About 8 months ago, a young man named Suhail – bless his soul – messaged me via every social media platform to tell me about The Art Of Living, a meditation workshop that has completely changed his life around. He was a very enthusiastic student and I would politely say over and over, “Thank you, but I am too busy.”

Too busy to meditate? Too busy to take time for myself and my mental health? Sounds about right. Suhail was incredibly persistent and one day I finally agreed. I was going through a really really difficult time in my life: I realized that I haven’t taken the time to heal from my divorce, that I’ve been overwhelming myself with work and projects, that I was so beyond stressed. Everything was crashing down on me and therapy wasn’t helping me. For years, people have been telling me to start meditating, that my mind works so hard that I needed tools to calm it down.

The whole concept of meditation seemed so foreign. Sitting still with my thoughts while focusing on my breathing sounded absolutely impossible, but I was desperate for a change.

I joined the intro workshop for Art of Living. I would have to go for three days in a row for 3 hours each day over the weekend. A full 3 hours every single day, completely disconnected from the outside world, learning this practice. It was held at a studio in Hoboken and taught by local JC couple Kushal and Alak.

As soon as I met them and saw their authentic happy faces, I knew that whatever they were doing was working. Alak and Kushal exude positivity. There is literally a ray of light around their faces, I kid you not. I have never met a couple in this area so calm, humble, happy.

Where do I sign up?

The workshop was really great. I had the chance to connect with people I’ve never met before, and I learned so much about myself and meditation practice. It was challenging, I am not going to lie. Meditation is called a “practice” for a reason, and although I did a great job after the workshop keeping up with my practice, I fell off after a month. It’s the sort of thing I keep trying to incorporate into my daily routine; some days with success, some not as much. What I learned in this process is to be kind to myself and that the mind is so incredibly powerful. I am so thankful to Suhail for being a pain in the butt and introducing me to the Art of Living and, in turn, meditation. I know that every time I do stick with it, I see a huge difference in my mental health.

With everything going on, I wanted to share this interview I did with them before all this started. I think now more than ever, meditation is so important to incorporate into our daily lives. All you need is 10-20 minutes of your day, either when you wake up or before bed. Namaste!

 

https://event.us.artofliving.org/us-en/meditation-resources/