My First steps into teaching

I first taught my own classmates way back in 1990 when I was in class 10. I taught a few classes on english and geography. All I remember is I had loved it. Maybe teaching was in the genes. My mom used to teach in a school (or was it a college) before she got married and moved from chandigarh to muktsar. Relatives and neighbours sometimes used to come and learn music from my father.

The first time I taught an Art of Living course I still remember the dimension it had opened in me. I had taught a navchetna shibir to the mess workers of IIT. Pragati aunti had organised it. Right into and after the session I felt an immense coolness in the eyes. A very soothing feeling. As I reached back Andheri ashram Bawa took me into a room and was very curious to know how it was for me. He is the one who made me into a great teacher that I am. Seven years since then, teaching has become my life. From teaching my first part-1 courses in Belgaum in 2002 to YES!+ since 2006, life has shaped and refined every day as a teacher. I remember telling Guruji once, “Guruji aur kuch nahi karna hei bas teaching karna hei.” ( I dont want to do anything else, only teaching).

I am lucky to be teaching. And super lucky to be teaching Art of Living. I teach with my heart and soul. My students learn with their heart and soul. I have had some of the most amazing youth as my students in the last two years of teaching YES!+. As the first YES!+ teachers training begins from 23rd June, its a very fulfilling feeling to have 8 of my students on it. Once they become teachers, much more can be done for the youth.

love & Jai Gurudeva!Publish Post

Ok so why this life for the planet...?

As such this life clearly is mine. its free, its youthful and its wise. But the need of the hour or should I say century is that we revive spirituality on the planet. In this day and age where more emphasis is given to an iron piece stuck on the front middle of ones car and caring about the environment has become a social fad, LIFE inside needs a complete overhaul! We need to know thy neighbour from scratch before God, if he chooses to say it again, says “love thy neighbour”. Athiti devo bhava (Guest is God) will take much longer but we certainly need to get rid of the “Beware of dog” signs on the house doors. A reverse gear from dog-inside to god-outside is needed. But in between there is an intermediate step. Thats “God inside”. And this, the planet seems to be forgetting in its hurry to reach nowhere. Well I was super duper lucky to do Art of Living course way back in 1992. Bawa was my signboard, binoculars, reading glasses, eyes and ears in my search for immense, unconditional love in life. (more on bawa will come in seperate writeups). Guruji had entered this life. Rather His entry made it a life!

Obvious choice, which is a non choice if you are a little intelligent, is to do what Guruji is doing. Knitting the world into one big family. There are a few things Guruji said today in the satsang. He said, “we ( india) got our independence because all the youth including pitaji ( Guruji’s father) jumped into the freedom movement dropping their careers and studies.” I take it this way. its a reminder for us to do something similar to be able to revive the human values, and establish dharma on the planet. we, the youth, need to begin with our country.

When someone asked him what Shiva and parvati must be doing and thinking in this current age, He said, “ They are thinking about the planet, and the foolish people on it”. Again to me this means a lot needs to happen for this planet before its back to its acceptable form/shape for Gods! Anyways Guruji is doing it all. But it would be sheer lazy not to join in!

There was another botheration by someone that he has not done anything worth being proud of this lifetime. Guruji replied “you have already done it. you have come here.” He said if we wait for something big to happen in our life before we start smiling, then we might take too long or it may never happen. A three month old child cannot even take care of itself and still is smiles all the time. what would you say to that. he said, “we need to be humble, simple and natural.”

If anyone who cares about himelf and hence his planet, is to ponder on these three answers, a simple conclusion is - just get involved in the seva activities full speed. do ensure you have good control on the steering and brakes though !! Your life for the planet is the best thing you can do with it, unless Guruji asks you to do something else!

love, JaiGurudeva!