I recently experienced an online Advanced Meditation Program for three days at home. Advanced Meditation Program is a three-day silence retreat with special meditations and processes. The only prerequisite for this program is knowing how to practice Sudarshan Kriya, a breathing technique taught in an Online Meditation & Breath Workshop. At first, I thought, an online program might not be as powerful as the residential ones that had been happening before Covid-19. But I was completely wrong.
The program was as impactful and it helped me in so many ways. Before I began, I spoke to my family about it and requested them to comply with my silent routine for three days. The program was and is still available in many formats. You can choose your preferred language of instruction, place (you can experience the retreat in any of The Art of Living centers worldwide), and the duration of the program ranges from 3 days to 10 days. I chose the three-day online Advanced Meditation Program as I could afford only a day’s leave from my office.
The first day began with a group yoga and meditation practice conducted over a video conference at 6 AM, followed by breakfast at 8:30 AM. The day went ahead with more meditation sessions. We were initiated into silence after lunch and refrained from all forms of communication for the next two and a half days. Every day was structured in the same routine and lined with meditations, with breaks in between.
At the time I had signed up for the program, I was unwell, emotionally and physically. I experienced chronic lower abdominal pain due to a bad UTI a few days ago and my energy levels were super low. On the first day, as I became more aware of my abdominal pain, I felt it more intensely. And with every meditation session, I felt my breaths becoming longer and reducing the pain down there and by the end of the program, the pain was gone. I felt much more energetic and enthusiastic.
Here are some of my learnings from the program.
The power of breathing right
Studies show that nasal breathing helps the lungs absorb oxygen more efficiently. Sufficient oxygen reaches your organs, tissues, and cells, equating to sufficient energy being produced in our cells. I experienced this in its full truth in an Advanced Meditation Program when your mouth is shut for a long period of time and there is no scope for breathing from the mouth. I believe that the continuous nasal breathing combined with the deep abdominal breathing that happened naturally during my meditations healed me from my pain.
So much of it is in our head
By the end of the course, I realized that a lot that I was worried about was not so much worth the trouble. I had gained new energy and perspective that allowed me to drop the past and shift my attention to more worthwhile projects after the program got over.
The nature of emotions is to shift
As I learned to sit through my emotions and sensations in the body with acceptance in every meditation session, I saw my feelings and discomfort in the body shifting. In the normal course of life, I realized that I did not allow my thoughts and emotions the space and time to change. They were either met with resistance or indulgence. That changed in this program, which made all the difference.
Happiness comes from within
I was happy despite not talking to dear ones or indulging in any other pleasure like Netflix or fancy food. Maybe more so. Why? Maybe because all other sources of happiness consume our energy. Perhaps because I was in the true state of Yoga as explained by Rishi Patanjali in the Yogasutras when he says Yoga is establishing oneself in the being. In the regular course of life, our senses are always involved in the world outside. Rarely do they get a chance to go inwards and rest. The Advanced Meditation Program was a chance for my sense organs to rest. And with that, I realized the truth in the saying that happiness comes from within.
Little things are enough to feel grateful
I remember the morning I woke up after the second day. I could see clouds in their soft shapes hanging over the city from my balcony. The birds flew in clusters and the sky glowed a beautiful blue. It was a lovely moment because after a very long time my mind was registering a beautiful scene that was uninterrupted by any thought or emotion from the past. I was fully there and grateful for the ordinary that was otherwise skipping my attention before.
Who wouldn’t want such beautiful moments more often?
Written by: Vanditaa Kothari
FAQs on Advanced Meditation Program
The experience of an Advanced Meditation Program is entirely subjective. It varies from person to person. Some level of healing can take place in the program.
Yes, it is a silence program with different meditations and processes.
Anyone who is 18 or above and has learned the Sudarshan Kriya breathing technique in an entry-level program of The Art of Living can join in.
There will be sessions in the Advanced Meditation Program where you will be required to practice the Sudarshan Kriya.
Sudarshan Kriya is a rhythmic breathing technique taught in the Online Breath and Meditation Workshop. You can also choose to learn it in an offline Happiness program.
