Garbed in a white cotton robe that draped his medium-height frame, Sri Sri (His Holiness) Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, appeared compelling in the childlike manner his eyes lit up as he gave a message as simple as it was urgent: Love and wisdom can prevail over hatred and distress.

When asked if the guru (Sanskrit word for teacher) could teach politicians something they lack like, uh, love, Shankar replied, ?I don?t think they are going to listen. Most of the time they are busy talking.? But he was quick to add that at other times he worked well with politicians who shared his vision of peace and basic human values.

Even as Shankar advocated social justice, he had wise words for pursuing it: ?Get out of the victim consciousness. It can take the energy away from you.? He then proposed: ?Rather than be anti-something, focus on being pro-something.?

A world without violence is not just a dream but a goal for the 51-year-old acknowledged humanitarian and spiritual leader. Because of his social work encompassing conflict resolution, disaster relief and community empowerment not only in his native India, but also in Sri Lanka, Kashmir, and the Balkans, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Today his Art of Living (AOL) Foundation is the largest volunteer network offering inspirational programs in 144 countries and works in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

His recent talks and workshop at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel drew a diverse crowd of spiritual seekers from Mongolia to Mindanao, including nuns and priests, yoga practitioners, corporate executives, skeptics and atheists. They found substance and simplicity in the way the AOL founder presented a practical path to health and happiness.

The Filipino experience

His long hair and beard acting as his ?antennae and antlers,? Shankar sized up his first Philippine audience, of which some 400 have taken an AOL course since it was introduced in the country.

While many gurus will say that meditation and yoga postures are not for the weak of heart, none has a clearer message than that yoga can be wholly fun, easy to assimilate and is good for one?s health.

His antennae sensing a student?s tension, he commented, ?Do not take notes because it is an indication that you are instructing your mind to absorb the information later and not now.?

The student learned that one could not approach a guru as a detached observer, a partial participant, much as a journalist would. The note-taking ended where the experiential lessons began.

The AOL founder invited participants to return to their natural childlike state, saying, ?Modern man is caught in a cycle where he fears for the future, is anxious about the past, and misses the present moment as life unfolds.?

He spoke of the need to relieve the body of stress and negative feelings. ?Anxiety sends negative energies to our body cells, making them weak and helpless against virulent viruses and pestering parasites.?

In his own easy manner, the AOL guru led workshop participants to a journey of learning through healthy breathing and mind relaxation. ?The purpose of breathing is not only to keep you alive but to get sufficient energy (or life force) that will make the mind at ease,? he said. ?When the body relaxes, the mind expands.?

Shankar, who obtained a degree in modern science at the age of 17, said the pranayama technique of breathing through the nostrils alternately improves the parasympathetic (involuntary) and sympathetic nervous system. From the medical perspective, this ancient art of breathing helps the pineal, the hypothalamus and the thyroid glands to function at their optimum level.

?Breathing is a way of controlling the mind in a natural and harmonious manner,? he explained. ?Meditation is a form of de-concentrating the mind. In outward activity, you need to concentrate to accomplish what you intend to finish. In inward meditation you need to do the opposite.?

Mindfulness

The lesson continued: ?Your body is a sacred temple. The divine is within you. You need to honor it by making the connection. Be aware of what is happening inside your body. First, be aware of your breathing... the inhaling and exhaling, then... the rhythm. The body is made of trillions of cells that radiate and energize. They respond to vibrations, positive and negative. What the mind conceives, the body achieves.?

The workshop progressed to the experiential phase of looking inside oneself through meditation.

?The breath is a powerful detoxifier. It is also the power of presence in a person,? AOL instructor Ruth Kuok from Hong Kong echoed as she conducted exercises on how to induce relaxation through rhythmic breathing.

Kuok asked her wards to sit still, observe their inner self and ?rid the mind of noise.?

Meditation is a form of mental hygiene, the process described as ?cleaning the mind of disturbance and toxic thoughts that create stress.? In the silence, participants kept still, relaxed and slowly experienced a blissful state.

Toward the end of the workshop, participants went through a ?laughing? exercise to ?determine your own emotion unaffected by other people.? By clapping, participants demonstrated spontaneity and enthusiasm at life.

Students were coaxed to view the exercises with awe and wonder. They did so with enthusiasm and in the spirit of camaraderie, turning up the energy level in the hall into one of fun and enjoyment.

The success of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar?s workshops is evident in the thousands who have attended who reportedly came out of depression, suicidal tendencies and aggressive behavior.

What started as a special program for jail inmates in India proved to be effective in releasing stress and anger, breaking the cycle of violence and helping prisoners re-enter into society as progressive individuals that it has now been adopted by many countries, benefiting 150,000 prisoners worldwide.

One writer who had confessed to an atheist past was uncharacteristically so taken by the experience that he exclaimed, ?Everyone looks beautiful!?

The prescribed exercises of breathing and relaxation had produced immediate effects.