18 Courses, ~400 People, 1 Newspaper Article, 1 TV Spot, 2 Concerts and Many Smiles Later….

[warning:  this is a longer blog post than the ones in the past - if you feel like you only have time to read one paragraph, please skip to the end and read the highlighted paragraph]

Reflections and gratitude are what’s on the mind as we write this blogpost.  We are now back in California and we get that strange feeling that one gets after being away for a while.  It’s that feeling that nothing has changed and yet everything has changed.  It has only been a week since we’ve returned and I’m not sure we've processed all that we’ve learned yet.  In any case, we wanted to capture key learnings for our benefit (and hopefully yours) and also express deep gratitude to the many people that enabled this wonderful journey to happen for us.  Let’s start with the learning:

• Connecting with people – Starting with Justin McGurrin (see earlier blog entry), experiencing how to connect with people is one of the most valuable lessons we’ve learned in the past two months.  Human connection is the very fuel of life.  Oftentimes in our day-to-day lives or even in our social interactions with others, we tend to feel that making a connection with each and every person we meet is not so easy.  We tend to look for commonalities…like common backgrounds, geographic proximity in living, having similar families, etc. as the food that feeds connections with individuals.  Our experience in Jamaica has told us that none of that really matters.  Being able to look into the eyes of some of the arguably most ‘dangerous criminals’ and see the humanness, and the child crying out for help was incredible.  The only commonality that really matters is that we all belong to the same race – the human race.  To embrace someone who has murdered, someone who’s background couldn’t be more different and to see that really, we are all the same; this been one of the most profound lessons of our lives.  We all have the capacity within us to care for others and give love and respect beyond our judgmental minds.  This capacity is limited only by our own intentions.  If we have a pure intention to make a positive difference in the lives of others, there are no barriers or differences that can hold back from connecting.  The power of this kind of intention can change lives, move mountains, and shift continents. 

• Intention, Attention, Manifestation – The aforementioned is the title of a talk given by Sri Sri Ravi Shanker on the power of our intention and attentions in life.  In Jamaica, we saw this full force.  Dushyant Savadia, the International Director of the Carribean for Art of Living is a great example of this principle in action.  Dushyant has only been in the Caribbean for a year, but what he has been able to accomplish with a help of a few key people has been amazing.  Through events like the historical Shaggy concert at the maximum-security prison and another smaller scale event at Haile Selassie, he has been able to generate a tremendous amount of press for Art of Living.  Due to Dushyant and his team’s work, Jamaica’s Minister of Defense honored Art of Living in front of the entire parliament.  When we asked Dushyant how he is able to do all he does and manifest big things he says he first puts a strong intention towards what he wants to do, prays, and then puts his attention on it.  And sure enough…poof…it happens!  It has been a great experience watching him and realizing that it is only our own thinking that limits what we can accomplish in life.  The next time we have an outlandish idea or are faced with a task that seems unachievable, we need only to reflect on Dushyant’s example to draw the inspiration to put our intentions and attentions toward manifesting the ‘impossible’.     

• Faith – We spoke about faith in the very first blog, so we will make this point brief.  Faith gives us courage to do things we would not normally do if we left it to our intellectual minds to decide.  And very often it is these things that faith has supported us to do that make our lives so rich.  Faith is also self-perpetuating.  The more faith-based decisions/actions you take, the more your faith tends to grow.  The more our faith has grown, so have our feelings of gratitude and fearlessness.  It has been a great gift.

• Purpose – There has been no other time in our lives when we have woken up every day and never doubted our sense of purpose.  During our time in Jamaica, almost every day we woke up with the knowledge that we have the opportunity to really change a life that day…what could be a better use of our day???!!!  We feel so fortunate.  Many people go their whole lives without feeling that sense of purpose.  In fact, we have gone many years of our lives not feeling it either.  Now that we have a taste of what if feels like…we are hooked!  What we have experienced is that finding something you enjoy doing and then doing in the service of others is what gives a sense of purpose.  The joy in what you do and the component of service go hand and hand and one cannot really find purpose if either are missing.  We as human beings need to be of value to others and we need to express ourselves/our creativity to feel fulfilled.  Finding out what ‘that’, the thing that makes your heart sing (as one woman put it), is for each of us is certainly worth the pursuit. 

Lastly, this journey has taught us that we all can take this step to help others.  Even those of us with intense career paths and/or family responsibilities can spend cycles doing this.  What’s amazing is that the rewards are generous - we just need a little courage to take that first step.

Now to the gratitude:

First and foremost our deepest thanks goes to ‘the man’ – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.   This experience teaching the knowledge he so brilliantly put together over 30 years ago helped us get a deeper understanding of his true genius.  The knowledge itself has so much power to help people of any race, age, gender, background, etc. have a better life on the one hand.  On the other hand, he has so graciously allowed simple people like us to become teachers and spread this knowledge, providing such an amazing growth opportunity.  Teaching challenges you and makes you face your own flaws while it also feeds your soul with the gratification of putting smiles on people’s faces and even healing their broken hearts.

Second, we owe much gratitude to Dushyant Savadia who decided to take a chance by letting us come over to Jamaica.  He was brave enough to entrust the reputation of Art of Living to us while we were teaching.  We hope we have benefitted him and AOL Caribbean even half as much as we have gained.

Third, we have to thank mom/mom-in-law Santha and our girls Zara and Sana.  Without their sacrifice of being cooped up at home, losing a measurable amount of freedom and comfort, we would never have been able to impact all the people we did in Jamaica.  Their service was behind the scenes while we received the personal gratitude of the people we were teaching, they had to make sacrifices without much direct reward.  They have been, without a doubt, the wind beneath our wings.

All the people in Jamaica that helped us along the way with offers for housing, transportation, and logistics assistance have been angels to us.  Most of all, their warmth and hospitality made us feel at home and welcome.  Specifically from we’d like to thank:

From Kingston

-       Manisha and Sundeep Shah who were our go to people for all questions, they helped us find an apartment and car we rented for many weeks

-       Sundeep’s parents Sudha and Deepak who were across the street from our apartment and always so helpful and great with the kids

-       Liz and Richard Oliver from whom we rented an apartment, who were so helpful in different ways everyday and who’s 2 year-old son Logan became Zara and Sana’s adopted Jamaican brother (he even called Devan ‘daddy’)

From Montego Bay

-       Tammy and Blaise Hart who were so generous is housing us and lending us their car; Tammy Hart has one of the biggest hearts of anyone we have ever met and she just exudes love, Jamaica and Art of Living are lucky to have her

-       Katherine Maye and her husband Frank who also housed and fed us for days in Montego Bay; their house became a real second home to us and their generosity of spirit and openness made us feel so close to them is such a short period of time

We also want to thank all our friends, family, and colleagues who have supported us throughout this process whether it be by sacrificing seeing our girls for two months (which was pure torture for some!) or by simply reading our blog and encouraging us along the way. 

Only a chapter of this journey has ended.  We will continue to be involved in helping improve conditions at Haile Selassie High School and provide financial assistance to educate some very high potential children in impoverished local communities.  In fact, we have decided to personally sponsor a few children for their education and are working on a proposal to help raise funds for the many projects needed at Haile Selassie.  The children of Jamaica are in great need.  Please find it in your heart to make a contribution and change a life for the better.  You can contact us by email to make any donations.  We have seen first hand how very far our dollars can go. 

With Much Thanks and Love

A Prison Inmate From Tower Street Motivates Kids at Haile Selassie High School (HSHS)

It is always nice when an idea comes to its fruition and this was the case on June 5.  From the very first week we were teaching at HSHS in the mornings, we spent the afternoons at Tower Street maximum-security prison.  It was on a drive from the school to the prison, from teaching one class and to another, while gobbling down a sandwich and keeping eyes on the road when the idea hit us – how can we bring an inmate from the prison to speak to the kids and have him create the right motivation towards non-violent behaviors. 

Little did we realize how much prep work is required to move an inmate from one place to another!   As a starting point, it requires the consent of the commissioner of prisons.  Luckily the prison commissioner has witnessed the success of our work at the prison (i.e decrease in infractions etc.) and thus supported the idea.  This led to having a team from the prison scope out the property – this is because an inmate could have enemies on the outside that might want to hurt him and the authorities are responsible for his safety.  Correctional officers are also required to be present at the school on the day of the event. 

Jah9 rocking it in front of 750 students

The idea was to have an inmate speak to the entire school about his mistakes in the hopes that it would deter the kids at HSHS from making the same mistakes.  We were hopeful the message would make an impression and give them something to think about when they are faced with doing the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ thing.  This was our simple idea.  Of course, in the hands of Dushyant Savadia, International Director for the Art of Living in the Caribbean, a simple idea can often take on much grander proportions.  This was no exception.  The event, held at HSHS on the afternoon of June 5 included a speech by the HSHS' principal Lorenzo Ellis, performances by two up and coming local Jamaican artists Jah9 and Jesse Royal, 

a dynamic Martin Luther King-like speech by Mr Reuben (the inmate from Tower Street prison who has now completed 20+ years at the prison and is still not done)

Mr. Reuben, an inspirational speaker

Seema announcing the scholarships

, and most importantly an announcement to award 63 scholarships (5 per month for the student body and 2 per month to teachers) equivalent to one year’s tuition.  The scholarship titled Leadership in Human Values will be awarded to a student from each grade every month that not only demonstrate diligence in academics but also exemplifies human values such as kindness, honesty, and respect.   

The scholarships are a fabulous idea as it brings the community together.  It easies the burden on parents who cannot afford tuition fees but also drives the students to create change in the school and the community around them.  They not only have to show acts of non-violence but also demonstrate they are driving the notion of non-violence in school, the neighborhood and the community.  These scholarships are a great way to incent the behavioral change we teach in class every day.  

Hanging with the kids and teachers at HSHS after the program

In addition, Seema has been asked to be the Art of Living overall project lead at HSHS for the coming year – including taking responsibility for selecting students for the scholarships, helping with fundraising, and running other programs.  If we thought our work would come to an end in July, we were mistaken!

May 9, 2013 - What a Day!

Exhausting, but so purposeful that lying down to sleep at the end of it all was the most satisfying rest I have had in a long time.  Devan and I started out at the women’s prison at Fort Augusta – running the course by ourselves for the first time.  Followed by teaching the teachers at the Haile Selassie High School (HSHS).  Devan will write separately about Fort Augusta, while I will focus on Haile Selassie.  For starters, here is a brief excerpt about the school from the National Education Department Inspection Report:

Haile Selassie High School is situated in the volatile inner city community of Payne Avenue in Kingston. It has capacity for 1,000 students; however enrolment stands at 863 with 588 boys. These students are mostly from very poor backgrounds where one or both parents are unemployed. They hail from inner-city communities such as Waltham Avenue, Sea View, Payne Avenue, Spanish Town Road and Water House.  Over the past years, school activities have been frequently disrupted by violence in the surrounding communities, which sometimes ends up in the school and amongst students.

Teachers at HSHS taking the Art of Breathing Course

Over the course of 4, 2-3 hour sessions, we taught the Art of Breathing course to about 30 teachers including the Principal, Vice Principal, Guidance Counselor and the Chief Disciplinarian!  At first, we could see that the teachers were very skeptical.  It was not clear to me for the first three days if we were reaching them.   Then on the very last day, after the course was over, we got feedback from a few of the teachers that just blew me away. 

One teacher named Jackie (the guidance counselor) confided in me that she could feel that the course helped her get some of her balance in life back.  As a guidance counselor, she was exposed to a ton of trauma through the experiences of the kids.  Most recently, she explained she had to ‘bury one of her students’ in January.  A promising young girl who was never late for school, named Sharifa, was raped and murdered and thrown on the side of the road.  It was an incident that shocked the community and all of Kingston.  Jackie shared that, since the incident, she was having a lot of trouble sleeping….many nights she just watched the clock tick away minutes.  Furthermore, she wasn’t able to cry and let out the stress she was feeling.  She told me she needed even more help.  My heart went out to her.  Knowing that the course gave her back even a little of the balance and peace she had lost over the previous months was gratifying….but I knew she would need much more help.

Another amazing young teacher, Marsha, told me she too was deeply upset by Sharifa’s death.  She decided, she wanted to start a program to teach boys to be men and girls to be ladies so that when she has her daughter some day she could send her to school knowing that she wouldn’t be mistreated.  Marsha said she wanted to help these boys and girls not become ‘prison-bait’ and ‘rape-bait’ …these are the terms she used.  She shared that the class helped her a lot in having a deeper understanding of herself, which she really needs to accomplish her goals of setting up programs for these kids to better themselves.  Marsha is so committed that she even attended the course though she was on a 1-month leave of absence.  I felt inspired and humbled by this woman’s passion and dedication.

We thought we'd show you some art murals at Haile Selassie that welcomed us.  These murals should tell you much about this school and the neighborhood.  

The senior administration were moved by the course and asked if we could start teaching the kids course (YES! - Youth Empowerment Seminar) the very next week.  This was the plan but we needed the faculty to take the course and make them believers which I think we achieved.  Without the faculty's support, the next few weeks at HSHS could go to complete waste.  With this, next week we start teaching the kids…can’t wait!