According to an ancient Indian scripture, “ Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” In the practice of Yoga, perhaps India’s greatest gift to the world, lies an important key to a longer, better and happier life. Today, millions around the world practice this discipline, whose efficacy has been celebrated by the United Nations with the declaration of June 21 as the International Yoga Day. Over the years, overwhelming international support has helped to reaffirm the significance of this ancient practice for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of individuals, and it has become a symbol of India as a country as well as a civilizational force.

In Sanskrit, yoga means ‘to join’ or ‘unite’, and that is exactly what it does. Yoga unites the physical, mental and spiritual self thus allowing the practitioner to live in harmony with oneself and with his/her environment. Yoga can be both in the form of meditation or physical exercise that offers our ‘modern stressed being’ an opportunity to live life to its full potential. Kuwait too has embraced the goodness of yoga in its different avatars. Different centers of yoga in the country teach individuals to tap into the essence of ancient Indian learning, which is rooted in the philosophy that the secret to contentment lies within the self. On Friday, May 6, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait in association with Sahaj Marg Meditation presented an open session of ‘Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation’ at the Indian Embassy Auditorium at 7:30 AM. This event was one of many in the run up to the International Yoga Day to be held on June 24.

Today, we catch up with Balaji Srinivasan, Kuwait Centre Coordinator for Sahaj Marg Foundation, who speaks at length about Heartfulness, a meditation technique that helps individuals to explore the subtle energies of life and lead a more balanced life. After all, yoga is not only about postures and exercises, it is a science which when practiced with humility empowers us to still our ‘Self’ and integrates the body, mind and soul.

IIK. Why is this form of meditation termed as ‘Heartfulness’?

Balaji - Heartfulness is a simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources

Well , the term Heartfulness is similar to terminologies like mindfulness and awareness. Our entire life is led by feelings and inspirations, and that is the role of the heart. And when we manage to listen to the feelings and capture the inspiration that comes from within, I think we can master our life by listening to the heart again and again. And this whole exercise of fine-tuning the heart with the mind is possible through this meditation on the heart. That is why we call this process Heartfulness meditation.

Aspirants can progress to the next level of Trainer Guided sessions part of the Sahaj Marg Meditation practice after starting with Heartfulness Relaxation & Meditation.

IIK-. What led to the need for this type of meditation – how and when did it start? How is it connected to Sahaj Marg?

Balaji - The pesent day world is full of stress and tension. Whether at home, work, school or colleges or the social sphere ,there is always a form of stress which challenges your physical and mental wellness .

Through continuous practice of Heartfulness, we learn simple yet effective relaxation and meditation techniques that help aspirants develop calmness from within leading to reduced stress and anxiety, improved focus, and overall wellness of being.

Heartfulness evolved in early 2015 out of our U-Connect program in Universities and colleges in India as a simple Relaxation & Meditation technique focused on equipping students with the essential life skill of meditation as a practical means to address various issues typical to this stage of life.It also offers the youth an aspirational set of values to live by; to help them achieve a balanced life focused on an inner goal and an ethic material life; and to contribute to building a better world.

The Heartfulness Institute offers several programs in over a hundred countries across the world , including Kuwait to promote Heartfulness in schools, universities, corporations, communities and individuals. The program is offered free of charge by trained Heartfulness volunteers. There is no cost for the program at any stage or any other commercial interest.

Heartfulness programs offer an easy and a gradual approach to what is essentially the essence of the Sahaj Marg(Natural path) system of Raja yoga meditation, practicablefor modern-day Individual.

Our methodology is tried and tested with over 2,00,000 aspirants

IIK- What is the connection between meditation and yoga? Is meditation a form of yoga?

Balaji - Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Shastra thousands of years back classified Yoga into two, namely Hatha Yoga which is basically for the physical wellbeing and Raja yoga – the Yoga of the mind.Yoga means to be united with one’s own higher Self or Consciousness. Raja yoga focuses on the mind, through meditation. Heartfulness approach and Sahaj Marg is a refined practice of raja yoga, simplified for modern life. It is designed to be a natural part of your everyday routine. It balances the material and spiritual aspects of existence.

IIK- What sort of impact can this form of meditation have on our daily life?

Balaji - When we are hurt or in stress, at that moment, we are incapable of feeling love, forbearance, tolerance, understanding and compassion. How can we change that? By regularly practicing Heartfulness meditation.

Heartfulness Meditation brings about lasting inner changes in us. We start mastering our skill to be in a state of "patience" before reacting. To be able to keep our calm and in-charge of our reactions is a great asset in an increasingly competitive, stressful world.

IIK-How important and effective is Heartfulness in the life of students? Can it bring about a difference and how does that happen?

Balaji - Heartfulness meditation embraces critical thinking, questioning, observation and experiential learning. It also embraces the one dimension, that is critical to 21st century education, and that is the role of the heart in self-development.

Development of internal skills such as clarity of mind, self-confidence, empathy, awareness and focus are just a few of the benefits of Heartfulness relaxation and meditation to students and educators . Our unique cleaning technique helps in liberating oneself from those hard-to-get-rid-of habits and tendencies. Students also experience higher energy in their activities and a great sense of purpose and fulfillment. In a nutshell, it strengthens our strengths, weakens our weaknesses and makes us more holistic.

We have multiple Heartfulness modules for schools and we have conducted many such programs for students and teachers here in Kuwait. Many schools and universities in the world have embraced Heartfulness. It is offered free of charge without any commercial interests.

IIK - And I have read that Heartfulness can also be customized for working professionals or a corporate environment – how is it done, and can one do it in Kuwait?

Balaji - We have tailor made Corporate sessions and modules ranging from 3 days, weekly,monthly and long duration modules as requested by the corporates. We incorporate our program catering to the individual needs of the organization. We have done sessions in Kuwait for Oil and petroleum companies, Contractors, Private companies, Rigs, Engineering associations, community and medical groups in Kuwait.

As said earlier Programs are offered free of charge and we can be contacted on [email protected] or [email protected] to organize an introductory session.