The mind felt no fear of death. Sri Sri Yoga and Sudarshan Kriya have unearthed authentic joy.
How did yoga help you in the pandemic?
Firstly, at the physical level, it helped me get my oxygen up. I was struggling with oxygen saturation levels at around 89. A few pranayam practices consistently brought it up to 96 (safe zone). This was just incredible as I otherwise would have had to take steroids.
However, that was not the main thing. The transformation at the mental level was what I really found amazing. We have been doing daily group Sanyam Sadhana taught by The Art of Living for the last six months or so. During sadhana, during Sahaj Meditation, I always felt a separation between my body and myself. But that just remained like a feeling. Until Covid-19 happened to me! I felt like I am separate. The hands were automatically functioning to feed medicines to the body. Cough was automatically expelling viruses. The mind was constantly reminding the body to take medicines. Somehow I was missing from the scene. So many people were calling me to console me and encourage me to fight. But somewhere – I was seeing it as the scenery and enjoying it. I thought, have I gone mad? I tried to force myself to think “normally”. What if Covid worsened? What if I had to be taken to hospital? These thoughts didn’t affect me, as the conviction that I am not the body was so firm, I laughed at these ideas. I tried to think what if death comes? I laughed again, death is my friend. It was unbelievable! With Gurudev’s grace, I recovered finally. It felt like I had attended a 10-day long Advanced Meditation Program. Life will never be the same again. I think Covid-19 was the best thing ever happening to me.
Your favourite verse(s) of Patanjali Yoga Sutras and how it has impacted your life.
Two verses impacted me the most:
“Sa tu dirgha kala nairantarya satkara sevito drudha bhumihi”
After listening to Gurudev, I did the practice with honor. Have a bath before doing kriya and sahaj. Feel deep gratitude to Gurudev and to the Guru shishya parampara that gave us the kriya. Feel as if I’m doing it fresh each time like it is day one of kriya. And do it without a gap. Not regularly. DAILY. What a difference this approach has made to my sadhana.
The second verse that has impacted me is Four Types of People - Patanjali Yoga Sutras - Knowledge Sheet 28 | The Art of Living | The Art of Living India
Many a time I would feel jealous of other people, if they became famous, or did some good work. When talking to someone in distress, I’d immerse in their misery, and when we walked out, both of us would be equally miserable! This sutra helped me understand how to behave in what situation. Such simple words, yet so practical and useful. Even upeksha. I am a part of many friends’ groups where there’s usual chatter about politics, religion and so many things. I watch news channels sometimes and they show people doing bad deeds. It used to be disgusting listening to these things, used to cause stress, pain, and helplessness. Now – if someone is engaged in bad deeds, I educate once and move on. Upeksha has brought me so much freedom. Wow. Thanks to Patanjali Maharishi, and to Gurudev for bringing his words to my life
Yoga and you, anything yoga related you would like to share.
If there is one thing India is known for all over the world, it is yoga! With the Sri Sri Yoga courses I attended (both level 1 and 2), I understood so many flaws in how I was practicing asanas, and I learnt so much detoxification and other techniques, it’s improved my quality of life significantly. I’ve lost weight, gained energy, get positive thoughts all day, and feel inspired to be of service to everyone. I think The Art of Living has beautifully integrated the physical aspects (asanas, yama, niyama, pranayama) with the mental and spiritual aspects (pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi) in such an authentic way with these courses and daily practices, that the knowledge blossoms effortlessly. I am eternally grateful to Gurudev for showing me the path. What a blessing this life has been, in the company of the Master!
Written by Raman Raja
A little note: As community conversation facilitators, we believe in giving an individual the autonomy of expression. The views expressed in this piece are the author's own.
