20th of June, 2015
The Art of Living Foundation Philippines (AOLF) is promoting yoga as an instrument of peace in conflict areas such as Mindanao by organizing a Manila to Mindanao yoga meditation event in its Makati office and Cagayan de Oro on Sunday, June 21.
“Peace is possible, and regardless of where we are in the nation or the world, everyone has the ability to contribute to it through nurturing our own internal peace” said Nameeta Dargani, chapter coordinator for AOLF.
“Yoga, meditation and breathing techniques are powerful tools to unify the body and mind, creating peace and inner well-being. When we experience inner peace, we affect our surroundings positively, and this inadvertently affects other people and situations," Dargani added.
AOLF head of special projects Charmaine Cu-unjeing said yoga has been proven to be an effective medium towards achieving and spreading peace among people of all ages and from all walks of life.
"The youth of today are full of so much potential,” she said. "But they are also subjected to a lot of stress and distractions that keep them from becoming the best that they can be. Meditation can remedy this by helping the youth explore themselves and channel their potential and energy constructively."
Dargani said AOLF has had consistent interest in Mindanao. When Typhoon Sendong hit parts of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in 2011, AOLF was among those who set up trauma relief workshops at evacuation and relocation centers.
These workshops taught simple breathing and meditation exercises to adults and children to relieve the trauma from the disaster and help the survivors to move on with their lives.
Cu-Unjieng said the youth of Mindanao have also benefited from meditation and breathing techniques through the Philippine Marines’ Football for Peace program.
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