My Art of Living Experience

What is art? What differentiates a painting from being a good piece of craft to being a good piece of art? To me, it comes from understanding that art is beyond symmetry and logic. Art is about using your intuition and understanding that even things that seem imperfect can be beautiful and real. If Picasso had painted all his portraits in perfect symmetry they wouldn’t be considered art, and he wouldn’t have become a world famous artist.

I’m a school teacher in Hong Kong. Last month we had sports day and a first grade student of mine came up to me crying, saying, “Why?” Why didn’t he win any medals? That little six year old was balling in tears, inconsolably as the prize ceremony continued on. I thought to myself – how should I handle this situation? Should I give him a long lecture on how failure is part of life? Should I ask him to work hard and maybe he can win next time? Should I ask him to think practically, notice how he is smaller than the other kids his age, and while he has other talents, playing sports isn’t one of them? Should I distract him with a game on my mobile phone? Situations like these can be difficult to handle. There is a lot I could have said and done to stop his crying. Instead, I just sat next to him, saying nothing. Slowly, the little balls of tears stopped rolling. That was the moment that I kept aside all my teacher trainings and just focussed on being there for this child. Children don’t need a long lecture on how to handle their emotions, especially six year old ones that don’t even have the vocabulary to fathom it. All they need is a reminder that whatever they are feeling, they are not alone. To me, learning to manage tough situations like these is what the art of living is. It is the decisions you make that are beyond logic, but you know intuitively are the right choices.

When I first joined the Art of Living back in 2008, I was amazed by the simplicity yet the depth of the knowledge that was shared. “Really?” I thought – Is finding happiness as simple as closing your eyes and becoming aware of your breath? Is caring for kids as simple as just being present in their lives? And is handling tough and difficult situations in life as simple as just moving forward with dedication and commitment? The universal truths are simple, and don’t need to be packaged in complicated ways. Gurudev’s wisdom and knowledge is exactly that – simple yet profound. Those who have been lucky to be around Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, have noticed that the way he walks is almost as if he is gliding across. Despite listening to thousands of stories every single day, and carrying the weight of millions of people from across the globe, there is this unbelievable sense of lightness in his being. This is something I try to emulate within my own life. The knowledge, the breathing techniques, yoga and meditations are the tools that the Art of Living has imparted me with, that help me move forth with this clarity.

- Vachi Chhabria