Silence is golden
Hiya ppl! Im back from my lovely rejuvinating experience! I experienced tremendous peace, joy & happiness for the past few days. I had been for the advance course of Art of Living
It was residential course for 3 1/2 days. Out of which the last 2 1/2 days we had to be in silence. We had to have satvik food during these days. (i.e veg food without any onion or garlic & not too spicy or oily)
The routine was something like this.
6.30 - 8 - yoga & kriya
8 - 8.45 - Breakfast
8.45 - 9.30 - Seva / time with nature
9.30 - 12.30 - Different meditation sessions of abt an hr each(followed by dance & other creative things)
12.30- 1 - written questions answered
1- 1.30 - Lunch
1.30 - 2.30 - Seva / time with nature
2.30 - 3.15 - Knowledge sessions (Video)
3.15 - 6 - Meditation sessions of abt an hr each(followed by dance & other creative things)
6 - 6.30 - Dinner
6.30 - 7 - Seva / time with nature
7 - 8.15 - Satsangs
8.15 - 9 - Knowledge sessions (Video) / written questions answered
The best part of this course was the silence! Enjoyed the time being with just myself & no unnecessary efforts taken to talk to anyone! Didnt know I cld fall more in love with myself. Before we could go into silence, when few people wondered about being silent, the Swamiji who was conducting the course replied that if you cannot spend time with your own self, imagine the plight of others, if your own company is so boring for urself!!! LOL! true!
As for me, I managed to be in complete silence for two days. (not even gestures). Fortunately or unfortunately, as visitors are allowed to join in for the sastangs the last day of the satsang, I cudnt resist talking to my son!!! Tho it wasn't anything much (just a few words), I got excited & kind of forgot that I was in silence!! And well & then again I resumed into silence for the balance 1/2 day!
I also enjoyed the dancing sessions, singing in the satsangs, satvik food & few other things that we learnt @ this course. Also gained some spiritual knowledge. And the other best thing about this course was that since we were totally cut off with the rest of the world, there were no unnecessary things to think of or ponder about. No worries, no stress! :)
All in all it was a very memorable & happy experience. If you do get a chance to do the course, please dont miss it!
It was residential course for 3 1/2 days. Out of which the last 2 1/2 days we had to be in silence. We had to have satvik food during these days. (i.e veg food without any onion or garlic & not too spicy or oily)
The routine was something like this.
6.30 - 8 - yoga & kriya
8 - 8.45 - Breakfast
8.45 - 9.30 - Seva / time with nature
9.30 - 12.30 - Different meditation sessions of abt an hr each(followed by dance & other creative things)
12.30- 1 - written questions answered
1- 1.30 - Lunch
1.30 - 2.30 - Seva / time with nature
2.30 - 3.15 - Knowledge sessions (Video)
3.15 - 6 - Meditation sessions of abt an hr each(followed by dance & other creative things)
6 - 6.30 - Dinner
6.30 - 7 - Seva / time with nature
7 - 8.15 - Satsangs
8.15 - 9 - Knowledge sessions (Video) / written questions answered
The best part of this course was the silence! Enjoyed the time being with just myself & no unnecessary efforts taken to talk to anyone! Didnt know I cld fall more in love with myself. Before we could go into silence, when few people wondered about being silent, the Swamiji who was conducting the course replied that if you cannot spend time with your own self, imagine the plight of others, if your own company is so boring for urself!!! LOL! true!
As for me, I managed to be in complete silence for two days. (not even gestures). Fortunately or unfortunately, as visitors are allowed to join in for the sastangs the last day of the satsang, I cudnt resist talking to my son!!! Tho it wasn't anything much (just a few words), I got excited & kind of forgot that I was in silence!! And well & then again I resumed into silence for the balance 1/2 day!
I also enjoyed the dancing sessions, singing in the satsangs, satvik food & few other things that we learnt @ this course. Also gained some spiritual knowledge. And the other best thing about this course was that since we were totally cut off with the rest of the world, there were no unnecessary things to think of or ponder about. No worries, no stress! :)
All in all it was a very memorable & happy experience. If you do get a chance to do the course, please dont miss it!
posted by Has to be me @ 4:31 PM
58 Comments:
At 5:48 PM,
prithz said…
me firsttttttttttttt!!! yipeeeeeeeeee!!!! butterscotch icecream for comin in first!! :P
cool course na... i once attended such an art of living class... felt really refreshed after hte course, as u said, the silence is really wonderful na...
Hope u r all fresh and excited now.. and evrything around u is goin to seem so beautiful and nice.. enjoy the feeling!!!
At 6:20 PM,
Anonymous said…
Wow! I still dont know if I can do something like this, just cant keep my mouth shut for a sec. But I am glad you savored every moment and the mother in you popped out when you saw your son. It is nice to know that your family also encourages you.
At 6:48 PM,
Rebelzz said…
hey i ve heard of the course thingy.. Me taking it up is looooooooong pending..
At 8:29 PM,
Syam said…
looks like you thoroughly enjoyed the course...but enaku ithu completely out of syllabus :-)
At 8:59 PM,
KK said…
Wow! seems really of this world :)
Looks like you have enjoyed your course throughly... I have heard a lot about this Art of living course... Will try attending one some time :)
At 4:55 AM,
Shiv said…
oh..nice..yea have heard of such kinda courses...now u shud be a lot more enthu i guess..ensoi!!
At 6:07 AM,
srijithunni said…
The whole schedule sounds so refreshing and rejuvenating.. and the part about we enoying the company of ourselves, is something so true.. Thanks for sharing that.. I shall try to join the course when the next opportunity comes up.
Have Fun, Take Care and God Bless,
With Best Regards,
Srijith Unni.
At 6:58 AM,
Scoot said…
oh wow!that is an awesome experience alright.
since the past few days I was pondering over the fact that if I could zip up my mouth for even an hour a day,then I'd probably have to deal with less stress!
glad that you had a wonderful time
At 9:04 AM,
Has to be me said…
Prithz,
Sure dear.....icecream & puliodarai fr u!!! ;)
Shankari,
Yes shankari, if not for the support from my family, it wld've been extremely difficult to do this. Im really thankful & greatful for their co-operation.
REBEL,
Its really worth it & im sure u wld rejoice the same.
At 9:05 AM,
Has to be me said…
Syam,
Syllabus namma decide panna koodathu....course than decide pannanum!!! ;p
KK,
sure u wld've no regrets doing the same! I just loved this experience, something totally different.
Shiv,
Ya energised!
At 9:21 AM,
Has to be me said…
Srijith,
I m sure a person like u will surely enjoy the same. Go 4 it!
Maya,
Quite right....silence in such moments helps! Keeping mum atleast doesnt create new hassles!! ;)
At 9:47 AM,
Sree said…
Great to see you back and good to know that you got what you wanted, peace of mind. SYam teases me to join AOL classes too.. 'cos he is fed up of me yapping all the time.. but seriously i need to try it too.
At 10:27 AM,
Ganesh Ranganathan said…
I once signed up for an Art of living course, but chickened out at the last minute.....I can't really stand discipline...
At 10:52 AM,
Aditi said…
Wow sounds like a lot of interesting things. One of my other friends was contemplating going for something similar, excpt it was for a week
At 11:10 AM,
Itchingtowrite said…
great! and great that u cud manage the silence. good to hav u back
At 11:16 AM,
Sunil Parashar said…
That's Great!!!!
I did the basic course during my first year & the days still are fresh in my mind.
All the courses of AOL are unique and very good...
I was not able to do the Advanced course but most of my friends have done it...
And apart from appreciating the course,,,they've made a lot of gud friends & they are a family now...:)
At 2:20 PM,
Ekta said…
hey,
howss u?...long time...am so glad u enjoyed the course..have never attended one myslef but have heard mixed reviews abt it..maybe someday!
At 3:44 PM,
Aradhna said…
Hi,
I am glad to find a fellow Art of Living follwer.
I did the Advance course twice and the second one with Sri-Sri.
I am really impressed with his intelligence.
My expereince with silence was not very good, since I was not at peace with myself and was talking in thoughts.
Do you really think silence helps?
At 3:56 PM,
s0ulasylum said…
wowww!!! i have always always always wanted to be at one of these art of living classes! :( my aunt in blore even lives a few miles from the ashram.. but i never got a chance.. well if i were made to sit silent for 2 and a half days, i think my mouth would hurt due to lack of excercise (thts coz i talk wayyyyyyy too much!) hahaha.. but no seriosuly i wd loveee to do this someday! :)
At 4:22 PM,
Anonymous said…
hi...howz u...refreshed after ur course eh??....even i've attended such a course...not residential though...
//if you cannot spend time with your own self, imagine the plight of others, if your own company is so boring for urself!!! // really gud one to ponder upon... :))
my silence 4 2 and a half days would bring so much bliss to my parents... :)) anga dhaan konjam idikkudhu.... but i'd surely like to try...
At 4:23 PM,
Patty said…
Reading your words I can tell your time away was beneficial and healing. I am so happy that you could have exactly the experience you needed to have.
Love the notion that "if one can't spend time with self, imagine the plight of those around you." Now that is something for me to meditate on.
At 5:59 PM,
Madhu said…
Hey that sounds great. everybody should deftly spend time for themselves. but am not too sure abt the silence part...actually i can never imagine myself being silent! I might go crazy :) My hubby would sure love it though *wink*
At 6:08 PM,
Janani said…
Wow nice to spend 3 1/2 days like this. My mom would be quite ready for such a holiday cum classes.So now totally fresh back to home huh..
At 6:17 PM,
Has to be me said…
Sush,
U must try it out esp if u;ve Syams support too! :)
Olive,
That was to give u an idea abt the course schedule
Ganesh,
Theres nothing 2 chicken out...try it the next time.
At 6:19 PM,
Has to be me said…
Aditi,
to tell u the truth, I was disappointed @ the end of it cos it was finishing so soon! :p
I2W,
Thanks gal
Sunil,
Glad 2 note that u;ve done the basic. Try the advance sometime as well.
At 6:22 PM,
Has to be me said…
Ekta,
Gud 2 c u here sweety! Hope u;ve updated ur blog? C u more often! Hugzzzz
Chiya,
Gr8 2 c a fellow blogger who has done the course esp with Sri sri. He is awesome! Well for me silence really helped!
s0ul,
Give it a try...u might fare better than u thot! ;)
At 6:23 PM,
Has to be me said…
Gopal,
Maybe u shd try to pls ur parents sometime!! heee heee!
Patty,
Thanx 4 ur kind words
Madhu,
LOL! Impress ur hubby!! ;)
Janani,
Glad 2 note the same
At 6:25 PM,
Hip Grandma said…
I've heard about Ravi Shankar's Art O Living.Was this the same?My brother attended the programme in Bangalore in Feb this year and enjoyed it immensely.Lucky you.We can't expect this to happen in Jamshedpur.
At 7:45 PM,
Ashish Agarwal said…
Wow, as of this time, I can't of some time away from everybody, somehow it does not feel natural. A normal day is spent in lots of interactions, with people, with newspaper, with magazines, with TV, and a lot with the computer.
Good if you felt good after doing the course.
At 11:07 PM,
Anonymous said…
H2bee:
You have the power to do and pretty well concentrate. I am not sure if I will do it.
At 1:06 AM,
mommyof2 said…
wow.. there is a course? I thought it was something you just wanted to try for a day or so but cool idea.. Your experience sound really wonderful. And glad to have to back:-)
At 7:20 AM,
Anonymous said…
Oh WOW!!!!! Great post!! That sounds sooo AWESOME & healthy as well. :o)
At 3:36 PM,
The Boss (:D) said…
hey now that has provided me a whole new insight on art of living classes! my mother has been asking me to try these clsz, but ui wasnt too keen... now, am not too sure.. :)
At 4:51 PM,
Movie Mazaa said…
U make me want to do the Advanced Course right nowwwwwwwwwwww.....
:D
At 3:48 AM,
Me too said…
Wow! Good for you!!
I heard that a cousin of mine too had gone to B'lore sometime back to attend one these Art of living course. 2-3 days-llaam, I don't think I can handle!!!
At 3:57 AM,
gils said…
hmmm.somehow i fl its tuff if someone asks u sit down quitely..u can do it on ur own...but inoruthar solli suma irukarathu kashtam...AOL avlo nalla irukka?
At 8:06 AM,
Butterflies said…
I have heard a lot postively on this art lof livving classes seems to be a very blissful exp!
At 8:55 AM,
Keshi said…
I was a big-time yakker. Now Im learning to appreciate silence and hoping to remain that way. Wasted words r only a waste.
Keshi.
At 12:45 PM,
Shanthi said…
hi hastobeme jolly-aa irukkeengala :D
long time since been to ur blog. but didn't miss much i think...
At 9:04 PM,
starry said…
Looks like a good session that you had. I would love to do something like that.to search my inner self and be rejuvenated.
At 9:38 PM,
Twisted DNA said…
What a coincidence. I was talking about the exact same course to my brother. Isn't this the advanced art-of-living course? I actually heard about a buddhist run training where you have to be silent for 8 days!
I actually considered this art-of-living course. I am not a big on spirituality, religion etc. but beling silent and introspect appealed to me a lot. I hope I can take that kind of break some time :(
At 12:20 AM,
Anonymous said…
I did a similar 10 day Vipasana meditation in which for the first nine days one had to maintain total silence. It cured by 15 year old insomnia problem.
At 8:20 AM,
Has to be me said…
HG,
Yes this is the same AOL by RS. BTW there is a centre in Jamshedpur as well & here r the contacts -
Vyakti Vikas Kendra - Jamshedpur
Contact(s): Nand Tilwani/ Priya Mitran
Address: K3-41, Telco Colony
Jamshedpur, Jharkhand 831004
Phone: 2286820,2306262,2285342,2239187
Email: ntilwani@tatamotors.com, priyamitran@yahoo.co.in, ashtavakra@hotmail.com
Other Information: Website : www.artoflivingjamshedpur.org
So try it when u want to! :)
At 8:36 AM,
Has to be me said…
Ashish,
Welcome here. Bet ya thats how a normal day is. Guess we can make it better! :)
Priya,
dont underestimate urself!
Mommy,
Yes dear it was a course. Good 2 be back too.
At 8:38 AM,
Has to be me said…
Jon,
Yes pal it is healthy & spiritual as well.
Boss,
Welcome here. Whats wrong in trying it?! Give it a shot!
Velu,
:D Wish u do get an opportunity to make the best of!
At 8:39 AM,
Has to be me said…
Me too,
Try pannama dont say so! Umight fare better than u thot!
Gils,
Nichayama romba soopera irrudhadhu! Im eager to do the next course already!!
Shuba,
Yup its a different wonderful experience
At 8:41 AM,
Has to be me said…
Keshi,
Well said my girl!
Aiz,
We missed u 2. Hope u've some new posts in ur blog now!
Shanthi,
Yes indeed cos I;ve been away too!
At 8:43 AM,
Has to be me said…
Starry,
Check out ur local area for the same - Im sure there wld be one.
Twisty,
A big coincidence indeed! But like I just mentioned, check out ur area there;s likely to be one.
Hiren,
WOW @ the vipasana meditation. I heard of this recently & I'm waitingfor a chance myself. Tell me more abt it / post on the same pls.
At 9:52 AM,
Priyankari said…
hey, nice post! got to know a new thing:) nice routine u had...besides the silence session i also liked the session spending time with nature after having food.nice experience.
At 11:33 AM,
Anonymous said…
Hi!
Nice to know that you have done the course and feel great about it.
But please note that you should not be publicly displaying the course content like this.
I am really sorry, if I have disturbed your celebration.
But, at any cost please dont share the course content with anyone who has not done the course.
Thanks!
At 11:34 AM,
Anonymous said…
If you want to tell me anything, you can mail me at nitwitpal@gmail.com
At 1:49 PM,
Mukund said…
Good to hear that u feel refreshed after the course! some day i may take the course too, that is when i get out of this skeptical mould i am in!!
P.S: enga blog pakkam ellam vara maateengala? vakil paiyana maranduteengala??
At 2:55 PM,
Anonymous said…
Now I do know, what made you resort to silence...."Art Of Living" is something that need not be taught, if one can wait long enough to see what our actions are actually demonstrating in every day Life....:)
At 2:59 PM,
Anonymous said…
I am sure it is very hard, but congratulations on trying and making it a success!
At 4:15 PM,
smiley said…
silence is golden....
but then who wants gold... every one wants yap yap yap...
good course
At 12:10 PM,
Has to be me said…
Priyankari,
Thanks for stopping by!
Anjan,
Sorry if I upset u with this post of mine. It wasnt intentional. I thot I;vent revealed the actual content of the course cos I;ve only given a general idea of what to expect in the course.
Vakil,
Here I come to check ur blog!
At 12:15 PM,
Has to be me said…
Appu,
Welcome here. Ammam, what is the job that u r doing that doesnt even give u a day off?! ;)
Lera,
Thats the impression I was also under till I took up the basic course.
Amimu,
Thank u!
Smiley,
Atleast I opted for the gold!
At 11:17 AM,
Anonymous said…
hey, hey... its cool now! no probs! ...just keep this in mind
anywayz, i have been visiting your blog since quite some time... really interesting!
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