Love Yourself- Heal your Life

When I first came to know about ‘Love yourself- Heal your life’ workshop being conducted by Life Positive Foundation at Sevagram, I was immediately drawn to the concept. I have been a Louise Hay admirer for past couple of years. I follow all the advice mentioned in her books. Her philosophy completely resonates with mine. So the decision to attend the workshop didn’t take much thought. Now looking back I realize that it was one of the most important decisions of my life. It has brought in a new perspective and clarity of thought to me.

My first glimpse of Sampoorna, the workshop leader, was against the beautiful morning sun of Aarogyadham. She stood out amongst a group of women. Her tall, slim silhouette attracted me and I experienced a surge of love for her. On closer quarters she exuded peace and serenity. She seemed like the perfect person to teach Louise Hay’s work. That first meeting was the beginning of a beautiful process.

The workshop was completely experiential. No discourses, no left-brained intellectualization of spirituality, no mumbo-jumbo either. It was just an inner journey into our beliefs, fears, and doubts. There was a lot of music, dancing, singing, holding hands, and hugging. Love was palpable and real during these sessions, and beyond the sessions. The participants bonded like long lost friends and family. The group energy was infectious in its glory.

By the end of the first session people opened up, and by the end of the sixth day, a lot of release had happened. Each one was unfolding at his/her own pace: smiling, crying, laughing, contemplating, or spreading love and cheer. I did all that I do not normally get to do. I hugged everyone, every time I met them. I sang incessantly (later someone confessed to me that my singing had brought in some catharsis for her. God sure operates through people!!!!) I even had a bicycle ride, sitting pillion on Sevagram roads!! It was an incredible experience.

Besides doing many exercises like anger release, forgiveness, and writing a new life story; we took morning and evening walks, watched birds, meditated under the blue sky, and bonded with some locals. We deleted the word ‘should’ from our mental dictionaries; and professed love to ourselves, looking deep into our eyes, during the ‘mirror work’. We integrated all our inner personalities, and we enacted a role play. All this was powerful healing work, besides being loads of fun.

At the end of it when we sat down to share our insights; beautiful, heart-touching stories emerged. I had understood many of my lessons through the mirror image of my roommate, and surprisingly so did she. It was amazing, to say the least! The purpose of my life and my next step towards it was revealed to me in many synchronistic events. The enormity of it is still to unfold.

I wasn’t the only one transformed, there were many such stories. I spoke with Prof Subramaniam of Tirupati the other day. This is what he had to say, “I sincerely feel that my spirits have been rejuvenated, and my energy batteries recharged. My wife and daughter are surprised at the change that has come about in me. I feel at ease with myself. I am able to express my love and joy without any inhibitions. I have come to terms with my children’s decision to live in USA. The workshop was a wonderful and amazing experience for me.”

Anup Vishnu Bagla from Bharatpur feels that the workshop has made him focus on the present. His worries and anxieties have dissolved. He is more receptive to the concepts of forgiveness and gratefulness. He feels more confident in communicating his feelings to others.

Capt SS Sherawat from New Delhi has a similar story. In his words, “I find it easy to let go. I am ready to go with the flow of life. It has brought in peace of mind. Now I am connected with my guiding force. I experience love and joy all the time. Ever since my retirement I was dragging my feet, now I am ready to embark on a new venture. I used to suffer from chronic fatigue, now I feel energetic and enthusiastic. My new life story is unfolding in front of my eyes, and I am very happy about it.”

When I hear these stories I feel like hugging Super Sampoorna for all that her quiet, non-judgmental, loving approach brought out in each one of us. Now it is for us to internalize and bring all these truths into our daily practice. Like they say, you never stop growing until you die.

So three cheers to Louise Hay, three cheers to Sampoorna, and three cheers to Life Positive Foundation!!!!!!!