More than two million people around the world have taken a class
that is being offered at UCLA this week.
The Art of Living Foundation, a non-profit organization which is
affiliated with the United Nations, brings its course to more than
140 countries and teaches people the art of breathing, promising
lifelong benefits in the process.
The course was developed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a
self-proclaimed Indian guru who developed a program that mixed
methods of yoga, wisdom and his own Sudarshan Kriya, a practice of
rhythmic breathing that many believe lowers stress levels.
Members of the medical community have began advocating the Art
of Living’s methods, and recommending it to patients.
“The most important thing I learned was breathing. … I
began to send hundreds to the breathing workshop. Many of them got
much better, quite a few of them said they felt transformed,”
said Richard Brown, a psychopharmacologist, associate professor of
clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and teacher of the
course in 1999.
Brown was asked to speak at a U.N. symposium focusing on
low-cost approaches to depression. He described how the breathing
workshop could have a positive physical effect on people.
“Breathing activates a crucial part of the nervous system
that recharges and heals; the breathing calms down your stress and
makes the brain work better,” Brown said.
“People usually say their (minds are) clearer. … They
often have a vision of what they need to do to bring balance to
their lives again,” he added.
Brown has found that many of his patients who could not be cured
with anti-depressants were able to reduce or even stop their
medications after taking the course.
College students are also one of the target audiences for this
stress-relieving course.
“We have tremendous luck teaching college students. …
College kids are under tremendous amounts of stress and
pressure,” said John Osborne, president of the Art of Living
Foundation in the United States. “It gives students a lot
more energy, they focus a lot better and for longer periods of
time.”
A separate course was developed specifically for college
students and is made up of six sessions in a row. This version of
the course claims to be fun and interactive.
“Student courses are very dynamic. … Students have such
active busy lives. They want to live life fully. … It helps them
do that because if you are stressed out it is hard to enjoy the
time you have,” said Josette Wermuth, who has been teaching
the course for eight years and will be teaching it at UCLA this
week.
Though some may feel that six days is an excessive amount of
time to learn breathing exercises, Wermuth says the course is
jam-packed.
“Each day builds on the next day, it takes a while to
learn the (techniques),” Wermuth said. “For each
emotion, there is a different emotion of the breath. … More
toxins come out through the breath than any other way.”
During the class, students remain in one spot, but even the most
athletic participants can find it to be an intense exercise.
“At the end of it, I felt I had a huge workout, though it
was just sitting down in one place and breathing in and out. You
feel that kind of energy you feel after a workout, (it) makes you
positive, strong and energetic,” said Mala Srivastava, a
second-year student at the Anderson School of Management, who has
completed the course.
“I never focused on my breathing before, and I never
thought doing that would help me in any way. I feel I am able to
concentrate better,” she added.
Srivastava took the class in India, and found that people there
are very familiar with its methods. She explained that many free
classes are offered there.
She took the course one-and-a-half years ago, and said she feels
the same significant benefits she did immediately after that first
time.
“The class gave me a lot of self-introspective experience.
… I saw that a lot of what I was seeking was all internal, and it
was an opportunity to reflect upon what’s inside,”
Srivastava said.
“They do introspective discussions, and ask, “˜Who
are you?’ I hadn’t thought of who I was in their
terms,” she added.
Once students finish the course, they are encouraged to practice
simple at-home breathing exercises for 30 minutes a day. Students
are also allowed to come to free weekly follow-ups.
The course itself usually costs $250, but the session being
offered at UCLA this week will be available to full-time students
and senior citizens for $125.
For more information, visit artofliving.org.