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Our country occupies to small territory of 52.100 square Kilometers in Central the American Isthmus, it has 4.5 million inhabitants and stands out for its beautiful places, its extraordinary flora and fauna, the state and institutional protection to the biodiversity and the environment. Happily it has been blessed, when receiving the shops for the spiritual growth and the personal development that it imparts of the Foundation The Art of Living, from the nineties.
In those days Nalini ended up becoming trained in breathing techniques, going in first instance to the universities professors and then, little by little, to all type of desirous people of experiencing the big changes that you experience in the shops. Later on it arrived Marjorie Poiriers and Martine Cotinat and among these instructors they forged the bases of what is nowadays the Foundation in Costa Rica.
Through these years we have also had instructors of other countries like Panama, Canada and United States of North America. (Joan Goodrum, Emilia Vignoli, Sandra Cumberbatch, Melissa Beinwonder, Priti Mathur). Recently we have a Costa Rican instructor of basic course and YES, Luis Diego Cob that resides in Mexico. Also, two instructors of RAS, Flory Moreno and Martha Colmenares.
For many years the basic courses were only imparted in the capital, organized by Flory Moreno, Emma Zamora and several collaborators. Starting from the year 2004 there were organized the first courses in Ciudad Quesada, San Carlos, located to 100 km of the capital. From then on not only Satsang is carried out in the capital but also in this city.
H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has visited us in five wonderful occasions: three in the decade of the ninety, one in May of the 2001, another in May of the 2004.
The first opportunity went in to the year 1996 in an almost intimate encounter with the few ones devotes who followed him then.
In the second time, he gave us a hearing in the School of Engineers and Architects from Costa Rica.
In the third one, he came to the Supreme Court of Justice’s Auditory .
The fourth time we shared the Satsang and a lunch in one of the hotels of the capital and in the night thousands of people enjoyed his Presence and teachings in the Teatro Melico Salazar.
In the last occasion, it was so much the love in our hearts and so big the yearning to see him that made a brief scale on the way to Panama in San José spite of not having us in his calendar. Plethoric of happiness we shared a Satsang in which filled us with love, peace and happiness and he named the current committee which conforms the Directive Meeting of the Foundation The Art of Living Costa Rica, legally established in the year 2000.
In Costa Rica approximately 2.500 people have taken the breathing courses and other 150 people have taken the meditation courses. If the achievements of the Foundation are analysed in Costa Rica, one can affirm that these are centered in the individual benefits that people have obtained when learning and practicing the Sudarshan Kriya and the other breathing techniques. In one or another way these benefits have been passed over to the families and people close of the students of The Art of Living, because the positive change that they have experienced so much in their health, like in their interior, it is transmitted among other things in better interpersonal relationships.
The general achievements correspond to those that are given with more frequency in people who have carried out the courses. Testimonies stand out from people who have stopped to smoke after 20 years of having the bad habit; people who have left ingesting medications, antidepressants or sleeping pill that recover their physical vitality, the peace and the tranquillity. People have improved their personal relationships with their children, they recognize that they turn into another ones, it is observed in their faces when they enter to the course and then when they leave and later on, when one speaks with them. The breathing techniques take to people toward inside. People manifest that they have on hands valuable techniques which can help them in any moment.
The personal testimonies are many and only some of them have been selected:
I had around three years of not sleeping appropriately since I should take care of my sick son. This kept me stressed, I had chest pain, and suffered a rhythm heart disease. One night I prayed to Jesus for Mercy to help me because I felt so exhausted. Three days later watching television I found out about the breathing courses and I carried out a small practice directed by instructor Naline who motivated me to take the course. It impacted me a lot in that moment the sweetness and the love that it reflected her and the importance that had the inhalation and the exhalation and I took conscience that I didn't know how to breathe appropriately. When I carried out the first breathing course I experienced an ecstasy and a great liberation, starting from the second Kriya I was removed from the pain in my chest, I didn't have fainting until today's day.
Flory Moreno
I suffered an intense emotional worn out, because during about 25 years I had to confront very hard situations in my life. I took antidepressants, anxiety pills and sleeping pill until arriving to the point of staying medicated the whole time with quite high doses, besides I took pills for the gastritis and constantly suffered ending up developing ulcers.
I took the Basic course of the Art of Living in the year 2000 feeling big changes and benefits. I have also taken several advanced courses having the enormous privilege of sharing with Sri Sri and a good day I will never forget I looked to his eyes saying to him: Sri Sri, I am very bad, please help me", He looked at me very tenderly and smiled me and he said: "You are going to be well..."
Since that moment I quit to the pills so quickly and without any secondary effect that the doctors cannot explained ace I achieved it without taking to severe toxin neutralizing program taking into account the high doses and the long term of consumption.
Nowadays, after two years , I am part of the Directive Meeting of the Foundation among other activities and I feel that I don't need any external resource to survive. The Art of Living and Sri Sri had provided me of all the internal resources that I need to be able to live happy.
Eva Rubinstein
I took the basic Course in the year 1997 with the dear Enrique Ferreira like Instructor. For those days I was extremely affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis and an Anaemia which practically had me with very scarce mobility, to the point that I arrived to the course almost carried by my friends and course partners. That weekend was wonderful, during the first Kriya, Enrique had to wake me up from time to time because I felt asleep due to my condition; but a second it was the explosion: I began to cry and to cry without being able to stop and I felt like to cry with fury but I didn't know why. In certain moment I stopped to weeping and such a wave of laughs came and laughter that literally failed on the floor. I returned home without any pain and with an overflowing happiness. My husband and my son were with their open mouth, when they saw me go up the house stairways, dancing Cumbia!!!! They had seen me go up them very slowly, with a lot of difficulty, leaning on in the handrails or sitting, rotating the steps. The physical recovery was alone a flash of the changes in my interior: today I know what the forgiveness is, the happiness, is the detachment, the happiness, and many other beautiful things. I am instructor of RAS., I collaborate with the administrative part of the Foundation and with the Books and Tapes sales. I give thanks to Sri Sri and I am willing to serve Him and the Foundation in the whatever way He wishes.
Martha de Colmenares
Everything began after my father death he had a long sickness. My health began to deteriorate, feeling muscular pains at my hip level, legs and back. My sleep was altered, to the point of spending complete nights without sleeping. Besides feeling fatigued without carrying out physical effort, and prevented me to carry out my daily routines.
I looked for help with a rheumatologist who diagnosed me rheumatic related illness and prescribed me a series of medications to be taken, in order to reconcile my sleep
( drugs), to mitigate the fatigue and the pain.
I began the school year 2004 with a lot of uneasiness which forced me to very often incapacities and I will generally work without willingness of carrying out any task, this motivated me to begin looking for other alternatives to improve my health.
I informed myself of the breathing courses and I attended the basic course. The instructor of that basic course advised me to continue with the silence course, reason why I attended the course on September of the 2004 in San Carlos.
During this course I began to feel great well-being at a physical level, reason why I decided to stop to take the medications for pain and fatigue, but I continued with the sleeping medicine. After finishing the course, I left the medications to get sleep and until today's day I don't require of any medication and I apply in my daily life the basic principles of the Foundation the Art of Living, which has allowed me to continue carrying out the regularly activities that usually carried out (exercising, working, walking, plus home activities).
The well-being that I have felt has been so big that I could get pregnant being able to get to the end of my pregnancy with success. Nowadays I am enjoying my son and I feel so fortunate.
Emiliana Zúñiga
I used to suffer of colitis and chronic gastritis. I had had fungus in the fingernails of my feet for many years, when I began to practice the breathing techniques, one of my feet was totally healed, the other one, it has been partially healed. The colitis disappeared and the gastritis stays in a light level without bothering; my arterial pressure and my levels of sugar improved to such a degree that the doctors have taken me away the medications I had to take every day to control them. Emotionally I recovered the happiness again and my physical appearance has changed positively.
Vilma Curling
The Foundation with courses that it has allowed me to take, has given me a flavour and shine to my life which I didn't have before. Also, thanks to the practices my physical and mental health has improved notably in very short time.
At the beginning of 2003 they detected me multiple cysts in the uterus and one of 5 cm in an ovary. They had already made me a uterus scrape the previous year and I almost had one year of no menstrual period, except for a couple of times with very strong bled. The doctor told me that it was almost for sure he would make me a hysterectomy, due to the size of the cyst in the ovary. I wanted to wait until the end of the year to achieve the vacations on December for my recovery. However, in June of the year 2003 my nephew José invited me to take the basic course since he saw me very stressed and deteriorated. I was already with forgetfulness symptoms and I felt bad, without motivation even in spite of having a beautiful family and a fascinating work. I made the first course and I had a very strange dream related with my stomach. In September I made the second silence course and there I menstruated, then I made the meditation course my mental improvement and physical improvement was already noticed. I had more energy, I get concentrated more and I felt happier.
In November the doctor carries out the ultra sounds procedures again to take them to the gynecologist and I was surprised to know that the cysts of the uterus were small and simple, they had reduced and that of the ovary had decreased in half. The doctor told me it was not necessary to operate and so far I have had the menstruation with more frequency, especially when I attend the Satsang and I am near the date.
The physical improvement is remarkable, it has also improved my memory and I sit down very calm. However, what has changed in my life is the way in what I want to live. I want to enjoy moment to moment, as it comes. My life goes on very agitated and I continue doing the same work, but I change and now I enjoy it with its high and low changes. I AM A BETTER PERSON. I always knew that I was born to love, in the Foundation the Art of Living also knew that I was born to be loved
Giselle Ugalde
Art Excel Courses
The benefits observed on children are varied, among these, they can mention, the learning of the breathing and meditation in early stages and the benefits that brings it will bring to them in the future, the children have ended up valuing the meditation and breathing. They show an improvement in their physical aspects and have been able to develop their creative part more, they are interested in every act of their life. Monthly practices are carried out with the children and they show a lot of enthusiasm and interest for the specific days in what will meet, it is easier to attract their attention and they are in the right moment and are centered in the activities to be developed. Ana Portocarrero's role in this area has been essential, giving continuity to these children.
Two courses were carried out in a men’s prison. 19 prisoners were approximately attended in each course. The result was impressive, those inmates shown a great joy, liberation, happiness, less aggressiveness, they felt that their life had sense and said that if someone before had given them those tools they had never killed, violated, stolen etc. Manuel de la Cruz has collaborated in the organization of these courses and continues imparting them.
Four courses were also carried out in a women’s jail. The results were astonishing because there was also physical healings. A woman who urinated every 15 minutes and caused her a lot of trouble, after taking the breathing practices was healed, other one with a strong oppression in her chest was cured. In general the women experienced liberation of years of stress, showed less aggressiveness, less edginess, positive transformations, bigger expansion, and interest in the Foundation literature reading and wish to go on with their lives. They were taught yoga and one of them became leader among the rest. Vilma Curling has continued working in women's prisons.
At present time the Directive Committee of the Foundation, has agreed to lend service to an institution which gathers young with addiction problems to drugs, an invitation has also been studied to a professional School gathering to more than 8.000 students to carry out the Foundation’s courses and we have embraced a project of service to help an excluded sector, with several action fronts:
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Courses R.A.S. (Breathing, Water and Sound) and Yes (Seminar of Juvenile Invigoration)
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Training shops for women in the dressmaking areas, beauty, cooking, handmade crafting, gardening, etc.
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The “Plan of Godfathers” to contribute to children with material for their study, uniforms, etc., and to give them continuity… and especially give them love.
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Activities to entertain and to develop the intelligence and the conscience of these children.
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Gathering of clothes, foods, cleaning articles, gifts, etc.
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Doctor service and dental care.
Emma Zamora, has begun with her husband Oscar Mario and other members, a project in name of the Foundation in Ciudad Quesada, with orphan children from this community with ages starting months until 12 years and another one for 13 year-old children to 16 years old. In this project the children sow a vegetable garden with fruit-bearing trees, veggies and food and clothes are rendered. They are also offered with Art Excel and YES courses.
Other helpers have carried out tasks in The Art of Living with enthusiasm: Edgar Usaga, Humberto Bertolini, Marlen Incera, Giselle Yong, Ana Beeche, María Elena Quevedo, Jessica Arroyo, Seeded Ileana, Olman Alfaro, Rafael Monge, Michael Bianchini, Fernando Núñez, Eva Rubinstein, among others.
Finally, we transcribe the songs that Martha Colmenares and Emma Zamora wrote for Sri Sri:
Already several years ago, thanked by the blessing of Sri Sri, I composed the music and the letter of “you are the Sun.”
YOU ARE THE SUN
Raví, you are the sun
and finally arrived to my life
thank you, Oh Sri Sri
because you, remembered me.
Thank you, thank you I say to you
today I am your devote one with service and meditation. (bis)
The tenderness of a woman,
of a child, the happiness of being
as man, you give us protection
you embrace us, to all with love
Thank you, thank you I say to you
today I am your devote one, with service and meditation (bis)
Martha de Colmenares
When they asked to make some presentation on behalf of each country I thought of writing a song with the music of one of the most typical songs in the town where I live and this song was born this way, dedicated to Sri Sri for the celebration of the Silver Jubilee.
DIVINE PROMISE
The blessed land of India
where Sri Sri was born
bringing light and hope
to the whole humanity
with the Kriya and pranayamas
our being centered it is
and our complete heart
of love and joy will be ( Bis)
With his serene sight
wisdom He gives us
finally you will light on
the teacher's grace
with you always will be
the divine promise
of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Bis)
Emma Zamora S. |