Teenagers in Yoga Center (SVYASA)
-Ashwini Surpur
Chinmay, Anupama (Chinmay's guide at Arogyadhama), and Vikas (student)
I visited Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation's wellness center, Arogyadhama, popularly called Prashanti, with my son Chinmay (16) for a week. My nephew Mathan (13) accompanied him for the first few days.
They could take yoga classes and watch yoga therapy from a distance in different sections such as the back pain section, arthritis, asthma, neurology and oncology section, and psychiatry section. They learned how patient consultations are done and how yoga is recommended.
Chinmay was awed by some of the dedicated and passionate yoga therapists and, overall, by the ambiance at Prashanti, where many people come over and get tender, loving care from the staff and volunteers and return healed. Chinmay met like-minded youth who came from other countries, and they were mutually impressed and inspired. While a young man from Australia who goes to Chinmaya Mission regularly inspired Chinmay to take up the Bhagavad Gita, Chinmay inspired him to take up Sanskrit learning.
While in Prashanti, Chinmay taught me a yoga class in Sanskrit near Vivekananda Statue, which was a fulfilling experience for me as a mother. His instructions and poetic expressions during relaxation were quite inspiring. He also practiced yogic cleansing kiryas — Jala Neti and Vaman Dhouti — which we had never succeeded in making him do. He said he felt an incredible cleaning effect inside his tummy. He also got to "hang out" with some boys at Prashanti and watch a late-night movie in the city.
He always took advantage of every opportunity to meet new and inspiring people in the dining hall (Sampurna). He bought a book on Shushruta Samhita, although it was way beyond his level. He inspired people around him wherever he went and was, in turn, inspired by many youngsters, both visitors and therapists - Dr. Hemant, Biplav, Purnendu, Rajesh (from Veda Vijnana Gurukula), Acharya Ramachandraji Bhat, and of course, the chief therapist of Prashanti Arogyadhama, Dr. Nagarathna. People could not believe a kid from America could be so open to learning new ideas not quite familiar to people with a Western upbringing. He and Manthan said, "She is the best doctor in the world."
The kids had to adjust to some of the inconveniences, such as mosquito bites, frogs, and lizards, and the hard life at Prashanti, where he had to wake up at 5.00 AM, practicing three hours of yoga sessions a day and they would complain about it. But I am sure they will remember this experience as it is bound to impact them later in life.
Overall, the kids got Prashanti deeply etched into their hearts. I am sure it has been a life-changing and touching experience for them. Chinmay's commitment to all that is Eastern - values and philosophy - is now much more profound and stronger. Manthan is ready to do Yoga Teacher Training next year. Thank You VYASA Arogyadhama.
Veda Vijnana Gurukulam
Chinmay and I also visited Veda Vijnana Gurukulam, where we toured the entire campus and attended a class. It was simply a divine experience. The quality of teachers and students and the education imparted are fantastic. It was heartwarming to see how the Vedic essence of Hindu Dharma is being preserved, protected, and nurtured. Being a Sanskrit student, Chinmay was pleasantly surprised to see how everyone spoke fluent Samskritam. Not only this, but the Gurukul students were worth seeing. All the students were polite, hardworking, and studious. They work in the fields, take care of the cows of the Gurukul, and maintain the ecosystem of the entire Gurukul by collecting the rainwater and using it to feed the bore well, growing the plants local to the land and not some invading trees. Medicinal plants are also grown following Ayurveda Standards. We also got to see the Yagna Shala and the meditation room. The unique pyramid-like construction of the Meditation Hall, without the use of any iron, makes it highly suitable for the flow of spiritual energy in the right manner.
Ashwini Surpur is the Director of Yoga Therapy at Yoga Bharati and a passionate yoga teacher. She quit her software career in 2010 and joined Yoga Bharati as a full-time volunteer.
