Aishwarya Dudha
Dr. Anirudh Kumar says surgeries are fast-paced environments. The pressures can be difficult to handle, but he’s found a way to deal with it.
“When I am presented with a case, I can look at it in an objective way even if there are alarms blurring and lives are on the line,” said Kumar, a surgical resident St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto.
“With the help of heartfulness meditation, I am able to zone into what I am doing without letting emotions cloud my judgment to make the best decision,” he said.
Heartfulness celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 by exploring the significance of inner transformation and growth for women empowerment. It was held Heartfulness Meditation Centre at 1337 Matheson Blvd. E., in Mississauga.
Yoga is the union of the individual spirit with the spirit of God or the ultimate source of energy, when translated from Sanskrit.
It is not just about getting into postures for hours or sweating profusely in hot yoga studios. According to Patanjali, a 1,700-year-old yogic system, there are eight sutras or aphorisms out of which meditation — or pranayama — is one of the essentials.
Meditation allows people to arrive at peace and be in harmony from within and outside. Heartfulness meditation is a simple and subtle practice of meditation that connects everyone with the light and love in their hearts.
During turbulent times like a pandemic, there tends to be panic and anxiety. This is a heart-based system with key practices like cleaning and meditation. Practicing it will allow tranquility to be restored in an individual which helps in changing the atmosphere collectively.
For decades meditation has been known for its widespread benefits but what makes this practice unique is the addition of yogic transmission or pranahuti. It helps someone who cannot meditate on their own to actively meditate like a crutch supports someone who cannot walk.
“We can transmit sound, speech and many other things. In yogic transmission, we transmit the very essence of spirituality,” said Dr. Kamlesh Patel, the master of the practice in his book The Heartfulness Way.
Research conducted in 2020 at WellSpan York Hospital in York, Pa., shows heartfulness meditation improves sleep for those suffering from chronic insomnia.
They monitored 32 adult patients with chronic primary insomnia as they practiced heartfulness meditation along with sleep hygiene for eight weeks.
The results showed heartfulness meditation improves sleeping patterns. During the study, 24 patients were initially on sedatives or hypnotic medications but by week eight, 21 out of those 24 (87.5 per cent) either reduced or did not need their medication.
“I realized that our minds are so cluttered with different thoughts, our energy is in a fragmented state, we’re not able to give our full potential to whatever we do but when we meditate, we are training our minds to remain focused on one thought,” said Swetha Ravishanker, a speaker at the event.
Ravishanker has been practicing heartfulness meditation for more than 10 years. “With this trained mind, we can take up any activity…with all our focus into whatever we’re doing, to help us give our optimal best,” she said.
The researchers at WellSpan also measured the burnout rate and emotional wellness of 140 medical professionals who were residents of a hospital. After 12 weeks of meditation, there was significant improvement in tangible measures of burnout.
Ravishanker said her external circumstances might never change but meditating helps in controlling her reaction.
“There are over 50,000 volunteers, around 8,000 trainers in 160 countries including Canada and 4 million practitioners of heartfulness meditation,” said Ravishanker, a practitioner of heartfulness.
Trainers are offering free training remotely around the globe and can be contacted through the official website or this link.