Re: [StanfordIndians] YES!+ time..time to breathe..time to rejuvenate!
Amit Ganguli
Dear all,
In case people did not figure it out - this is an advertisement for Art of Living by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. I am also on one of the below mentioned "co-op" lists, where a similar email was sent out. What appears below is my response to that email. I think it would be very pertinent here.
I shall mention my conclusions first: The "Art of Living" programs are good, if you like the first program, then I'd certainly recommend them. BUT be sure you know how such enterprises operate, so that you don't get sucked / suckered beyond reasonable levels of financial / time commitments.
Explanations follow ...
Many people on this list may not know me, I was at Stanford from 2000-06, during this time, besides research, I was the main person who advocated on behalf of grad students to get the University to build the Graduate Student Community Center and once they decided to build one helped in designing it :-). I also assisted in getting the Uni to subsidize health care. Point being I contributed to the community ... blah blah blah ... I ALSO happen to have been born on the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (in Pondicherry) and am a bonafide certified "Yoga teacher" (as are my parents) from the Yoga Institute at Mumbai <www.theyogainstitute.org>, I have taught Yoga at the Bechtel International Center while at Stanford. "Art of Living" is a good program, I have many friends and acquaintances in India (where I am from and where I live now), in the US, and around the world, who have gained a lot, have found direction and peace through their programs.
BUT: Ultimately they ("Art of Living") are a money making enterprise - like Scientology - only cheaper, less "aggressive", and no where near being a cult. NOTHING wrong with ANY of this (or with Scientology) per se. But consider, for example, if you want to be fit - you pay to go to a gym, which is a regular bonafide business. What annoys me is that these people pretend NOT be a business.
Their ultimate premise, like Scientology, is: "Give us money we will show you a path to be happy/healthy/satisfied etc", again - I have NO problems with this, these are excellent objectives! But, what REALLY annoys me is their fundamental business structure - "Aha!" they say, "this is just the beginning to being happy (etc), if you give us more money, then we can show you how to be HAPPIER!" and then ... "Aha! Now you are happier, but you can be happier still by showing OTHERS how to be happy, you pay us more to give you a certificate that says you can teach up to "happy level 1", (but only at Art of Living!)." ... then they ask: "But are you happy enough? You are? Really? Awesome - but there is a SPECIAL kind of happiness (a happy level 3!) that you have not experienced - give us more money and we will show you how to experience this "special happiness"", and then give them even more money so that now
you can teach that "special happiness" to others. But ALWAYS there's the next "very special place/happiness/level" ... ad infinitum ....!!!!
If I go to a gym to become / remain fit, I don't want to be forced to pay more money to use the multi-gym, and then still more money to use the rowing machine, and still more money to go to a gym in IN-bloody-DIA where there are dumbbells made of SOLID gold (it makes you really FEEEEEEEEEL healthy :-)) ) ... I pay to go to the gym closest to my home, and how fit I get is determined by how well I use all the resources that the gym provides.
Also, note that a lot of programs are taught at all sorts of places, please remember that they are sending emails to schools such as UT-Austin saying things like: "taught at Google, the World Bank, STANFORD, and is a credit course at Cornell".
For more information here is an excellent article by a scholar: http://www.yunusnews.com/node/486; and an extended discussion here: http://www.yunusnews.com/node/506. For instance they claim all their teachers are volunteers, yet they certainly pay SOME people salaries, as seen from their tax returns, they claim to be doing charity work, yet no charity work is mentioned in these tax returns which can be found here: http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2005/770/240/2005-770240101-025eb863-9.pdf.
My two bits,
~amit
----- Original Message -----
From: "saks90789" <sak90789@yahoo.com>
To: StanfordIndians@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 6:48:28 AM GMT +05:30 Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi
Subject: [StanfordIndians] YES!+ time..time to breathe..time to rejuvenate!
The Youth Empowerment and Service (YES!+) workshop is being offered at Stanford through the Stanford Wellness program.
YES!+ is an innovative leadershiptraining that offers life skills and a creative approach to servicethat works. With a global network of more than 20 million people, YES+challenges you to achieve the impossible, impact change both locallyand abroad, and remain stress-free.
Thecourse has been taught at Google, the World Bank,is a credit course atCornell and is being taught at some of the best universities in the USand the world over. 100's of Stanford community members from freshmento Nobel Prize winning professors have benefited from the techniquestaught at this workshop.
For programs at Stanford, check out: yesplus.info
For programs in the United States : http://us.yesplus.org/what-yes
Two separate workshops are being offered(will be on campus):
Jan20 - 24th - This is a course inspired by Co-ops at Stanford, in acondensed format (5 instead of 6 days) but is open to everyone.
Jan 26 - 31th - 6 day course open to all
Timings for both are weekday evenings 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm and weekends 1 pm - 5 pm
We have two intro talks(short 40-min mini intro workshops) coming up - http://bit.ly/8QmYSV and a couple in EV/Blackwelder: http://bit.ly/8SWO6i
If you are interested, shoot an email to yespluscourse@gmail.com and we will send you a Scholarship Application to fill out. If you have questions you can also call 408-332-6813.
The workshop is offered free to Stanford students with an application. (Usually the course is $375).
You learn powerful brea thing,yoga and meditation techniques that have been proven to
-reduce stress
-increase concentration
-improve time management and study skills
-improve public speaking
-be more comfortable in groups
-feel more present, more vital
-and some more super powers!
Check Out Research on Meditation & the Yes!+ breathing techniques
(Sudarshan Kriya): Washington Post http://bit.ly/IC1tQ
Harvard Medical School http://bit.ly/7ezI
The Winter Break http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uJrw1dDyNw
Send all queries to indian-as...@stanford.edu.
MaMo
money that gets into art of living! the way you researched and found
how every time they charge.
all other businesses the money earned goes into the pockets of the
owner, not to charity.
I think you should get into the system & find out for yourself.
Even i had the same questions / doubts in my mind initially, but i was
surprised & amazed after finding out the immense amount of social
projects like adopting villages, trauma relief, 5H programs, prison
programs etc that these people undertake. All this free of cost for
those who can't afford, and have equal right to be happy.
I feel you have a flavour of negative advertising for the art of
living. Truely i couldn't find any other NGO who works for ALL the
people irrespective of age, religion, financial condition, place...
etc.... Absoutely everyone is welcome.
If you can breathe, you can do the Art of Living course... :)
Regards,
Manasi