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Sri Sri talked about the similarity between the problems facing the rural Aboriginal communities and those in rural India, specifically suicides, alcohol and solvent abuse and the extraordinary results that have been achieved in overcoming these issues in India. He also suggested that Australia consider building a research centre for Traditional Aboriginal Medicines in order to validate and make more widely available this ancient and valuable knowledge. Sri Sri also offered courses to the Aboriginal communities and discussed ways to celebrate and honour their culture and traditions. Sri Sri had about a three and a half minute rest at Murli and Laju’s home in Rosebay, where he was staying, before another series of meetings with individuals and business leaders. He then set off for the Sydney Convention Centre. As usual, Sri Sri won the audience’s hearts within minutes of appearing and continued holding their hearts in his hand for the next two hours, during which time He took them through a guided meditation and awakened them with his love, wisdom and humour and then met every single person individually. The tears of gratitude flowed into Sydney Harbour and waves of love still reverberate around the City. Sri Sri had meetings well into the night and slept as usual, for just a few hours, before addressing the Young President’s Society in Australia at a breakfast conference before heading for Melbourne where He began all over again!
 On the Valentines Day, every moment was filled with songs and words of love and celebration. It was on this day that the first ever Healing Course took place and a small group of the Australian devotees were blessed with Sri Sri's gift of healing. That night the stage in VM was knee deep in red roses and red petals scattered everywhere. During satsang, Sri Sri sat in amidst the Divinely-intoxicated crowd, as a large group of young devotees danced and sang with full abandon. Prasad was showered into the crowds and the love-drenched evening culminated in ecstatic dance. With hearts full of love, devotion and gratitude, the Ozzie contingent made their way back Down Under.
The world view of this war is too often seen as a conflict between America and Vietnam. However, many Australian soldiers also witnessed all the horrors of this particular war and today still suffer with varying degrees of physical, psychological and emotional complaints.
An Australian Psychologist, Dr Janis Carter, has been conducting research on the benefits of yoga on PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), the first of its kind relating to Art of Living techniques. She read about Dr Richard Brown’s work in America and invited him to take courses for 30 Australian veterans, aged between 50-60yrs old.
These courses were conducted in June and August of 2005, at the beginning of which the veterans were extremely stressed. Most could not sleep for more than a few hours at a time and were having severe anxiety attacks as well as suffering from depression. Many of them were using alcohol as a form of self medication, and were suffering from hypertension, diabetes, fatigue, anger, frustration and confusion.
Most found the course physically and emotionally challenging. Some had difficulty with the more challenging processes due to various injuries, but by the end of the course they reported very positive benefits relating to the effectiveness of the breathing techniques. Not only did the quality of their sleep improve, but they said they were getting along much better with their wives and children and that they had generally more energy and enthusiasm. Many have now stopped or cut down heavily on their drinking and are feeling better for it. These positive benefits have also been communicated to us from their wives who have found that their husbands have become less angry and irrational.
Follow-up sessions are currently being taken by Bernice Bailey from Melbourne and Sarah Brownrigg from Sydney. Bernice assisted Dr Richard Brown on the initial course and subsequently taught the 2nd one. We look forward to the formal results and analysis of Dr Janis Carter’s research which will be presented at the Art of Living’s Silver Jubilee Celebration in February 2006.
SolarisCare is at the forefront of integrating complementary therapies and mainstream medical practices for people with cancer.
The centre is the initiative of Dr David Joske, Head of Haematology at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Western Australia’s premier teaching hospital in Perth.
SolarisCare provides support for the emotional and psychosocial needs of cancer patients and their families, offering a wide range of complementary therapies free of charge in a safe environment.
Currently 45 complementary therapists provide holistic treatments such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, Bowen therapy, chi-breathing and meditation, counselling, craniosacral therapy, kinesiology, massage, reiki, reflexology, creative visualization, healing touch, pranic healing, creative art therapy and the Art of Living’s breath for health.
These therapies are given alongside the standard cancer treatments of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Complementary therapies are now accepted by many doctors because they help patients feel and cope better with the side effects of allopathic cancer treatments.
Since 2003, the Art of Living in Perth has provided weekly breath and meditation sessions at the SolarisCare Centre and on hospital wards.
Quality clinical research trials have been underway for several years at SolarisCare with a view to assessing the effects of complementary therapies on Quality of Life and Symptom Control for patients and carers undergoing cancer treatments.
The Art of Living’s ‘Breath for Health’ therapy is a part of this ‘descriptive’ research trial conducted in collaboration with Edith Cowan University.
The SolarisCare Project was started after Perth Art of Living arranged a SolarisCare meeting with a visiting American Art of Living organizer, whose life threatening immune deficiency disorder had improved steadily over the years, assisted by his daily practice of Sudarshan Kriya.
This project was conceived and inspired following Perth’s first DSN course, and the trained volunteers are Sunita Vatvani, Sarah Schladow, Lavinia Scott-Sellars, Diana Herzler and Charlie Snelleksz. The Breath Therapy has mainly been given by Diana Herzler and Lavinia Scott-Sellars.
In 2002, the first Australian Prison SMART Course was held at Nyandi/Boronia Women's Prison in Western Australia.The women reported many benefits including feeling less stressed, less drug dependant, sleeping better and more easily able to accept situations that would otherwise have upset them.
Another project inspired by the DSN course was the Calm Project, initiated by Bernie and Debbie Egan. A long term commitment to the environment, it has made valuable contributions to such places as the Lake Herdsman Regional Park, one of the city’s premier wetlands areas.
Art of Living volunteers weed, plant, revegetate, mulch and clean up the environment to maintain the eco friendly health of this beautiful nature reserve.
This work has attracted 2 government grants of $3000 for special planting work to maintain wetland species habitat. This sensitive environment is the home of the Motorbike Frog, Fairy Wren and Supreme birds and our work has resulted in a visibly improved habitat for these species of fauna native to the Lake. Bird species not seen at the lakeside for many years are now returning.
A large sign has been erected by the government at the Southern Bird Hide to acknowledge Art of Living’s ongoing contribution to the preservation of this important city wetland.
Dinesh sure started the Perth Art of Living engine with that DSN course. Yet another project born from the course was the Murdoch Hospice project.Initiated by Sunita, she taught Perth’s first Breath, Water, Sound course at the Hospice and after this, was invited to present fortnightly Laughter Yoga Sessions. These were undertaken by Sarah Schladow, Lavinia Scott-Sellars and Sunita Vatvani.
For the past 18 months Lavinia has provided Meditation sessions with Kirti Garg, who has now also trained as a Hospice Volunteer Carer. In the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, on the grounds of St John of God Hospital, the Community has created a beautiful Support & Therapy Centre for Cancer Patients within the Murdoch Community Hospice.
Here, support and therapies are provided to public and private patients, their carers and inpatients at the Hospice. The Support & Therapy centre offers a holistic approach to health care by providing a range of social, complementary and diversional therapies to augment allopathic medicine. Since 2003, The Art of Living has provided regular meditation and laughter yoga sessions at the Hospice.
A particularly wonderful appeal has been lighting up Christmas for children at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Sydney. Organized by Jas Singh and Sinder Kaur, presents were collected and funds raised each year to bring the spirit of Christmas to children, some without families, some with terminal illnesses, but all spending their Christmas in a hospital ward. The hospital presented a certificate to Jas, acknowledging the contribution this work made to the children’s experience of Christmas.
When Atul, New South Wales Art of Living coordinator, heard about the relief efforts that had been achieved by Art of Living members around the world, he was determined that Australia would stand up and be counted. He developed the idea of a sponsored dinner at which relief funds could be raised through ticket sales, donations and proceeds of an auction. He secured the attendance of 4 well-known figures, mainly in the field of Australian sport, namely Nick Farr Jones (Ex Australian Rugby Union Captain), Leander Paes (Indian World Cup Doubles tennis player), Greg Matthews (Australian Cricketer) and the Mayor of Willoughby. Atul met with Narayana Reddy, owner of the Banjara Indian Restaurant in Crows Nest and enrolled him into hosting this high profile fund raising event. It was a highly successful evening, attended by over 100 guests, who felt motivated to contribute and did so generously. The sporting celebrities donated personal items and mementoes from their careers to the auction. In total over $15 000 was raised and a letter of acknowledgement was received from New South Wales Premier, Bob Carr, praising The Art of Living for the generous contribution they made towards the Tsunami Appeal.
On the last “Clean-up Australia Day” Art of Living Sydney once again rolled up its sleeves and got down and dirty. The target of their attention was the Orana Park in Seven Hills. 15 volunteers descended on the park and proceeded to clean up the creek that had been badly neglected and become a dumping ground for old car tyres, supermarket trolleys and empty bottles. When local residents later came by and saw what had been done, they were absolutely horrified and called the police. Several Art of Living devotees were arrested and taken to the nearest police station. Only joking, the residents were full of gratitude that such a wonderful group of people had decided to make a difference to their community. This was a much needed and long overdue regeneration project and has made a significant difference to the community’s enjoyment of their local park.
Atul and Gytri Aneja, enrolled a group of 12 volunteers to once again roll up their sleeves, but this time to reveal their veins and donate their precious prana-filled life blood to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service in Sydney. Karthick, The Australian Art of Living Treasurer, kept the doctors, nurses and volunteers amused and entertained by fainting half way through his donation, but nevertheless, a certificate acknowledging 12 contributions was received. This has now become a regular activity in Sydney.
The tsunami of compassion sweeping the world quickly reached Australia and washed over Melbourne. Knowing that 100% of funds channeled through the Art of Living goes into the target projects inspired Melbourne devotees to raise as much as they could. It was great to experience being a part of the giant world family that was pouring out such love and service to the tsunami victims.
These courses are so joyous they make normal yoga look like hard work. It is a privilege to teach yoga to participants who are so appreciative of the benefits. Devotees also collected donations of food, clothing and general household items which were delivered to the Refugee Resource Centre for distribution.
Melbourne Art of Living also visited old folk’s homes where they gave satsangs spiced with Glen Miller and Frank Sinatra songs. Spending time with people who are lonely is a poignant experience which has deepened our gratitude for the huge family we are blessed with.
The Art of Living in Melbourne has given Part I and Breath Water & Sound courses to groups of indigenous peoples, strengthening and celebrating their sense of community. It was shocking to realise the desperate state some of these communities were in and a privilege to be able to contribute to them. |