This week, the Art of Living Foundation will be offering its ‘Happiness Programme’ to all Guyanese, that is intended to impact on the quality of life and raise the happiness quotient of participants.
Currently visiting Guyana is Swami Prabuddhanand from India, the Director of Capacity Building Programs and a senior spiritual practitioner associated with the largest volunteer-based non-profit organisation of the world, the Art of Living Foundation. He will be spearheading the activities of the four-day happiness programme.
Founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the organisation is active in more than 170 countries. In partnership with the United Nations and World Health Organisation, it operates globally in more than 10,000 centers and has touched the lives of over 500 million people.
Speaking with this publication on Tuesday, the Swami divulged, “For a few more weeks, I’m here in Guyana and my purpose of being here is to teach the skill of art of living. Existence is a fact but living is an art. We all have our quotients, such as intelligence quotient and emotional quotient. But we have a happiness quotient also. We all want to be happy but to establish a self in happiness takes understanding and practice.”
From September 7 to September 10 for 2.5 hours daily, the sessions will be open to the public at their Lot 13 UG Road, Turkeyen location. The spiritual practitioner noted that Guyana is just one of several countries in South America being targeted in this leg of the activities.
The Happiness Programme is said to be experiential and interactive, where participants will learn and practice yoga, breathing and meditation, and engage in group processes.
“Breathing plays a role to tune the seven levels of existence, like body, breath, mind, memory, intellect, ego and self. Here in our program, we practice Sudarshan Kriya. It’s a unique breathing exercise which has to be guided initially, but once you learn it, you can practice it on your own.”
“In the Art of Living programs, we cover all aspects of life, especially our mind. We need to train our mind, know our mind and only then it will be easy for us to handle,” the Swami shared.
Travelling to the countryside of India and Europe, Swami Prabuddhanand has spread the ‘power of love’ to scores of outlawed groups through discourses and meditation.
His service has been sought by almost all the leading national political parties for imparting leadership training for their cadres and workers. in fact he has been helping Government of Orissa to prepare a more responsible and empowered society.
“Through numerous projects under the Art of Living, he has helped masses rise to their full potential, realize their responsibilities and shape their own destinies. He loves to explore the inner world and help people find solace in the outer world. He also trains the teachers and volunteers of the Art of Living Foundation. Passionately, he teaches vedic philosophy and conducts meditation programs,” the foundation noted.
