Do you
want the children of your school to be happy? Positive Education is an approach
to education that blends academic learning with character and well-being. Positive Education curriculum has
been implemented with good results in schools in Australia, USA, UK and
Germany. Be the first one to start this initiative at your school in India!
Do you
want the children of your school to be happy? Positive Education is an approach
to education that blends academic learning with character and well-being. Positive Education curriculum has
been implemented with good results in schools in Australia, USA, UK and
Germany. Be the first one to start this initiative at your school in India!
In this video, a variation of ushtrasana is depicted – how to get into the posture and stay there. Practising the asana regularly will relieve stiffness in the back, shoulders and ankles.
A
Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-being and a Meaningful Life
Happiness,
say the positive psychologists, is the experience of joy, contentment, or
positive well-being, combined with a sense that life is good, meaningful, and
worthwhile.
Twenty-three
hundred years ago, Aristotle concluded that, more than anything else, men and
women seek happiness. It is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim
and end of human existence. Different men seek after happiness in different
ways and by different means, and so make for themselves different modes of
life.
What is
the pathway to authentic happiness, well-being and a meaningful life? How can
we equip ourselves with sustainable scientific tools to cultivate a happy and
fulfilling life with a greater sense of well-being? This article attempts to
answer these questions.
Taking
care of body, mind and spirit is of utmost importance. It’s like a tripod. All
limbs must be equally strong for balance and harmony. We need to transform the
entire experience of life by taking care of all the relevant dimensions –
physiological, psychological and spiritual.
After
years of deep study and practical sessions with people from all walks of life, a
holistic approach has emerged that blends carefully the best of positive psychology,
meditation, yoga, laughter yoga, and spirituality.
Positive
psychology is the science of happiness. It provides authentic understanding of
happiness and well-being and dispels myths and wrong notions about happiness. It
is a treasure trove of evidence-based happiness-increasing strategies from
which one may choose activities suitable for oneself.
Meditation
is an invaluable tool for calming, concentration and purification of the mind.
It clears clouds and lets you seek wisdom. According to Matthieu Ricard,
happiest monk on this planet, “Meditation is a practice that makes it possible
to cultivate and develop certain basic positive human qualities in the same way
as other forms of training make it possible to play a musical instrument or
acquire any other skill.”
Yoga can
do wonders for your health by stimulating endocrinal systems and taking care of
neuro-muscular systems. It is suitable for modern day lifestyle diseases and
brings about body-mind union. If you don’t have enough time, even then surya
namaskara can be easily integrated into your daily life as it requires only
five to fifteen minutes’ practice daily to obtain beneficial results remarkably
quickly.
Laughter
yoga combines laughter exercises with yogic breathing. It is instrumental in oxygenation
of the body, strengthening immune system, and stress relief as feel good
hormones known as endorphins are generated during the process. Just ten minutes
of gentle laughter in the morning can change the complexion of your day.
Spirituality
provides right view and right understanding of life. It gives spiritual insight
into right speech, right action and right livelihood. Inner wisdom steers us in
the right direction. If you desire everlasting health and happiness, cultivate
wisdom.
All the
five components - positive psychology, meditation, yoga, laughter yoga and
spirituality - put together, enable complete transformation of the entire
experience of life.
The
benefits include health, happiness and peace for individuals; stress relief,
team building, higher productivity, leadership and positivity at workplaces; health,
bonding and integration in communities; and creativity, better concentration, emotional
intelligence, spiritual growth, strong immune system and all-round personality
development of youngsters.
In
conclusion, may we say that the practice of yoga, meditation and laughter yoga
along with fundamental understanding of positive psychology and spirituality
can lead you to lasting happiness and peace.
Jagat Singh Bisht, Founder: LifeSkills
LifeSkills
is a pathway to authentic happiness, well-being and a meaningful life!
Weekends are for rest and recuperation. Even during sleep, relaxation is elusive. The asanas (postures) in this video give the body the rest it so badly needs. Learn to manage your stress in a yogic way!
BREATHING WITH THE BODY
This is the fourth video in a series of videos - a step-by-step tutorial - to learn and practice meditation by yourself by listening to and following the instructions given in the video.
In this session, we are re-visiting and deepening what we have learned in the three earlier videos.
Instructions:
Please sit down - legs folded crosswise, back straight and eyes closed.
Focus your attention on the nostrils as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
In this session, we will re-visit and deepen what we have learned earlier.
Begin by simply bringing attention to the breathing.
Always mindful of your breath, breathe in; mindful, breathe out.
If you breathe in long, know: I am breathing in long. If you breathe out long, know: I breathe out long.
If you breathe in short, know: I am breathing in short. If you breathe out short, know: I breathe out short.
Don’t worry if your mind wanders away, bring it back gently. Observe your breath.
As the breathing becomes deeper, focus on the body.
Keeping a watch on your breath in the background, look inwards to the major parts of your body: head, shoulders, hands, palms, chest, stomach, upper back, lower back, legs and the feet.
Sensitive to the whole body, breathe in. Sensitive to the whole body, breathe out.
As you familiarize with your body, while keeping a watch on your breathing, relax your limbs one-by-one: forehead, eyes, cheeks, neck, shoulders, heart, stomach, upper back, lower back, thighs, calf muscles, ankles, and soles of your feet.
Calming the whole body, breathe in. Calming the whole body breathe out.
May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated!
Open your eyes gently and come out of meditation.
Continue your practice of meditation. When you feel, you have mastered this segment, you may proceed to the next video. Remember, meditation is a lifetime’s work.
We will be happy to have your feedback and would answer any questions that you may have. Questions may be sent to us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com.
This is the third video in a series of videos - a step-by-step
tutorial - to learn and practice meditation by yourself by listening to and
following the instructions given in the video.
It gives simple and straight instructions to meditate
in pure form. Just follow the instructions and meditate.
You may start your journey of meditation right from
here but we would advise you to begin with the first video of the series on
this channel and then come here after some days of practice.
Practice meditation on a daily basis listening to the
video.
We will be happy to have your feedback and would
answer any questions that you may have. Questions may be sent to us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com.
Instructions:
Please sit down - legs folded crosswise, back
straight and eyes closed.
Always be mindful of your breath as you breathe in;
mindful, as you breathe out. Focus your attention on the nostrils as you
breathe in and as you breathe out.
If you breathe in long, know: I am breathing in long.
If you breathe out long, know: I breathe out long.
If you breathe in short, know: I am breathing in short.
If you breathe out short, know: I breathe out short.
Keeping a watch on your breath in the background,
look inwards to the major parts of your body: head, shoulders, hands, palms,
chest, stomach, upper back, lower back, legs and the feet.
Sensitive to the whole body, breathe in. Sensitive to
the whole body, breathe out.
As you continue to explore your body, while keeping a
watch on your breathing, relax your limbs one-by-one: head, shoulders, hands,
palms, chest, stomach, upper back, lower back, legs and the feet.
Calming the whole body, breathe in. Calming the whole
body breathe out.
This is the third video in a series of videos - a step-by-step
tutorial - to learn and practice meditation by yourself by listening to and
following the instructions given in the video.
It gives simple and straight instructions to meditate
in pure form. Just follow the instructions and meditate.
You may start your journey of meditation right from
here but we would advise you to begin with the first video of the series on
this channel and then come here after some days of practice.
Practice meditation on a daily basis listening to the
video.
We will be happy to have your feedback and would
answer any questions that you may have. Questions may be sent to us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com.
Instructions:
Please sit down - legs folded crosswise, back
straight and eyes closed.
Always be mindful of your breath as you breathe in;
mindful, as you breathe out. Focus your attention on the nostrils as you
breathe in and as you breathe out.
If you breathe in long, know: I am breathing in long.
If you breathe out long, know: I breathe out long.
If you breathe in short, know: I am breathing in short.
If you breathe out short, know: I breathe out short.
Keeping a watch on your breath in the background,
look inwards to the major parts of your body: head, shoulders, hands, palms,
chest, stomach, upper back, lower back, legs and the feet.
Sensitive to the whole body, breathe in. Sensitive to
the whole body, breathe out.
As you continue to explore your body, while keeping a
watch on your breathing, relax your limbs one-by-one: head, shoulders, hands,
palms, chest, stomach, upper back, lower back, legs and the feet.
Calming the whole body, breathe in. Calming the whole
body breathe out.
This is the second video in a series of videos to
learn and practice meditation by yourself by listening to and following the
video.
It gives simple and straight instructions to meditate
in pure form. Just follow the instructions and meditate.
You may start your journey of meditation from here
but we would advise you to begin with the first video of the series on this
channel and then come here after some days of practice.
Practice meditation on a daily basis listening to the
video. When you feel confident that you are comfortable and ready, you may go
to the next video in the series.
We will be happy to have your feedback and would
answer any questions that you may have. Questions may be sent to us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com.
Instructions:
Please sit down for meditation: legs folded
crosswise, back straight and eyes closed.
Always be mindful of your breath as you breathe in
and as you breathe out. Focus your attention on the nostrils as you breathe in
and as you breathe out.
If you breathe in long, know: I am breathing in long.
If you breathe out long, know: I breathe out long.
If you breathe in short, know: I am breathing in
short. If you breathe out short, know: I breathe out short.
Keeping a watch on your breath in the background,
look inwards to the major parts of your body: head, shoulders, hands, palms,
chest, stomach, upper back, lower back, legs and the feet.
Sensitive to the whole body, breathe in. Sensitive to
the whole body, breathe out.
This is the first video in a series of videos to
learn and practice meditation by yourself by listening to and following the
video.
It gives simple and straight instructions to meditate
in pure form. Just follow the instructions and meditate.
Practice meditation on a daily basis listening to the
video. When you feel confident that you are comfortable and ready, you may go
to the next video in the series.
We will be happy to have your feedback and would
answer any questions that you may have. Questions may be sent to us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com.
MEDITATION:
Meditation
is a practice that makes it possible to cultivate and develop certain basic
positive human qualities in the same way as other forms of training make it
possible to play a musical instrument or acquire any other skill.
The
object of meditation is the mind. For the moment, it is simultaneously
confused, agitated, rebellious and subject to innumerable conditioned and
automatic patterns. The goal of meditation is not to shut down the mind or
anaesthetise it, but rather to make it free, lucid and balanced.
Experienced
meditators have demonstrated qualities of focused attention that are not found
among beginners. For example, they are able to maintain more or less perfect
concentration on a particular task for forty-five minutes, whereas most people
cannot go beyond five or ten minutes before they begin making an increasing
number of mistakes.
The primary
goal of meditation is to transform our experience of the world but it has also
been shown that meditation has beneficial effects on our health. Scientific
experiments have shown that twenty minutes of daily practice of meditation can
contribute significantly to the reduction of stress, whose harmful effects on
health are well established.
It also
reduces anxiety, the tendency towards anger and the risk of relapse for people
who have previously undergone depression. Eight weeks of meditation for thirty
minutes a day significantly strengthens the immune system, reinforces positive
emotions, and reduces arterial pressure in those suffering from high blood
pressure.
If we consider that the possible benefit of meditation is to
have a new experience of the world each moment in our lives, then it doesn’t
seem excessive to spend at least twenty minutes a day getting to know our mind
better and training it towards this kind of purpose.
The fruition of meditation could be described as an optimal
way of being, or again, as genuine happiness. This true and lasting happiness
is a profound sense of having realized to the utmost the potential we have
within us for wisdom and accomplishment. Working towards this kind of
fulfilment is an adventure worth embarking upon.
During the next year (2019), RadhikaJagat Bisht and Jagat Singh Bisht, Founders: LifeSkills, will conduct training to groom facilitators/ master teachers. This will enable them to learn, understand, practise, and propagate life skills for health, happiness and tranquillity. It includes practical sessions on the art of Meditation, the basics of Yoga and the fundamentals of Laughter Yoga. Also included are inputs on the elements of Happiness and Well-being and the quintessence of Spirituality. If you are interested, please send us an email at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com.
Laughter is the best medicine. To get all the health benefits of laughter, you need to laugh deep and continuously for 10-20 minutes. How to do that every day when you are all alone? This video is a tutorial for that.
Laughter Yoga is usually done in groups. People find it difficult to practise it on a daily basis by themselves.
Laughter Yoga is a unique concept where anyone can laugh for no reason without relying on humour, jokes or comedy. The concept is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between real and fake laughter if done with willingness. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits.
Dr Madan Kataria, a medical doctor, founded the first Laughter Club with just five members in Mumbai in the year 1995. Today there are thousands of laughter clubs all over the world where laughter is initiated as an exercise in a group but with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter.
It is called Laughter Yoga because it combines laughter exercises with yoga breathing. This brings more oxygen to the body and the brain which makes one feel more energetic and healthy.
When we laugh, our body generates feel good hormones called endorphins which improve our mood and general outlook. During laughter exercises, all the stale air inside the lungs is expelled and our system gets more oxygen which enhances the immune system. In the long run, the inner spirit of laughter helps you build more caring and sharing social relationships, and laugh even when the going in not good.
A
Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-being and a Fulfilling Life
Do you want to be happier? Would you like to
increase your well-being and flourish? We help you do that!
Let us begin with a
quick overview by watching this short video:
What is LifeSkills?
LifeSkills
is a pathway to authentic happiness, well-being and a fulfilling life.
Our
objective is to provide skills that make life happier, meaningful and worth
living.
LifeSkills equips you with sustainable scientific
tools to cultivate a happy and fulfilling life with a greater sense of
well-being.
What do you do?
We
conduct:
·Retreats
·Workshops
·Seminars
·Talks
·Trainings
·One-On-One
Coaching
for Individuals, Institutions, Communities,
Workplaces & Organisations.
What are the foundations of your
programmes?
The
foundations of our programmes are:
·Positive
Psychology
·Meditation
·Yoga
·Laughter Yoga
·Spirituality
Our programmes are activity based, interactive and experiential.
What is your
vision and mission?
·We
help you to flourish by enabling you to discover your signature strengths and virtues
and deploy them in three great arenas of life: work, love and parenting.
·Our mission is to
propagate positive life skills to help people flourish.
·Our guiding
spirit is “bhavatu sabba mangalam” which means: May all beings be happy!
What is the content of your programmes?
Our programmes include:
Yoga: Asanas, Pranayama,
Meditation.
Positive Psychology:
The Science of Happiness.
Laughter Yoga:
Group Laughter & Laughing Alone.
Spirituality:
Ancient wisdom of the sages.
We lay special emphasis on Positive Education,
Positive Ageing, Positive Health, Yoga Nidra, Surya Namaskara, Anapanasati and
Vipassana.
Our programmes blend the modern science of well-being
with the ancient wisdom of the sages.
We feel indebted to the teachings and wisdom of
Masters including Martin Seligman, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Abraham Maslow,
Swami Satyananda Saraswati, B K S Iyengar, Madan Kataria, Matthieu Ricard, S N
Goenka, Thich Nhat Hanh and Buddha.
On what basis have your programmes been
created and designed?
Taking care of body, mind and spirit is of utmost
importance. It’s like a tripod. All limbs must be equally strong for balance
and harmony. Hence, we have taken a holistic approach blending carefully the
best of positive psychology, meditation, yoga, laughter yoga and spirituality.
With years of deep research and practical sessions,
we have developed a unique and complete programme for health, happiness and
harmony of the body, mind and spirit. It transforms the entire experience of
life by taking care of all the relevant dimensions – physiological,
psychological and spiritual.
What
are the benefits derived from the various components of your programmes?
Benefits
in brief of various components:
Positive
Psychology: Authentic,
scientific understanding of happiness and well-being; dispelling myths and
wrong notions about happiness.
Yoga:Stimulation of endocrinal systems,
taking care of neuro-muscular systems, suitable for modern day lifestyle
diseases, body-mind union.
Meditation:Calming, concentration and
purification of the mind. Clears clouds and lets you seek wisdom.
Laughter
Yoga:Oxygenation
of the body, strengthening immune system, stress relief.
Spirituality: Provides right view and right
understanding of life. Gives spiritual insight into right speech, right action
and right livelihood.
All
components put together:Complete
transformation of the entire experience of life.
What
are the benefits of your programmes?
Benefits
for individuals, workplaces, communities and institution:
Individuals: Health, happiness and peace.
Workplaces: Stress relief, team building,
higher productivity, leadership and positivity.
Communities: Health, bonding and integration.
Schools/Colleges: Creativity, better concentration,
EQ & SQ, all round personality development and strong immune system.
What
programmes are available with you?
We have several programmes:
‘The Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being’ is our
flagship programme. It is a multi dimensional, activity based programme
covering the HOW of happiness.
‘Healthy Happy Harmonious’ is a special
programme designed for women.
“Meditate like Buddha’ is a workshop for happy
and stress free life.
Here is a list of some of our programmes:
·The
Wheel of Happiness & Well-being
·Happiness
Boot Camp
·Meditate
Like Buddha
·Antaranga
·Bahiranga
·Healthy
Happy Harmonious
·East
Meets West
·Positive
Education
·Happy@Work
·Recipe
for Happiness
·Laughter
Yoga
·The
Pursuit of Happiness
·The
Quest of Happiness
·Pathway
to Happiness
·Corporate
Stress Management
Who
conducts the programmes?
LifeSkills
has been founded by Radhika Bisht and Jagat Singh Bisht.
They are on a mission:
MISSION HAPPINESS! Happiness for all!
They
conduct and facilitate our programmes.
About
the Founders:
·Both
are qualified Laughter Yoga Master Trainers of international repute
having rich experience with corporates, institutions and individuals of more
than a hundred nationalities.
·They
have learned yoga and meditation from gurus in ashrams in Rishikesh and
Dharamshala.
·Both
of them were laughter professors at the Laughter Yoga University and
worked closely with Dr Madan Kataria, Founder of Laughter Yoga.
·Radhika
is a Yoga Teacher and has a long experience of teaching Yoga and
Laughter Yoga to women and children.
·Jagat
is an author, blogger, and a qualified Behavioural Science Trainer and Master
Trainer Happiness & Well-being, with a long experience as a Corporate
Trainer with a Fortune 500 Company.
Where
do you conduct your programmes and for whom have you conducted programmes so
far?
We conduct
programmes right at your doorstep – your workplace, corporate office, school,
college, university, club, park, anywhere. Retreats may be conducted in
resorts.
We have conducted
programmes for Nestle, Abercrombie & Kent, State Bank of India, Airports
Authority of India, Hewlett Packard, HCL, schools, colleges, clubs and old age
homes.
Please watch this video to get answers to all
your unanswered questions about us:
How
can we contact you for conducting programmes at our workplace/ institution?
