MEDITATION, YOGA, LAUGHTER YOGA,
THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS, SPIRITUALITY
Can we be happy on a continuous basis?
How can we
attain and sustain a tranquil mind?
Is it possible for us to develop a simple
routine that can keep us charged throughout the day?
Can we prevent stress from
arising in our daily life?
Is there a way to be child-like once again in body,
mind and spirit?
These are some of the questions I have been pondering
over for more than two decades now. Not just pondering but researching and
experimenting. I feel happy and fulfilled that years of hard work has borne
fruit and I can now share something worthwhile which will be of great benefit
to many.
I began my journey as a behavioural science trainer facilitating people to discover their
real self. Sometimes I was with them for long hours and felt satisfied that I
was able to help them. But when I went back home, I found it difficult to share
the experience I had had during the day with my wife. It felt sad as some of
them were valuable experiences indeed.
We, therefore, decided to take up an activity that we
could do together. It proved to be our wisest decision ever.
Laughing together
We went to learn laughter
yoga and thereafter conducted sessions to bring smiles on the faces around.
It was our way of giving back. We had never imagined that we would go so deep
into it and engage with participants coming from almost the whole world.
Laughter yoga is one of the happiest activities that
one can imagine of. It generates a lot of positivity. It is good for health and
generates instant joy.
Unconditional laughter many a times leads you to a deep
meditative state freeing you of all stress and worries of life. It is also a
sweet spiritual experience when you can make the depressed ones laugh and the
tough ones crack like kids.
Despite numerous positives, we felt that it had its
own limitations. It was like a pudding and human beings need wholesome meal for mind and body, heart and soul.
We started exploring yoga nidra – a systematic method for inducing complete physical,
mental and emotional relaxation. As we went deeper and deeper, we unearthed
hidden treasures. That lead us to the ancient techniques of meditation and
subsequently to Buddha’s mindfulness and insight meditation.
The Science of Happiness
Concurrently, I was following the latest developments
in positive psychology. Per its
founder, Martin Seligman, the five elements of well-being are positive emotions,
engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. Being a student of
science myself, I have all the reverence for Seligman but, having delved a bit
into spirituality, I believe that well-being is not only a construct but is
multi-dimensional and much more complex.
Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology, describes
the most effective happiness activities in her book entitled ‘The How of
Happiness’. It is interesting that these activities include: practicing
religion and spirituality, taking care of your body (meditation), taking care
of your body (physical activity), taking care of your body (acting like a happy
person).
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, psychologist, finds great
similarities between yoga and flow. He considers yoga as a “thoroughly
planned flow activity” as both try to
achieve a joyous, self-forgetful involvement through concentration, which in
turn is made possible by a discipline of the body.
Stephen Covey, Daniel Goleman, Matthieu Ricard and
Richard Gere, to name just a few of the luminaries, practice meditation and have
deep faith in meditation as a contributing factor for enduring happiness.
Experiments with happiness
Based on our study, we carried out some experiments
with happiness. We created and administered four programmes to different sets
of participants in different environment.
The first programme is named ‘The Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being’ for participants in a formal
set-up like workplace or educational institution. It includes inputs of
positive psychology, meditation, yoga, laughter yoga and spirituality. The
sessions are well appreciated and the audience find great value in it.
Some people seek peace and serenity. For them we
conduct a programme named ‘Meditate like
Buddha’ once a week early in the morning. It’s only ingredient is
meditation - pure meditation, nothing else. All the participants desire to have
the programme daily.
We conduct ‘Happiness
boot camp’ on weekends for families in a park. It includes yoga,
meditation, laughter yoga and fun activities. The response has been getting
better and better.
Then, we also have a longish, multi-dimensional
retreat of a week’s duration named ‘East
meets West’ which blends the best of modern science with ancient wisdom.
Here you learn to make your life happier, meaningful and worthwhile and also
train to be a versatile and multi-faceted Happiness
and Well-Being Facilitator.
It has plentiful inputs from Positive Psychology,
Yoga, Meditation, Laughter Yoga and Spirituality along with special offerings
of Yoga Nidra, Surya Namaskara, Anapana Meditation, Sufi Meditation and
Happiness Activities.
We have planned one such retreat on the bank of Ganga
in the Himalayas at Rishikesh, India from October 1 – 7, 2017.
Please get in
touch with us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com
in case you are interested.
Having conducted sessions and interacted with
thousands of people for years now, we feel that we have the recipe for
happiness and well-being with us. Being able to touch lives is the ultimate fulfillment.
Jagat Singh Bisht
Phone: +91 7389938255
