Sri Sri Ravi Shankar holds virtual meditation session, over one million Europeans join

Over one million Europeans joined a virtual meditation session with The Art of Living Founder Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The  'Art of Living' foundation organized the 'Europe Meditates' program. Theevent was conducted to address the mental health crisis amid the unprecedented crisis owing to the pandemic. The event was supported by the Indian Consulates of EU, Turkey, Croatia, Scotland, Azerbaijan, Spain, and Poland along with others. 'Europe Meditates' attracted over a million participants from 44 countries. Along with Gurudev, the other dignitaries who attended the global meditation were H.E.Santosh Jha, Ambassador of India to Belgium, Luxembourg, & EU, and Hon. Mr. Ryszard Czarnecki, a member of the European Parliament. 

Hon. Mr. Ryszard Czarnecki at the event said, “We, European Parliament, have taken a number of initiatives to address the mental health crisis. I am particularly delighted that my friend Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, with his Art of Living Foundation works tirelessly to bring a sense of relief and the message of peace and togetherness to people across the world through various initiatives, putting the happiness and mental health of the people first.” 

The pandemic has taken the lives of many, separated families for brief to long periods and so it has put unprecedented impact on people across the globe. The pandemic posed grief, isolation, and financial losses that particularly affected the mental health of the people. The Art of Living Foundation hosted the 'Europe Meditates' event keeping in mind the need for a stress-free life and introduce new holistic ways to develop a positive approach in life. 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar stated that meditation needs to be a part of everyone's daily routine since it has enumerable benefits for the body and the mind. He said that meditation caters to the need for mental hygiene just like brushing for dental and showering for physical hygiene."Meditation gives you the deepest rest in the shortest time. On one hand, it helps you overcome depression. On the other, it checks aggression that one can get into due to stress or other circumstances", said Gurudev.

Meditation has a vast avenue of benefits to offer the people, a few of those are prevention against burn-out, strengthening the immune system, relief from stress and anxiety, and keeping oneself energized and happy.

Image Source- PTI/UNSPLASH