Until about a year ago, I was working the corporate 9 to 5 and simultaneously fighting a losing battle with extreme anxiety, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse. I was lost in the dark with no hope of finding the light and still l continued to ignore the power that was within me, despite the many signs telling me to tune in to my heart. I experimented with many self-help things, of course, including various styles of meditation. However, although I perceived a profound shift in me, there was still something missing and my bouts of depression continued to drag me down into the abyss.
It was when I attended a yoga course that I met Laksmi Van, such a beautiful soul I had never before encountered. We connected and she invited me to the local library to attend a group meditation session. All I knew was that we would practice a style of meditation called Heartfulness and that I should focus on my heart. This experience instantly changed my life and suddenly I felt something blossom within myself. I followed up with more meditation session over the next few months during which time I quit my corporate job and visited Bali, Indonesia. There was a sea change in many aspects of my lifestyle which changed for the better. Soon after, I attended a book launch of The Heartfulness Way and got to experience a fifteen-minute meditation session with the author, Joshua Pollock. I had a short talk with him and he signed my book telling me to “Do and Feel.” I read the book in two days flat and at last the missing piece fell into place.
I have never felt so alive and at peace. I feel enabled and empowered with all the tools I will ever need to overcome the lows and celebrate the highs as I live my life. Those waves of despair still take me by surprise at times but I’m able to cope because now I have faith and hope. And I have the support of the beautiful Heartfulness community.