Today is Guru
Purnima.
Guru is the
one who shows you the path and takes you from darkness to light, from ignorance
to knowledge and wisdom. Purnima is full moon.
Today is a
special day to remember and revere our Gurus.
I pay my
regards to five thinkers and influencers who have been revolutionaries in their
fields.
They are my
Gurus and have shown me the path to authentic happiness, well-being and
fulfilment in life:
MARTIN
SELIGMAN is known as the father of the new science of Positive Psychology. He
has applied his wisdom and experience to the task of increasing wellness,
resilience, and happiness for everyone. No psychologist in history has done
more than him to discover the keys to flourishing and then give them away to
the world.
“I have been part of a tectonic
upheaval in psychology called positive psychology, a scientific and
professional movement. In 1998, as president of the American Psychological
Association, I urged psychology to supplement its venerable goal with a new
goal: exploring what makes life worth living and building the enabling
conditions of a life worth living.”
Flourish, MARTIN SELIGMAN
MIHALY
CSIKSZENTMIHALYI is the leading researcher into ‘flow states’. He has explored
a happy state of mind called flow, the feeling of complete engagement in
a creative or playful activity. The manner in which Csikszentmihalyi integrates
research on consciousness, personal psychology, and spirituality is illuminating.
“The wisdom of the mystics, of the Sufi, of the great yogis, or of the
Zen masters might have been excellent in their own time – and might still be
the best, if we lived in those times and in those cultures. But when
transplanted to contemporary California those systems lose quite a bit of their
original power.”
Flow,
MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
SWAMI
SATYANANDA SARASWATI gave us the gift of Yoga Nidra – a
simple yet profound technique adapted from the traditional tantric practice of
nyasa. Realizing the need of the times as scientific rendition of the ancient
system of yoga, he founded the International Yoga Fellowship in 1956 and the
Bihar School of Yoga in 1963 and authored over 80 major texts on yoga, tantra
and spirituality.
“Yoga is not an ancient myth buried in
oblivion. It is the most valuable inheritance of the present. It is the
essential need of today and the culture of tomorrow.”
Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, SWAMI SATYANANDA SARASWATI
MATTHIEU
RICARD is a Buddhist monk who had a promising career in cellular genetics
before leaving France to study Buddhism in the Himalayas over forty years ago.
He is an active participant in current scientific research on the effects of
meditation on the brain. Through his experience as a monk, his close reading of
sacred texts and his deep knowledge of the Buddhist masters, he demonstrates
the significant benefits that meditation, based on selfless love and
compassion, can bring to each one of us.
“Meditation is a process of training
and transformation. It is important to devote time to meditation. Especially if
you practise in the morning, meditation can give your day an entirely new
‘fragrance’.”
The Art of Meditation, MATTHIEU RICARD
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’s 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.
“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, Founder, Laughter Yoga
Jagat Singh Bisht
Happiness Coach & Laughter Yoga Master Trainer
