In this mind-bending stress overload world of endless deadlines and back-breaking schedules, we numb ourselves to our true inner conscience and get lost in the oblivion of midless chatter of the modern world.

Worried either about the byone past or the unknown future, we forget to cherish the beauty of the loving present.

Art of Living by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a network of elevated souls that help people like you and me break this monotony of life and I decided to attend its 4-day “Happiness Program” to experience all it had to offer.

Besides experiencing waves of pure ecstasy and a crystal-clear mental focus in my body and mind by practicing Sudarshan Kriya, here are the top 5 timeless nuggets of knowledge that I want to share.

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According to Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the 5 sutras of Art of Living are considered to be the essence of all the religious scriptures ever written, transcending the boundaries of time.

Opposites are Complimentary

Opposites, whether it is good or bad, light or darkness, or even day and night, are often seen as two separate entities that stand alone.

However, they are not. They are interdependent, and one has no meaning without the other.

Without darkness, we cannot appreciate the beauty of light, and without bad, we cannot understand the significance of good. They may seem opposite, but they are complimentary.

If I always had the best of physiques and hottest of romantic partners, they would lose their significance in my life.

Life is a balance of good and bad, and by embracing this mindset, we can better cope with the challenges and opportunities that life presents.

When we understand that everything has a purpose, we can appreciate the beauty in every situation, whether good or bad. This leads to a more mindful and calm way of living, helping us to find meaning in every experience.

Accept People and Situation As They Are

When I first heard it from my AOL teacher, I couldn’t help but remember the bedrock teaching of the Stoics.

Do not seek for things to happen the way you want them to; rather, wish that what happens happen the way it happens: then you will be happy.

Epictetus

We should focus on what we can control and not be overly attached to external factors that we can’t.

Nothing good comes from wasting our time and energy by being anxious about things we know are not in our hands.

It is like trying to teach a cat to bark. It’s just not going to happen, no matter how hard we try.

Why worry about something you can’t change? And if you can change it, then why worry?

This mindset encourages us to accept the present moment and work with what we have, rather than resisting or fighting against it.

Not accepting ‘what is’, robs us of our present which is happening now, and forces us to fantasize about ‘what could be’.

Don’t Be A Football Of Other’s Opinion

We form opinions about things around us based on what we observe and our opinions constantly keep on changing as and when we process more information.

Similarly, other people form opinions about us that continue to change with each interaction we have with them.

Besides being one of the things that we can not control, most of the time people’s opinions are a reflection of who they themselves are as a person.

Therefore, it’s not worth sacrificing our own peace of mind and self-esteem over something that is beyond our control.

Ask yourself – why let the opinions of others rent space in your head, when they don’t even pay the bills?

Don’t See The Intention Behind Other’s Mistakes

Mistakes are natural. That’s what makes us humans.

Too err is human

But we often view others’ mistakes through a different lens than what we see ours.

Whenever we commit a mistake, it “happened” as unintentional action.

But whenever somebody else does one, they “did” deliberate blunders.

Looking for intentions behind others’ mistakes fill us with the poison of acidic ruminations that clouds our judgments and makes us resent every action taken by others.

This distances us from the love that we give or can receive from our fellow occupants of mother earth.

Present Is Inevitable

Biggest morsel of wisdom to take away is the inevitablity of present.

Yesterday was HISTORY, tomorrow is a MYSTERY, but today is a GIFT. Thats why we call it PRESENT.

Master Oogway, Kung Fu Panda

We run from the present by cramming our minds with nostalgic memories of the past or hope-filled future.

But neither are real. Reality is NOW.

We have to be HAPPY now. We have to LIVE now. There is no concept of postponing your happiness for your future self.

And the “Happiness Program” helped me embrace my present using BREATH.

Breath is now. Its a wonderful tool to direct our mind to the present, for this is where we live our life.

It is a faithful companion that allows us to shift our awareness away from our thoughts and concerns about the past or future, and helps us become more grounded in the present.

So, let’s take a deep breath and appreciate our reliable buddy for keeping us grounded.

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Well, you can have all the knowledge in the world, but it won’t do you any good unless you put it into practice and Gurudev suggested it takes the whole of your lifetime to do this.

You can’t just keep these nuggets of wisdom in your pocket like a lucky charm and hope things magically change.

It’s like having a gym membership but never going to the gym.

So, let’s roll up our sleeves, get out there, and turn knowledge into wisdom. Atleast that’s what I will be doing.

After all, as the saying goes, knowledge is power, but applied knowledge is superpower!