January 17, 2006
Purdue student group to offer Art of Living Course
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A student organization on the Purdue University campus this week will offer the Art of Living Course, which teaches breathing, yoga and meditation techniques.
Active in more than 140 countries, the Art of Living Foundation offers programs that eliminate stress and encourage people from all backgrounds, religions and cultural traditions to come together in celebration and service. A teacher from Chicago will lead the campus course.
The six-session, 20-hour course will be held Thursday (Jan. 19) through Tuesday (Jan. 24). The sessions will be from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday to Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to Sunday; and 6:30-9:30 p.m. Monday to Tuesday. An informational session on the course will be offered at 6 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 18) in Stewart Center, Room 206.
"I attended this workshop at Purdue University in August 2003 and have noticed its immense benefits in my personal, academic and social day-to-day life," said Art of Living Foundation volunteer Venkat Srinivasan, a third-year graduate student in mechanical engineering from Bombay, India. "Now, I have been working as a volunteer for the organization for past three years and have been involved extensively in organizing and facilitating the workshops at Purdue.
"We have had workshops almost every two months at Purdue during the last five years, and nearly 400 people have attended."
The Art of Living Course integrates modern methods with ancient spiritual heritage to offer an approach to enriching life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
"I first heard of the Art of Living through a flyer in Beering in November 2004. I was interested in knowing more about yoga and the benefits that it has for my mind and body, so I decided to see what the course was about," said Ryan Vega, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts from Indianapolis. "I came into the course thinking that it was going to be the usual breathing and stretching that I had heard of before, but this course covered much more than what I had imagined. During the course we mostly did breathing techniques that helped me relax, calm my mind and release stress, which made me more joyful."
The course costs $200 for students and $375 for the general public. The fee for the course also includes free follow-up sessions for a year. The proceeds from the course go to service projects for the 5H program, an international association that aims to promote health, homes, hygiene, human values and harmony in diversity around the world.
The Purdue Art of Living Club also offers free yoga sessions at 6 p.m. Fridays in Stewart Center, Room 202. For information or to sign up for the Art of Living, contact Srinivasan at (765) 404-7270 or e-mail svenkat@purdue.edu.
Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu
Sources: Venkat Srinivasan, (765) 404-7270, svenkat@purdue.edu
Ryan Vega, vegar@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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