Bangalore's Manna for the soul

Get a grip on yourself, free your mind’s inbox from the spam-like onslaught of worries, give your health a breather … just shut your eyes and meditate for a while.

For most of us, taking out a few minutes from our busy schedule to sit in a quiet, peaceful corner with our eyes shut can easily be postponed over cooking, reading a book, watching television or meeting goals at the workplace. And as minutes turn into days, inner peace becomes more elusive.

Surprisingly enough, the first to have cottoned on to the benefits of meditation in a big way are the harried software professionals of the city. Aiding the heartening trend are meditation centres, big and small, where you can practise various meditation techniques. Art of Living, Vipassana Meditation Centre and Yogic meditation centres are the big players when it comes to meditation as their branches are spread all over India.

Located amongst picturesque surroundings on Kanakapura Road, 21 km south of Bangalore, the main centre of Art of Living is based on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s initiatives and teachings and follows his version of Vedic philosophy and breathing techniques. It organises residential programmes for kids, youth, corporate and the elderly. The city centre, located in Jayanagar, caters to the city slicker’s daily dose of meditation.

Vipassana Meditation Centre, located at Padmanabhanagar, offers fortnight-long courses that aid in self-transformation through self-observation, leading to a greater self-awareness including a control over one’s anger and negative thoughts.

Sri Mathrudevi Vishvas Shanti Ashram in Banashankari, offers meditation classes and lectures on mantras and Vedic truths every evening. There are no residential facilities, but there is an option of visiting the forest ashram located in Penchila Kona, Andhra Pradesh.

Osho Celebration Centre and Choe Khor Sum Ling (CKSL) located in Domlur, are other centres that one can visit. CKSL imparts teachings in English and Tibetan based on the Mahayana School of Buddhism.

Many other centres practise an eclectic approach where you need not adhere to a school or may use a combination of techniques. Awakening in Koramangla is one such place where psychic readings are also used to alleviate anxiety. At Sombo Institute for Soul, Mind and Body Development past-life therapy, life script change and hypnotherapy are used in combination with meditation.

Here’s an impressive line-up of aid to help you mediate. Now it is your turn for some proactive karma.