YES Plus Alternative Winter Break 2014-2015

Hello again friends,

This year I had the honor of spending the New Year’s holiday at the Art of Living Bangalore Ashram in India. My purpose for being there was to assist in the Seva (service) project organized by the YES Plus community around the country. “YES Plus” is the college/university branch of The Art of Living Foundation, and beginning last year they have started the Alternative Winter Break. This exciting and enriching activity involves a group of students or professionals from across the United States coming together to complete a Seva project in rural India. This year I joined eight other volunteers to undertake a project to spread awareness for greater health and hygiene in a village in rural India.

I learned about the Alternative Winter Break program in Summer of 2014 from friends at the Art of Living Ashram in Boone, North Carolina. I was taking a course there and they informed me of this wonderful opportunity. During the Fall I completed the application and was accepted into the program. I created a GoFundMe account to help raise funds for the expenses, and the turnout was incredible. The generosity of others to help me in this endeavor was touching. I paid the cost of the trip and booked a flight to Bangalore. I knew at the time I was taking a step to finding a higher purpose in life. The Art of Living has taught me powerful techniques in breath-regulation and meditation which can be incorporated into daily life. Within a few months my life improved immensely. I also met many new friends, all of whom are incredible and inspirational people. But the cornerstone of the Art of Living is Seva – service to others. Art of Living teaches methods of self-improvement and gaining happiness. I learned through participating in this special Seva project the value of service in personal development.

Our Seva team entered the rural village Kurubarahalli in southern India where toilet use is uncommon. Open defecation causes a myriad of health issues in India, the most obvious of which is infants being born stunted. The issue of open defecation in India urgently needs to be addressed. The purpose of our project was to spread awareness of this issue in the village. The local residents were reluctant to receive our group at first, but through personal interaction and continued time spent in the area they eventually opened up to us. The children were especially receptive to our message, which was encouraging to me as a volunteer because they will be the ones to implement a permanent change in their community.

Our journey began with a course in the Bangalore Ashram called Art of Silence. This is an advanced course in the Art of Living involving yoga and deep meditations. The purpose of our group taking this course was to prepare us mentally and spiritually for the Seva project. After the Silence course our team set out to view the village.

One of the first things we did was fill in a hole in the road that contained stagnant water. The water had many mosquitoes nesting in it which posed a health hazard to the villagers. We filled in this hole and eliminated the hazard. The day ended with a lively Satsang- a gathering involving songs and chants. The next day we removed threatening weeds from the school area. These plants were known to induce asthma. We made a noticeable improvement through our work eliminating much of these weeds. We also visited schools in the area to educate about the necessity of toilet use and hand washing. Our team taught students some of the rudimentary breathing techniques the Art of Living offers along with the hygiene education.

I even had a chance to give a few English lessons to the Kannada-speaking school students with the help of some illustrations. This was so much fun. I noticed English words written on the blackboard of the classroom, and asked the teacher if I can write on the board. He gladly consented, and so I drew basic illustrations for each word (cat, dog, kite, tree, owl, etc.). This lesson went over well. I also managed to tie the hygiene lesson into my presentation by emphasizing the importance of keeping nature clean. The lessons at the school ended with energetic, Daniel Bryan-inspired “Yes!” chants. Many students even got the reference J I truly hope the students will remember the lessons we shared. I believe they will.

Overall, I think our message was well-received and that there will be major improvements in Kurubarahalli in years to come. The feeling of having given to others and made efforts to improve an area is indescribable.

On a personal level, I feel very happy to have been able to help a village in India. India has contributed so much wisdom and knowledge to our world heritage. The literary epics such as The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are unparalleled. I have read literary epics and representative literature from Russia, China, Iceland, Finland, Greece, and the United States, and to me the epics of India are the most refined, profound, and entertaining. To be able to give something to this nation that has contributed so much to the world means a great deal to me, and I am very grateful for the chance I had to partake in this adventure. I would wholeheartedly recommend the Alternative Winter Break to anyone considering participating in the next one.

Here are some pictures from my "Keep nature clean" lesson.

For more information of the Art of Living Foundation, visit: www.artofliving.org 

For more information on the Alternative Winter Break Seva Trip, visit: www.sevatrip.org  

Jai Gurudev!

Mike