Jai Gurudev !!!. Review on Artofliving

Jai Gurudev - I place my sincere devotion on the lotus feet of Gurudev..

Hi friends,

I have not, repeat not, done the Art of Living (AOL) course. Neither have I seen their website. This makes me the least qualified to write about them.

Yet, I write a few lines and hope this review is seen in the right spirit.

I have a natural inclination towards spirituality. I have attempted several courses like "Isha Yoga" of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Transdental Meditation of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi etc. I have also attended several yoga courses (No, not Baba Ramdev's program). Sooner or later, I will be attending AOL also.

I feel the course is fantastic (have heard similar reports from almost everyone who has attended). I have many close friends who swear by the AOL course and the immense benefits that it has provided them. People talk about reduced blood pressure, improved concentration, heightened awareness etc. I also strongly believe that all of this and more is possible through sincere practice of this art.

Basic course (as I understand) is teaching of special breathng (Pranayams) techniques (called Sudarshan Kriya) and which helps in controlling the various vital airs within the body and bringing about stability and balance within each individual.

I also feel that Gurudev (as Sri Sri is fondly called) is doing a superb job of teaching spirituality to ordinary men and women across the world. He is also quitely bringing about improvement in peace, reduction in violence and a more inward seeking society.

As mentioned, I feel AOL works. However, I have the following questions / issues:

1. Why are they charging so much money ? Of course, the standard answer is "Otherwise, people will not be dedicated / serious. All kinds of rif raff will attend".. But, I disagree. I feel that if the objective is to spread awareness and improve lives of people, it should not be 'priced". Contrast this with the Vipassana course where donations are welcome but no fees are charged....

   
   




2. I also wonder where all this money is going? Obvious answer will be "Oh, we do so many social activities.". My question is "let us have some transperency here. Let the books be audited and the numbers be published so that everyone knows..

   
   




3. While the course and the consequent benefits are undoubtedly fantastic, it has 2 problems

   
   

   (a) It takes too much time (almost an investment of an hour a day). Again the standard response will be "Oh, but you will save so much time by sleeping less and improving productivity"...

   
   

   (b) The other problem is that most people tend to use this as a medicine ie. people are not very regular (probably because of the time required each day).

   
   

I welcome comments and look forward to your views on this.

sincerely

Vish