An evening with Sri Sri Ravishankar - 4ever Bangalorean

Anything in life is not worth losing your smile.

An evening with Sri Sri at Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore: 21st February, 2009, Ekadashi

How are you all?

Love your city, your one-world-family

In a city called Jalna in Maharashtra tomorrow 150,000 volunteers are taking to the broomstick to clean the city. We should keep our city clean and green.

We should make our city clean. We should make our city green. Then the third thing is non-violence. We should practice non-violence. Newspaper-headlines tell us of violence every day in our city. We should stop this. If we don't take care of violence in the city - daylight killings...violence is growing. It was never there before in Bangalore. Our city should be as it has been before - Garden city, cultural city...

guruji sri sri ravishankar, bangalore, 4ever bangaloreanWhen I was in college here, there was an anti-Hindi demonstration in South India, but not in Karnataka. We were sent saris and bangles from students in Kerala and Tamil Nadu for non-participation in the agitation. But we did not take part. Bangalore has always been a tolerant city, a civilized city, a cultured city. But that Bangalore has changed.

We should stand up and speak against violence. Else, we'll have to send our children to school with a bodyguard in the near future. We don't want that.

In the 60s, 70s, this was a city which honoured lfe. We had never seen flesh hanging outside. Mutton was sold in a closed market near Rajendranagar.

People were brought up with sensitivity against violence. We had not seen blood or flesh like we see hanging everywhere today.

Violence in games

Video games which have shootings and killings should not be given to children, because this makes the child insensitive to violence. Sensitivity towards shooting and killing is lost! We should be more responsible in bringing up our children.

Bangalore is becoming more prone to violence. We want a pain free body and a violence free city.

How many of you have some kind of pain in our body? We should stop using genetically modified food. GM food gives rise to 60 types of diseases. We should be conscious of what we eat.

Bangalore is the city of I.T. Inner Transformation. When you go anywhere from here, you must take this spirituality, this vision, this philosophy of togetherness with you.

For a disease free body we should have:

  • proper food,
  • pranayama and
  • meditation.

We want a:

  • Disease free body
  • Violence free city
  • Confusion free mind
  • Inhibition free intellect
  • Quiver free breath

Nurture children

As elders you feel that your children should lead their life as you do. Can't be! But we need to communicate better. Give your children space to grow. At the same time keep guiding them.

Our breath should be quiver free. And our ego should be all-encompassing. A sense of belonging. All are mine. There is no other.

A sorrow-free soul is the birthright of every individual.

We want a disease free body, a violence free city, a confusion free mind, an inhibition free intellect and a quiver free breath. We'll have to take steps to incorporate all these things in our life.

If you take a vow that every Thursday, come what may, I will not lose my mood, my smile… Let me tell you - anything in life is not worth losing your smile.

Take it as a challenge – Today I am not going to lose my smile. Postpone getting upset – Ok, I will get upset tomorrow.

We have to make ourselves strong. Spirituality is that power which makes you strong to face and change any situation.

Are you here?

So if we all take a vow – Tomorrow greet just 5 people. Create a belongingness. This is the only way to bond the social fabric. Just smile at a person you don't know. Men smile at men, women smile at women, or there may be complications :))

Greet people, create a family. This is essential for any city to be civilized, to be safe.

If you are living in a building, time to time have a get-together. They do this in the villages. We need to create mini-villages where we live.

In the 1960s there used to be a Jaynagar 9th Block Residents' Association. Revive such citizens' associations. Community development and personal development go hand in hand. When you see life in a bigger way, you live better :-) Who am I?

Somehow we must start looking at the bigger picture of life. We are so fortunate, here we have the facility. Bangalore is the city of IT (Information Technology) Inner Transformation. When you go anywhere from here, you must take this spirituality, this vision, this philosophy of togetherness with you.

Time to move the body and mind

Shall we do some Yoga now? Today we will do Sookshma Yoga

Meditation is not concentration. It is de-concentration. Let the mind spread. Let it go wherever it wants. It is welcome.

Let's sit comfortably. We are all stuck in the head. Take your palm and place it on your head. Move the skin of the head in clockwise and then anti-clockwise directions. Do this to the back of the head. The temples. Straighten your eyebrows with your forefinger. Trace the outline of your eyes with your thumbs. Take your forefinger down the side of your nose: from the root to the tip. Pinch your cheeks like you fondle a baby. Pinch your chin.

Take your right arm and swing it back. Again.

Now swing your left arm.

Swing both your arms right, then left. Can you see the heel of the opposite foot when you turn?

Stand still. Take your left leg a little more to the left. Get your left arm parallel to the ground. And push the wall on your left. Push the wall which is not there. This is what we do in life: we push the wall which is not there :-) Push with all your strength. Push with your fingers. Feel the pain in your fingers. Now repeat with right leg and arm.

Jog in your place. Jump in your place. Relax. Sit and breathe deeply and comfortably. Smile.

You must do some yoga, meditation and kriya everyday.

Ok :-) that's it!

Take it as a challenge – Today I am not going to lose my smile. Postpone getting upset – Ok, I will get upset tomorrow.

The Art Of Living Ashram, Bangalore

Art of Living Ashram, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Bangalore Headquarter

Anisha Sharma
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