Art of Living Foundation uses yoga to achieve mental peace

In an age where mental illness plagues the minds of countless individuals, one group hailing from as far as India has stepped onto Guyana’s shores in an attempt to bring mental peace to the Guyanese populace.

The Art of Living Foundation revealed the numerous efforts they have undertaken in Guyana to achieve its mandate of promoting metal peace through yoga.
A representative of the Foundation Ritam Khan explained that since coming to Guyana in 2008, they have provided support for some 4,000 persons to achieve mental peace and intend to increase those numbers this year.
“So, in Guyana, since the Art of Living was established in 2008, more than 4,000 people have already taken the course.” However, these numbers correlate to the types of services they offer following an analysis done to find out what causes stress in people.
“The world today is dealing with stress and anxiety. We need to educate the population on how to deal with that because stress is an obvious part of life; you cannot ignore it. But the main thing is how to manage it.”
Khan added that this has been a lingering problem within the world, as there is no one teaching how to deal with mental health to youths in schools.
“Neither in school nor at home have we been taught how to manage our own minds and emotions. People say, ‘Don’t get angry, don’t get jealous, don’t get stressed out, don’t get sad,’ but we don’t know how to do that. So, this education is very much necessary in teaching how to manage our own minds and emotions.”
With these issues revealed Khan explained that the organization’s role is to liaise with scores of trainings which will benefit persons in Guyana.
“In these programs, we teach some breathing techniques, mindfulness—what you can call meditation—physical stretches, and lessons for life. We focus on managing your own mind and how to deal with people and given situations.”
He added, “Combined, this is a nice package for all age groups. All these programs are available for everyone.
Making it very clear that Guyanese youths who face mental health issues should consider this training.
“Students are bogged down with study pressure, peer pressure, and competition. In this new era of mobile phones and gadgets, they often struggle to focus on their studies. They feel restless and don’t know how to concentrate.”
Yoga, he believes can soothe all of those feelings that they Face. “We teach them how to bring balance to their minds, deal with everyday stress and anxiety, and avoid depression. So, being resilient is key. We teach them yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques to energize their minds and bodies so that they can deal with any situation and move forward toward their goals in life. This is a comprehensive package, with programs available for beginners and advanced practitioners.”
Khan also made sure to take the opportunity to express that the prices for the services are economically friendly for the average grassroots Guyanese person.
“There are minimal, very nominal charges for all the programs. The basic level courses, for the Part 1 course, only have a fee of 10,000 Guyanese dollars. That’s it—very nominal charges. Participants receive lifetime access to services, follow-up sessions, and everything else.”
Moreover, more than 100 research studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals showing that these techniques have significant benefits for physical, mental, and emotional health.
The Art of Living Foundation has been present for the last 43 years and has over 10,000 centres across the globe in 180 countries. The foundation is located at Lot 13 UG Road Turkeyen East Coast Demerara (ECD).