suffering becomes smaller you will never think that you want to commit suicide, number one. Second, you know that you are needed, you are useful. You have to do something in the world. Know that. Third is, forget about what people think about you. People commit suicide because they think they lose their prestige, their status. What status? What is prestige? Who has time? Everybody is entangled in their own problems, their own mind. They can’t step out of their own mind. Where they have time to think about you? You know I remember a case of a very respectable lady in India, she was very proud about her family and her children. Her son went and married a girl from a lower class, lower strata of society. They are from a higher class and much wealthier and he married a girl from a very poor area and it was not a match because her shape and look was very different than him. It was very different. So the mother got so upset, so upset she said how can I go meet anybody. I cannot see anybody. And she went into such depression. I called her one day and told her, ‘look, who has the time to think about you?’ The whole time she was like, ‘how can I show my face to others?’ ‘How can I go to others weddings? They will all make fun of me’. I said, ‘who has time for you? It’s all in your head.’ She would not go to any other party, anybody’s wedding, nothing. She would sit in her own house; blame herself or her daughter-in-law or son for being very miserable. I told her, ‘no! You get up and go.’ You know it just needs that little push. Once she started going she found suddenly, she realized that yes, I was just caught in my own maya of my own mind. Everyone welcomed her properly, there was no need to put her head down and melt in such shame. These types of tendencies come because you think others are going to disrespect you. Many people do this. Honor killing that happens in Pakistan and other places, it’s horrible. Honor killing is not because God is going to be angry at you. It is, ‘how to face the society, how to face people around you?’ This is what bothers many people and they commit suicide. I tell you it is worthless; what the society thinks of you is useless. Recently it did happen, that one monk, a Swami wanted to marry. I said, ‘yes, you can marry, no problem. I don’t mind what people think, don’t worry what people think. If you want to marry you marry.’ But I said, ‘you don’t remain a Swami. You should write a one line letter that I don’t want to be swami because this life, monastic life is very difficult for me. So I would like to renounce this and not be a swami’, and everyone will accept. There is no problem. It’s okay he couldn’t be a monk he married, so what? But he said, ‘no, no, I want to keep it secret. I want to be a Swami and also live somewhere else in Europe secretly, six months there and six months here.’ I said, ‘I won’t like that. I would not let anyone deceive anybody else. This is deception. On one hand you pose to be a Swami and on the other hand you want to keep it a secret.’ I said, ‘I will not talk about that. Why you are worried what people think about it? Do you see what I’m saying? These are the things that because a person inner anxiety so natural and be open.’ I don’t find it is difficult, I find it’s the easiest.

Q: What if somebody commits suicide not because they are upset but because their body is in a suffering state?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Someone commits suicide because the body is in a suffering state that is okay. Suppose somebody is in deep, deep coma or has incurable diseases or something where the body is a big, big botheration. Then I would say it is okay, that is my personal opinion. But even then it is not the best because anyway you have to finish that karma. Why not just prolong it, whatever another 6 months suffering. There’s no need even there to commit suicide. But those people who go like that they come for short period to experience that period you know. That is the aborted children or children who are born dead. Sometimes these people have those sort of karmas in which in a short period they come to the world and they go and then come back again. But mainly we must realize that suicide is the worst thing and we need to help people who have that mentality. That is one of the major reasons that we should conduct Art of Living programs as much as possible. Wherever we can conduct that we should do. At least now they have something to hold on to. Do you see what I’m saying? When it starts, the breathing (Guruji breathing) and couple of bhastrika, it’s all gone! (Clapping)

Q: Jai Gurudev, can a Guru change the karma of a disciple? Basically stop something from happening or change the course of one’s life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, knowledge and wisdom is that which change the karma. You should read Celebrating Silence, Intimate Notes to the Sincere Seeker. The very first one I spoke about karma. Seven years we did it every week. Once every week we did the knowledge for seven years. I would send it to all the satsang groups. There is so much knowledge. Three hundred and sixty five days of knowledge sheets. You must use that, you must read that. You see what I’m saying? One knowledge sheet per day, that’s profound.

Q: Dear Guruji, is there anything in reality called negative energy or negative vibes from other people that can affect us? I have a tendency to fear certain people whom I think pass on these negative energies to me.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Listen, in the absolute sense, no but in relative sense there is. You can feel those things but it is not a permanent thing. It is limited by time. Like smoke comes; smoke is not a permanent thing. Smoke you could find in somebody’s farm when they are burning the leaves then smoke comes. But it’s not going to be there forever, you are not going to live amidst smoke 24 hours. Smoke comes and it vanishes. When fog comes, planes wait for that little time. Once the fog is clear the planes take off. You think planes are worried about the fog? No. It’s just matter of time. Similarly some negative energy comes, you feel it, you feel upset, you feel something in the stomach, you feel something in the body but it’s only for a few minutes and it just goes away. See it goes even faster with a few pranayamas, bhastrika and mediation. All this will chase away those negative vibes. Why do you have to be worried about negative vibes? You should never be paranoid about negative vibes. Negative vibes are just like passing smoke or fog. You know of course in L.A. there is smog but the people don’t leave L.A. The city is not deserted. Millions of people live there. It just comes for a while and then disappears. And negative vibes don’t even come as regularly as the smog in L.A. They just are there for a few minutes, at the most few hours and then they go. And you have the key to get rid of them. Excellent! And one more thing is salt. Bathing in salt or putting salt in the bathtub can also take away any negativity. You know why people feel so happy in the ocean? Because there is salt in the water that cleanses the subtle and not just the gross. But when there is mantra chanting it’s even more powerful than the ozone or salt in water. That’s the strange thing in India. You will find the beaches are empty, nobody goes to the beach. Do you know this? Nobody goes. Even if you go to Bali, the Balinese people are not fond of the beach. They don’t go to. Only tourists go into beaches. Same in India, you will find local people do not go to beach. It’s not a favorite spot. Maybe in evening they may just take a walk. If you are in Chennai it gets very hot so you get little breeze. They are not fond of salt water, going into ocean. People seldom do because there is no inner craving, that it gives more than the inland. Are you getting what I’m saying? You already get so much energy so your system doesn’t crave to go near the ocean or take a swim in the ocean to feel better because on the land mantra chanting has been happening for millenniums, for ages. So it’s still vibrant. So prana is already high. It’s not especially high along the coast.

Q: Dear Guruji, is organizing more and more courses and growing the organization the main goal of Art of Living or is it being loving to other people? Some teachers get lost in advertising, PR, so much that they become so much like business people rather than exponents of your love. They don’t represent you well even an iota but they do represent Art of Living. What can be done to balance this out?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It’s good. In the TRM (Teacher’s Refresher Meet) let the teachers sit and brainstorm and see what they can do. This is good; you need to balance, yes. You need to speak the language of the society at the same time the essence should not be lost, isn’t it! You know what is very difficult is to put Art of Living in one category; very difficult. You know why? Because it is such a heterogeneous group, it is not a homogenous group. Not everybody is alike, not everybody is same. It is so heterogeneous that you find the most educated and the completely uneducated. You find the worst case and the best case also and you find people who have just come out of prison too. You find people of all strata here. People completely cuckoo will also be part of Art of Living. And if you see four or five of them who are cuckoo you can’t say, ‘oh Art of Living is all cuckoo’. And you can’t say, ‘Art of Living is full of executive like people.’ No! Here we have the cuckoos as well as executives. An executive is also here. We welcome everyone. And you know I am caught here because the first thing I said, ’Accept people as they are’. (Laughing) And we have all sorts of specimens. Sometimes people ask me, where did you get this bunch of nuts? Its assorted nuts, we have all of them and we are tied up with them, and that’s it, we can’t do anything about it. Because I’m tied up with my own first course point, ‘accept people’, you know. I’ve never preached anything that I’ve not practiced. This is a fundamental thing. One thing for sure is never say anything that is not in your experience or which you’ve not practiced, simple. So you can never ever put Art of Living in one category. You can’t say Art of Living is all good people. No there are crooks also. And I tolerate them so that they can become better. If I also send the crooks away, where will they go and become better. I don’t see a better place. If I see a better place it would be a great relief for me. But so far I have not found any. If you find somewhere, someplace, tell me. I can pick them all and then show them the way there. So there are crooks. In the name of Art of Living there are people who try to be selfish and do things. But fortunately their numbers are insignificant, minimal. There are a few here and there that there is no doubt. So there are all types of people. So we must acknowledge that this is most heterogeneous group or place. So anyone holding any such concept in their mind, tell them you are mistaken. Saying, ‘oh all are bad, you are mistaken in that’. It’s in your head. All are bad? Impossible! Same with the society, whatever is society is what we are. In the society, it’s not that everyone is bad or everyone is good. There are all types of people out there, right? There is a proverb you must remember it’s a very nice proverb. When we were in school we learned it, even before we were teens we learned these things. ‘Adore the wicked first, and then thank the good man for the wicked is teaching you at his own cost and the wise are only teaching you.’ So the wise that is teaching you is not teaching at his own cost, but the wicked is going down, falling into a pit and warning you, you better not fall. So you should first thank the wicked and then the wise. This was a couplet we used to learn in school. It is so, so good. It brings that acceptance inside you. It shields you from getting paranoid and angry. Do you see what I’m saying? Either you are paranoid about someone who is bad or you are angry. And then you become worse than someone whom you think is no good. But when you know that they are teaching you some lesson, warning you what you should not do. It is such a shield, such a relief for your spirit to glow in its splendor. What do you think? It keeps the mind so clean.

Q: Guruji is it alright to do Reiki or other healing techniques on yourself or other people? I’ve heard that some healing techniques pass on the healer’s karma or create a spiritual debt. Can you speak more about this? Thank you.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, it does. It’s okay, sometimes you can do Reiki, it doesn’t matter. But I would say just meditate and bless, that is better. Blessing doesn’t bring you any karma, it keeps you free.

Q: Guruji I’m waking up in the middle of this course and discovering that I have played the role of a victim throughout most of my life. How can I step out of this role and not fall into it again.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You have already done it now. By not wanting to be a victim, you are already not a victim anymore. Got it? You know, when you go out to vote, you have already voted, so relax. You know, I’ve seen people ask, ’How? How? How? How?’, A student keeps asking and the teacher keep saying, ’Do! Do! Do! Do!’, and both the student is tired and teacher is tired. ’How? What I should do? What I should do?’ And teacher says, ‘Do this! This! This! This! This!’ So you have to do this and this and this and this but oh my God! But then, ’How? How? How? How? How?’ (Laughing). Relax. Don’t ask me how? (Laughing) Then I’ll be in trouble. You are in the train and train is moving. You are in the flight and the flight has taken off. No point in running in the flight from this end to that end, you are not going to reach any faster. Got it? Did you get the clue? Relax!

Q: You’ve said that many souls take bodies to cleanse themselves, to purify themselves for some other purpose of growth. Are there other reasons that people take bodies? And how did you choose this life or this body for this lifetime?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, one is you come to cleanse yourself. Another is you come to cleanse others. Two options; One is you’re a prisoner and you experience your sentence, whatever 6 months, 8 months, 2 years, 3 years or 20 years life imprisonment. Another is you are a jailer and take care of them and bring them out. These are the two options that I know of. And how you choose your parents depends on the energy field that you are. When someone leaves the body the last thought matters. If the last thought is about chicken you will find yourself in the poultry farm. So there are many stories in India about what your last thought should be. It should be of something wonderful, of service, of love, of compassion or something bigger. Think about God; think about some generous act or good people. And also first thing in the morning, there is a word in India which is very commonly used, ‘Pratha Smarana’. Pratha smarana means one who is worth remembering first thing in the morning. You know don’t remember your enemies in the morning, but remember the wise people. So you should aim at becoming pratha smarana. Everyone should become the one that could be remembered first thing in the morning so that everyone feels fresh and energetic the whole day. That’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?! That word is so beautifully called; people whom you can remember in the morning. And whomsoever you remember in the morning, the same person you’ll remember last in the night also. So whatever is your last thought in the night will be the first thought in the morning. I think this is in all traditions. Just before going to bed, mums tell the kids to pray, isn’t it? Pray before going to bed. It’s an ancient tradition all over the world I suppose. Just pray, think about nice things when you go to bed. And when you wake up first thing look at your hands and what do you say? ‘Oh let me do good things from my hands this morning’. You look at it feel let my luck be good, let my lines be favorable and let me do good things. Let there be knowledge, let there be good work happening, let there be good wealth coming to my hands; this is the Morning Prayer. The old ancient Vedic prayer is. ‘God of the wealth is in the beginning of my palm, residing in my palm. God of wisdom is residing in my palm. God’s valor is residing in my own palm. So let the good things happen through me’. This is how we are supposed to wake up and look at our hands.

Parents can give guidance to children

AOL fan blog: Parents can give guidance to children

Devotion is the zenith of Love

AOL fan blog: Devotion is the zenith of love

Daily Sutras - 7/26/11

AOL fan blog: Daily Sutras 7/26/11

Know there is a power that is taking care of everything & the power loves you

Wisdom from Sri Sri: Know there is a power that is taking care of everything & the power loves you

Believe in truth, honesty, love, compassion; these are the qualities of God

Wisdom from Sri Sri: Believe in truth, honesty, love, compassion; these are the qualities of God

You are here for others

Wisdom from Sri Sri: You are here for others

Yoga is a study of life, study of your body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, and ego.

Wisdom from Sri Sri: Yoga is a study of life, study of your body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, and ego.

Mahasatsang with Sri Sri at Vellore

Wisdom from Sri Sri: Mahasatsang with Sri Sri at Vellore

China taps yoga for ‘spiritual renaissance’ amid economic success

Article, TOI: China taps yoga for ‘spiritual renaissance’ amid economic success

Spiritual and nontraditional medicine gaining ground

Article: Spiritual and nontraditional medicine gaining ground

Now, infants turn to yoga!

Article: Now, infants turn to yoga!

Rest your mind & intellect in the Divine energy

Wisdom from Sri Sri: ‘Rest your mind & intellect in the Divine energy’

There is a way to get body, mind and breath in the rhythm connecting to the source of life deep within

Wisdom from Sri Sri: There is a way to get body, mind and breath in the rhythm connecting to the source of life deep within.

Adding Value to Education

The Huffington Post, 19th May, 2010

H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Only a human values oriented approach in education can impart true intelligence. Today, every parent envisions that their child grow up to be a well educated and happy human being with good values. However, education often fails to fulfill its true goal - happiness.

A child's smile, joy and friendliness are unmatched. However, observe the face of the same child by the time he or she passes out of school and university - does the child still retain that joy, that innocence that beauty endowed as an infant?

Is there a way to retain the innocence of children once they grow older? If we can, then we would have attained something really marvelous, because innocence is beautiful.

How can we introduce and sustain the human values of compassion, caring and sharing into our education system? How can we ensure that education will nourish inbuilt virtues of a child and that every child will learn to be friendly and giving even in a competitive environment? Is education only about getting good grades so that one can secure a good job later - or is it about laying the foundation for long-term prosperity of the society as a whole?

The basic human tendency to "give" is lost somewhere in the pursuit of an education that has a narrow vision and promotes selfishness and greed. Old and outdated methods of teaching warrant reform. Education must not only instill in students an appreciation for the sciences but also reflect today's diverse cultural influences. A good system of education must instill self-esteem and creativity in children. It must help nurture a free, un-obsessed, anger-free and relaxed mind. Such a well-rounded education system can also prevent fanaticism in young minds. Education's stakeholders must ponder on an education system that will retain human values and address the various aspects of life. Teachers are the single most important resource to a child's learning. Teachers and local authorities must join hands to create a class room system wherein a child learns to increase awareness and not just assimilate information.

Education reform should include innovative strategies that empower teachers to improve student outcomes and nurture their growth. Today, media, Internet, movies and video games bombard children with information. This information overload affects the brain's capacity to digest and analyze data, and often results in health problems like Attention Deficiency Disorder. Creative methods of teaching can help combat these issues and help children build healthy personalities. In addition to intellectually stimulating children, education systems must also include physical activities such as sports as well as ancient techniques such as meditation, yoga and pranayama as part of a child's learning process that will teach them how to manage their emotions. True education means more than pursuit of a certain course of study. It means a preparation for achieving life skills to attain not only one's dreams but also build a safe and strong community. When a child grows up with a sense of belonging towards everybody, he or she is ready to engage with the communities in a meaningful way. And by the time young graduates pass out of college, they learn well how to embrace their duties towards themselves, the nation and the world.

It is time that we came together to identify ways and means of restoring the respect, honour and dignity that education has had historically. The need of the day is a broad-minded education accompanied by a warm and caring heart. The function of education is to teach one to think critically - where intelligence comes with character. It is of no use if one acquires good education and then begins to look down upon others - or just engage in building wealth for oneself. A well-educated person is one who is friendly and compassionate, and is capable of selfless action. A complete education is one which empowers an individual to play the role of a global citizen in making the local community stronger and the world a safer and happier place to live.

The moment you are centered, you see divinity everywhere

Wisdom from Sri Sri, on Shivratri night, Kolkata, India, Feb 12: 'The moment you are centered, you see divinity everywhere.'