Rotaract Club of R.T. Nagar, Bengaluru: Visit to Art of Living International Center, Kanakapura Road, Bangalore

Rotaractors from R.T. Nagar (RCRTN) on a visit to Art of Living
International Center as a Club Service Event with Guests

As a part of Club Service activity, Rotaractors from R.T. Nagar visited the Art of Living International Center at Kanakapura Road at the outskirts of Bangalore on the 25th of June 2017. Art of Living International Center, founded by humanitarian and spiritual teacher Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and also known as Ashram, is an exquisite place ideal for reflection, retreat and relaxation where people from all backgrounds, religion and ethnicity come together in knowledge, celebration and service.

At Art of Living International Center, Roatractors banished their worries and tensions as they relaxed and meditated at the famous Vishalakshmi Mantapa, the central mediation hall and one of the major attraction of the Ashram.

The agenda of the visit, inter alia, was to get to know each other as well as spend some quality and fun time with fellow rotaractors. Discussion about future projects in the serenity of the Ashram was another objective of the visit. As such, after the lunch, we relaxed for some time enjoying the cool & soothing breeze and peacefulness of the Ashram.

Afterwards, we indulged ourselves in the classic 'Drop the handkerchief ' game. It is a game where players form and sit in a circle and one among the players circles around them with a handkerchief, which he drops behind a player. The other player has to notice this (without looking behind or turning his head around) and run behind the player (with the handkerchief) to overcome him and reach back to the vacant space created by his departure. The one who reaches first sits down and other player starts over. Though it sounds childish, it was a fun game and all the participants enjoyed it, which was seen on their happy and laughing faces. Rtr Yagya Gaire, Rtr Suman Tiwari, Rtr Ajay Adhikari, Rtr Basudev Shrestha, Rtr Sagar Bashyal, Rtr Shishir Rijal along with guests Mr. Hari Bashyal, Mr. Balaji Naik, Mr. Shrikanth, Mr. Manoj B Tamang, Mr. Sagar G Magar and Mr. Keshav Pandey participated in the game.

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This was followed by a relaxation session where Rotaractor Basudev Shrestha briefed the fellow rotractors and guests about the benefits of regularly practicing yoga and asanas. He highlighted the importance of breathing and briefed us about various breathing techniques which can be used for relaxation and mental peace. We didn't stop there, Rtr Basudev demonstrated to the participants those techniques and the rotaractors and guest followed him. We did Anulom Vilom Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing) and other breath regulating pranayamas for about 30 minutes. The participants all expressed that they felt relaxed and refreshed after the session ended.

A short video showing rotaractors practicing the breathing techniques can be viewed at https://youtu.be/XYdCY71Fuqc.

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After the relaxation session, we sat together to discuss upcoming projects of the Rotaract R.T. Nagar club. Rtr Sagar also briefed the guests about Rotaract club and the privilege of being an Rotaractor. Rtr Yagya briefed about the club's present situation, asserted that there is a need to work towards getting new memberships for the club. He also requested Rtr Suman, the treasurer, to work towards collection of membership fee. He took suggestions about projects that the club can take up in the future from the members as well as guests. After brief discussions, Rtr Yagya concluded the meeting.

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As the dusk drew close, it was time for this fun and wonderful event to come to an end. Rotaractors and guests suggested that we should call it a day and head back to our homes. Accordingly after few selfies, we headed back together, reminiscing and discussing about the fun we had throughout the day. The memories created through the event will be cherished by all life-long.