For the last 3 years i have been contemplating taking up a Course that would help transform my life instantly..something with quick actions leading to quicker visible results...over the years, i have read Self-Help books, watched videos and tried putting them into practice but have failed miserably at it...
Well...i guess all good things happen when u least expect them to..one of these days i was grocery shopping and while i was waiting for the bill to be generated i saw this poster which spoke of a Beginners level in Art of living and it co-incidentally(thats at least what i feel) seemed to answer all my questions about a life turn around..
So after a week of thinking and re-thinking thought i d enroll for the course as it was a meagre Rs.1000(Considering it is equal to money spent over a weekend)...and from my previous posts u wud have realised that, Morning for me starts only at 10.00 A.M and i struggle to wake up before that..so just to put myself to test, i enrolled onto the Morning Batch, from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM...I knew it was quite a challenge for me to even do it...
When i told my folks that i wanted to go for this course, they were supportive but when i said it starts from 6, esp. my dad said, "Son, you just flushed Rs.1000 down the commode, cos u will never ever be able to make it" My confidence and dream of turning around my life took a unhealthy beating !
So instead of dwelling in negative thoughts i told myself, i will take one day at a time and also told myself that i m not out there to prove anyone wrong, the whole step is only for my own good...
Then Arrived evening of Sunday, May 4th, when i forced myself to sleep by 11(thats by all means, early evening for me) but did it cos i had to wake up at 5.30 ! On the first day, crawled out of bed, thanks to dad, who said he d only help me wake up the first day ! "Good Morning Irfan" i told myself as i stepped outside the house !
The First day was disappointing cos the Art Of Living(AOL) instructor proclaimed that you could change your whole life just by breathing ! I told myself, this is crap ! Cos i don't need anyone to tell me how to breathe, i have been doing it pretty well, ever since i was pulled out of my mother's womb.Nevertheless, thought i d give it a Second chance, and told myself not to lose steam. In the meantime, i shredded off people from my life, who constantly hurt me and called it ignorance...i asked then to "Get-Out-Of-My Life"...pretty difficult, but dunno how i managed to do it.
Second Day is when the Craziest Ride of my life started...i was up and awake at 5.30 and the best part is i didn't need anyone to wake me up.was a lil surprised, but shot down my astonishment by saying, i must be excited..This was when the truth was revealed to me...The Sudarshan Kriya.I will not talk about it here as you will have to attend the course to experience it, but this technique alone can transform your life..
The next 4 Days were a breeze, i woke up effortlessly at 5.30, even without the alarm..i actually would open my eyes at 5 and feel i m late for the course..and So my routine was go in for the course at 5.45, come back home at 9.15, munch up some breakfast and head to work, comeback from work at 9.30, finish up dinner and crash by 11.30..
Today marked the end of my course, and i m so happy, elated, excited,kicked about life, that i wanted to share my joy with everyone..This course has helped me
- Relieve Stress : Now i don't get worked up with small things
- Breathe properly and feel Energetic : I so damn needed it
- Wake up early : Now i have more hours in the day and i can do so much more
- Sleep : I suffered from Sleep Apnea for the last 5 years and believe it or not, 1 week of AOL and i have experienced Quality Sleep
- Learn t How to forgive and Move on : People who hurt you, don't do it on intention. Also, understood that you should let yourself be the football of someone's opinions..
I will keep you updated of more explorations and discoveries i d come across.
If you have any questions about art-of-living, then please do ask me and i will ensure that they are all answered(in consultation with my instructors)
Sri Sri Ravishankar, a message for you, "You converted this Atheist into a Spiritual being, by teaching him How to Breathe" Thanks again !
Note : Art Of Living isn't a Religious Outfit but oen of the world's largest volunteer-based organizations, an endeavor towards Peace thru basic human values. It has touched more than 300 million people spanning over 140 countries.
