An award-winning industrial designer and innovator who founded Publicolor, a long-term youth development program, to educate disadvantaged youth and prepare them for jobs: publicolor.org.

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Ruth Lande Shuman

<h4 style="text-align:center;">AN ART ESSAY &amp; INTERVIEW</h4>Volunteers are the lifeblood of Publicolor. In 2000 we won one of our country’s highest honors, the President’s Service Award, from President Clinton for our work with volunteers in the community.Every year over 1000 volunteers join us as painters on Saturdays in under-resourced schools and community sites. We transform these sites through warm color and thoughtful design. Publicolor paints dignity, respect, inspiration and safety in low-income neighborhoods.Corporations love to send their employees to paint alongside our students as they see this as a great team-building opportunity. It’s also a special way for corporate employees to participate in their company’s philanthropy. Publicolor students consistently mention Saturdays as their favorite part of Publicolor, citing getting to meet new people as most special. They cherish learning about new job options and what it takes to succeed. Publicolor’s volunteers are treasured role models!<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/publicolor2_a4d5c84881.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T07:44:56.128Z" alt="publicolor2"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/publicolor3_0f88c82378.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T07:45:48.000Z" alt="publicolor3">Academic tutors also join us as volunteer leaders of our weekly career exposure workshops, and as mentors for our high school seniors and college freshmen. With the help of our volunteer painters, Publicolor has transformed about 500 sites. With the help of our tutors, 85% of Publicolor students enter college not needing remediation versus 19% of their school peers. Thanks to our mentors, 98% have stayed in college after their freshman year versus 66% at the City University of New York. Since most of Publicolor students are the first in their family to go to college, the encouragement and guidance they receive from our volunteers is invaluable.For all these reasons, Publicolor treasures our volunteers. We couldn’t do what we do without them!<h3 style="text-align:center;">Interview with Ruth Lande Shuman, founder of Publicolor</h3>Q: Please share with us the mission of Publicolor.RLS: The mission of Publicolor is to creatively engage high risk, low-income students in their education and prepare them to be productive in the workplace.Q: How did the organization form?RLS:&nbsp;I was very concerned back in the late ’80s about the rising dropout rate. All I could think of was the horrible impact that would be on the future of our economy. In another life I had helped develop the Big Apple Circus and was a founding board member. I got to see a lot of schools that had our arts and education program, and many of them were in east Harlem. All of them looked and felt like prisons.I thought to myself: It’s no wonder that kids are dropping out; it’s no wonder that parents aren’t showing up for parent teacher conferences; I wouldn’t go to such a hostile environment. And it’s no wonder teachers are burning out. That was the lightbulb moment!<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/publicolor4_d26c9bb1c0.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T07:46:24.411Z" alt="publicolor4">At the same time I had just finished a masters in industrial design at Pratt with a specialty in the psychological effects of color. Color has a huge effect on our attitudes and behaviour. So I thought about putting a paintbrush in the hands of disaffected students – the ones who are at high risk of dropping out. I wanted to teach them the marketable skill of commercial painting, and teach them strong and transferable work habits. And along the way, they would develop a sense of pride and ownership of their school, and start attending school more regularly. Also, if they spend any time with me, they’ll get to understand the importance of education and how that’s going to be their path out of poverty.So I mentioned the idea to the woman who ran the circus’ arts and education program. She also ran an educational complex in East Harlem, and she said to me, “Come on in. I want you to paint my whole school.” It was a city square block school of five storeys. The project was a huge success. Estee Lauder had wanted to do something in that school and the principal suggested that they meet with me. They loved the idea and they volunteered. We did a lot of prepping with the kids during the week and on weekends. We primed all the hallways, all the stairwells, and then drew thousands of linesm because I had a rather complicated design. Literally, within one day, from Estee Lauder, my friends, the teachers and the principal, we had 350 volunteers and we painted all the public spaces of the school.&nbsp;It was rather extraordinary.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/publicolor5_6302b79294.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T07:47:00.971Z" alt="publicolor5">&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;Then the school’s Chancellor came by and pulled me aside and said, “This is a catalyst for change. I want you in my schools. I’ll send out an RFP for a school beautification program.” So I filled out the application with the Department of Education and we won the contract. I took a little time off to set us up as a non profit organization, and then we were!Then I met with the Deputy Chancellor for Operations who asked me which school did I want, and I told him I wanted his lowest performing school. In the contract I was very specific that I wanted their lowest performing schools. That’s how it got started.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/publicolor6_dbcb775d4d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T07:47:39.957Z" alt="publicolor6">Q: That’s a beautiful story. What were some of the reactions after these drastic changes to the schools?RLS:&nbsp;There was one father who said that it was as if Santa Claus had come and left this gift. It was just so gorgeous. He said something about Santa and his elves, because when he arrived on Monday to drop his son, he couldn’t believe what he saw. The whole school was completely transformed. The kids love it.I have learned – and at first it hurt my feelings – that change is very difficult for many people. For some, their initial reaction was not fantastic. But what I have understood is to give them two weeks to adjust, and almost everybody ends up loving the change. And there are always going to be a few who don’t like yellow, or don’t like the blue that I chose for the doors. In the end, if we’ve used any color that the kids and the principal don’t particularly like, then we change it.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/publicolor7_78af02b117.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T07:48:27.019Z" alt="publicolor7">Q: Is there a student who stood out as being especially enabled by the transformation or the mentoring program?RLS:&nbsp;Oh, that’s hard, as there are so many. One comes to mind. One of my students is a girl called Cecile, whose mother was very, very sick when she joined our continuum program. She claims it was because of us that she stayed in school and didn’t drop out, and she really didn’t want to drop out. She went on to college and said that she would have dropped out again after her first year because her mother was so sick. But we gave her a lot of support and explained why college was so important for her and how it would make her mother proud. Her mother passed away after her sophomore year, and she had a mentor who encouraged her to stay in school. She went to one of the top culinary schools in the country and she now has a job working in food services for Google. She also works for us on Saturdays as a site staff member.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/publicolor8_74de447413.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T07:49:06.856Z" alt="publicolor8">There’s just one more thing: I remember once we replicated in Pittsburgh and there was a guy at Carnegie who did a study on volunteerism and wrote a piece about Publicolor. What he and I uncovered is just how much better an employee feels about their company after they’ve participated in a volunteer program. They take great pride in the fact that their company is volunteering to help X, Y or Z. What we’ve noticed apart from the pride factor is also the magnificent team building opportunity. We have a lot of feedback about that from volunteers.Q: Thank you so much for your time.RLS:&nbsp;Thank you, my pleasure.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Art Essay by PUBLICOLOR Interview by EMMA IVATURI</h4><hr>

The lifeblood of Publicolor

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Ryunosuke Satoro

Drop in the ocean

Dr. Sabbu Kishore (DCH, MD Internal Medicine) is a Diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and Director of Kanha Medical and Research Centre. He is also a certified Heartfulness trainer, supporting wellbeing through clinical care, lifestyle medicine, and meditation-based practice.

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Sabbu Kishore

<h4>DR. SABBU KISHORE outlines the widespread yet often overlooked impact of vitamin B12 deficiency on neurological health, cardiovascular risk, and overall well-being.</h4>Vitamin B12 deficiency is quietly becoming one of the most widespread nutritional deficiencies worldwide, particularly in India. Despite being essential for brain function, nerve health, blood formation, and heart protection, it often goes unnoticed until significant damage has already occurred. Many people live for years with low vitamin B12 levels without realizing that their fatigue, memory problems, or tingling sensations have a nutritional cause.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">How Widespread Is the Problem?</h4>Nearly one in three to one in two Indian adults have low or borderline B12 levels. The problem is not limited to the elderly; young professionals, students, and adolescents are now affected as well. Modern diets, stress, digestive problems, and long-term medications drive this trend.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Who Is Most at Risk?</h4>B12 is found in animal-based foods. Vegetarians and vegans are especially at risk. Older adults, people with diabetes on metformin or acid-suppressing drugs, those with gut disorders, alcohol use, pregnancy, or chronic stress, also have a higher risk.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Why Vitamin B12 Is So Vital</h4>Vitamin B12 is crucial for the production of red blood cells and for the protection of nerves through the myelin sheath. It supports brain health, memory, mood, and energy. A vital function is controlling homocysteine, which can damage blood vessels if too high.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/vitb12_2_b739c3d655.webp" alt="vitb12-2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Homocysteine: The Hidden Link to Stroke</h4>When vitamin B12 levels are low, homocysteine accumulates in the blood. Elevated homocysteine damages the inner lining of blood vessels, increases clot formation, and accelerates hardening of the arteries. This significantly raises the risk of stroke and <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-hidden-impact-of-vitamin-b12-deficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">heart disease</a>, sometimes even in young individuals who do not have traditional risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or smoking.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Neurological Symptoms: Often the First Warning Sign</h4>Neurological symptoms can appear before anemia. These may include tingling, numbness, burning, balance issues, fatigue, poor memory, mood changes, <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/vighnas" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">depression</a>, and sleep problems. If untreated, permanent nerve and cognitive damage may result. &nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Vitamin B12 is crucial for making red blood cells and protecting nerves through the myelin sheath.&nbsp; It supports brain health, memory, mood, and energy. A vital function is controlling homocysteine, which can damage blood vessels if too high.</h4><hr>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/vitb12_3_88ef759846.webp" alt="vitb12-3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Why B12 Deficiency Is Frequently Missed</h4>A normal hemoglobin level does not rule out a vitamin B12 deficiency. B12 deficiency can occur even with normal blood counts. Symptoms are often dismissed as stress, aging, or lifestyle, allowing the deficiency to worsen unnoticed.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Right Way to Check Vitamin B12 Status</h4>A simple blood test detects low B12 levels, but the results need careful interpretation. Symptoms may appear even at low-normal values. Measuring serum homocysteine is helpful, as elevated levels indicate functional deficiency and increased vascular risk. MMA testing can help confirm cellular B12 deficiency, particularly with borderline results.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Correcting the Deficiency</h4>Treatment depends on the severity of the deficiency and the presence of symptoms. Mild to moderate deficiency can often be corrected with high-dose oral or sublingual vitamin B12 supplementation, preferably in the form of methyl cobalamin. In individuals with severe deficiency or neurological symptoms, vitamin B12 injections are recommended initially, followed by long-term maintenance therapy. Correction of associated folate and vitamin B6 deficiencies is also important to normalize homocysteine levels.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Prevention Is Better Than Cure</h4>Regular screening is key to prevention. Elderly, vegetarians, people with diabetes, and those on long-term medication need periodic B12 and homocysteine tests. Awareness helps, but supplements are often essential.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Take-Home Message</h4>Vitamin B12 deficiency is common, silent, and serious, affecting energy, brain, nerves, and blood vessels. Elevated homocysteine connects it to stroke and heart disease. Early detection and treatment can reverse symptoms and prevent harm. Paying attention to B12 now protects future health.&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Vitamin B12 deficiency is common, silent, and serious,&nbsp; affecting energy, brain, nerves, and blood vessels.&nbsp; Elevated homocysteine connects it to stroke and heart disease.&nbsp; Early detection and treatment can reverse symptoms&nbsp; and prevent harm. Paying attention to B12 now protects future health.</h4><hr>&nbsp;References: 1. Green R, et al. Vitamin B12 deficiency. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017. 2. Comprehensive review on prevalence, clinical features, and diagnosis of B12 deficiency. 3. Hamza Ali et al. The Neurological Sequelae of Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A Systematic Review and RCT. PubMed. 2025. Focuses on neurological outcomes and treatment effects in B12 deficiency.&nbsp; 4. Mahalle N, et al. Vitamin B12 deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia as correlates of cardiovascular risk factors (Indian CAD patients). J Cardiol. 2013. 5. Shows high prevalence of B12 deficiency and elevated homocysteine in cardiovascular disease.&nbsp; 6. Metabolic vitamin B12 deficiency: a missed opportunity to prevent dementia and stroke (Narrative Review). PubMed. 2015. Discusses metabolic B12 deficiency, stroke risk, and the importance of functional markers (MMA, homocysteine).&nbsp; 7. Role of vitamin B12 deficiency in ischemic stroke risk and outcome (Review). PubMed. 2020. Reviews evidence linking B12 deficiency to ischemic stroke and mechanisms, including homocysteine elevation. 8. Serum Vitamin B12 Levels as a Risk Factor and Prognostic Marker in Acute Ischemic Stroke (Case-control, India). PubMed. 2025. 9. Demonstrates lower B12 and higher homocysteine in stroke patients with worse outcomes.&nbsp; 10. Homocysteine, B vitamins, and cardiovascular disease: a Mendelian randomization study. BMC Med. 2021. Genetic evidence linking homocysteine levels to stroke risk, highlighting the role of B vitamins.&nbsp; 11. Neurological disorders in vitamin B12 deficiency (Review). PubMed. Details the spectrum of neurologic manifestations, including peripheral neuropathy, myelopathy, and cognitive issues.&nbsp; 12. Association between neuropathy and B-vitamins: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. PubMed. 2021. Meta-analytic evidence linking low B12 (and elevated homocysteine/MMA) with peripheral neuropathy.&nbsp; 13. Vitamin B12 Deficiency-Induced Neuropathy and Cognitive and Motor Impairment in the Elderly: Case Reports. PubMed. 2025. Case evidence highlighting diagnostic challenges and the utility of homocysteine/MMA testing even with “normal” serum B12.

The Hidden Impact of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

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Saint Francis of Assisi

Become prayer

Sairam is Co-founder and Director of Research at UrbanKisaan, dedicated to environmentally safe and sustainable agricultural technologies. He has published over 30 articles in international journals, and received multiple awards. He was listed in the top 10 leaders in the Agriculture Industry for the year 2021.

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Sairam Reddy Palicherla

<h4>SAIRAM REDDY PALICHERLA is one of the founders of UrbanKisaan, creating a sustainable and safe future using hydroponics. They are creating local micro farms, with a low carbon-footprint, and igniting agri-entrepreneurs to bring positive change for humanity and the planet. Here he speaks with LEAH RICH about the work UrbanKisaan is doing, and Kanha Shanti Vanam as a model for feeding a whole community.</h4><hr>Q: Good morning Dr. Sairam. Thank you for taking the time to speak about hydroponics with us. Let’s jump right in. To start, what got you interested in hydroponics?SR: The interest here at Kanha was led by Daaji. He wanted to explore various non-conventional and sustainable ways of growing food. He has been doing this for the last twenty years, in his backyard in the US. This has been his passion – exploring alternative ways of growing food.Prior to seventy years ago, food was nutritious and safe, but the quantity was not enough to feed the people of the world. There was a desperate need to increase the productivity, so fertilizers, pesticides and hybrid crops were introduced. This is also when the needs of the trader came into the picture – transportability, storability, shelf life, and packing in boxes became the focus. This happened at the expense of the nutrient content of the food and the needs of the consumer.In the last seventy years, there’s been a complete shift in food growing. Now we satisfy our hunger but not our nutritional needs. That is where the challenges come. It’s time to shift back to local food production – I call it micro farming.Q: So how does hydroponics fit in? I thought the nutrients in our produce come through the soil, but in hydroponics there is no soil. Can you explain?SR: Our understanding of the source of a plant’s nutrition is also limited. When testing the nutrition content of crops grown in soil and the same crops grown hydroponically, is there any difference?When we measure vitamins, minerals, macro nutrients, protein, carbohydrate and fat, research shows that plants can take up these nutrients equally well from soil and the liquid formula used in hydroponics. A large body of research shows that there is no difference.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Hydroponics2_db9786ceb2.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T13:14:09.630Z" alt="">&nbsp;<hr>Q: How do you ensure the required nutrients are in the hydroponic formula?SR: There are three groups of minerals that a plant uses to meet its basic needs: macro minerals, micro minerals and major minerals. These are all present in the hydroponic formula. The rest happens inside the plant. Vitamins are manufactured inside the plant. Plants also require light and sufficient carbon dioxide to grow.Q: So, what about meeting the need for light for plants grown hydroponically?SR: There are two systems of hydroponics. One uses natural sunlight, for example, a hydroponic tower on a balcony, or a green house. The other type is for growing crops indoors, using artificial light. Typically, LED lights are used. They are low power consuming light sources and the beauty of LED is you can define the spectrum of light that they emit.Plants require different spectra of light for different purposes. For example, photosynthetic activity requires red light. Hormonal activity requires blue and yellow. We can measure how much light a plant needs for a particular spectrum and provide it using LED lights.<hr><hr><h4>Now we satisfy our hunger but not our nutritional needs.&nbsp; That is where the challenges come.&nbsp; It’s time to shift back to local food production&nbsp; – I call it micro farming.</h4><hr><hr>Q: Coming to the individual level, why do you feel is it important for households to grow food hydroponically?SR: Six or seven years ago, I came across a news article that was published by an agriculture university, showing the levels of pesticides and heavy metals in the food we consume. They went around the city of Hyderabad and collected samples of vegetables from organic stores, supermarkets, roadside shops, and farmer’s markets. They analyzed the samples in their laboratory,and to my surprise and agony, all the vegetables were heavily contaminated with heavy metals. 45% of the produce from organic stores was contaminated with pesticides, and 100% was contaminated with heavy metals.This is because the areas where food was grown were near polluting industries. And the surrounding soil and water body in every city, whether it be a reservoir or a canal is being contaminated by the toxic effluents. This contaminated soil and water is being used to produce the crops we are consuming. So even if produce is grown using an organic methodology, without chemical pesticides and fertilizers, the soil and water used to grow them is polluted. It’s impossible to avoid heavy metals like arsenic and lead.This is where I see a huge need for home growers. And hydroponics is one method we can all use. I call our home growers micro farmers.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Hydroponics3_9221eb8abb.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T13:16:04.875Z" alt="">&nbsp;<hr>Q: What are the advantages of hydroponics? Can you offer some tips and guidelines for people who are reading this and interested in starting a small hydroponics system at home?SR: It requires very little water, and you can automate it. If you go away on vacation, your crops can be watered while you are away. It doesn’t need much space. You can easily grow the leafy greens required for your household. All you need is a roof top or balcony that receives three to four hours of direct sunlight per day. You need four by five feet of space. If outdoor space is not possible, you can use an indoor kit with LED lights.Now, expanding this to the community level, at Kanha we have enough hydroponically grown produce to meet the demands of the community.Q: Are you aware of other communities setting up similar operations?SR: This is a growing field. People are overcoming their doubts about hydroponically grown vegetables, as they learn about it and taste the produce. In Singapore, for example, where they have very little land to grow vegetables, they use rooftops to grow their vegetables hydroponically. We call them rooftop farms.Q: This seems like a replicable model in urban areas worldwide.SR: Yes, definitely. It is being well accepted worldwide.On the commercial side, our first farm at Urban Kisaan was a rooftop farm in the heart of the city of Hyderabad. This is where we demonstrated that it can be part of smart city planning.At Kanha, we have built six rooftop greenhouses. Different systems are being used to grow different types of food. We’re growing many types of leafy greens, tomatoes, eggplants, capsicums, and hot peppers. We can grow anything we wish.The cost of the setup is an investment, but I’m sure in the near future governments will offer incentives and subsidies.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Hydroponics4_13fbb14f24.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T13:17:24.975Z" alt="">&nbsp;<hr>Q: What about universities and corporations?SR: University hostels are asking for vertical farms to be installed. And corporates are asking them for their employee restaurants. Generally, they prepare fresh food, such as salads.Supermarkets are also interested. The indoor kits are being installed in the supermarkets so that consumers harvest directly from there.In terms of environmental impact, these initiatives are doing two very important things:<ol><li>They are cutting off the logistics component of food production. This reduces the carbon emissions as there is no transportation involved.</li><li>There is no wastage either. In typical farming operations, up to 40% of the food grown is wasted before it reaches the consumer.</li></ol>Hydroponics is reducing both carbon emissions and wastage.Earlier we had backyard farming. That is becoming more difficult these days as we don’t have much time to devote to it, and there is a lack of space in our urban areas. If you have the space and the time, there is nothing like it. But if you don’t, you can try hydroponics as a micro farming option.It’s time to promote micro farming,to decentralize farming. Micro farming cuts down wastage, and allows you to grow safe, nutritious food even in urban high-rise environments.Q: Dr. Sairam, thank you so much for this eye-opening conversation.<hr><hr><h4>Photographs courtesy of URBAN KISAAN</h4><hr>

Hydroponics

Saki F. Santorelli, EdD, MA, is an educator, author and clinician. He retired as Executive Director of the UMass Medical School Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society. A professor of medicine, he was the very first intern at Dr Jon Kabat Zinn's Stress Reduction Clinic, from where Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) originated. His entire career has been dedicated to the integration of mindfulness into public health and well-being, propelled by his recognition of and trust in the innate goodness of human beings.

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Saki Santorelli

<h4>SAKI SANTORELLI is interviewed by AMIR IMANI as part of a webinar series about mindfulness, love,
 compassion and the way of the heart.</h4>
Q: Today we are very delighted to have my dear friend, mentor and
 teacher, Dr. Saki Santorelli, with us. Saki was the Executive Director of The Center for Mindfulness in Medicine,
 Health and Society at the University of Massachusetts, USA, for 17 years. I have been a witness to his deep
 contribution to bringing mindfulness to the public and the profession, globally.
Saki has been one of the main pulls for me into the mindfulness
 practice, through his loving presence and brotherly support from afar. He will be speaking to us on love, compassion
 and the heart in this way.
Thank you Saki, and welcome to this session with us.
SS: Thank you so much, Amir and Samaneh. It’s
 lovely to be with all of you.
Today I would like to begin by offering you the deepest sense of gratitude and
 appreciation for the work that you are doing in your part of the world, wherever you are. So how about if we begin
 by, each of us in our own way, setting an intention for what we hope for in this next hour together?
You know there are often surface reasons, then there are deeper reasons, and then there
 are deeper than that reasons. For example, you might feel at a professional level, which is a good thing. But if you
 drop down a little further into your heart: What’s really brought you to this, to give yourself over to this for an
 hour of your life, when you could be doing so many other things? And it’s that deeper seed that I’m suggesting you
 attend to.
People come for a whole range of reasons, but then there is some deeper reason for being
 there as well. For example – we never did a formal study about this – all of the 37 years that I was at the Center
 for Mindfulness, we saw people with cancer and heart disease and a huge range of medical and psychological issues.
 And while they came certainly for some relief from the psychological or physical suffering associated with those
 conditions, the single-most frequently stated goal was peace of mind.
So they knew something deep inside themselves, even in the midst of whatever they were
 suffering with, physically or psychologically, that was quite different than the symptoms that they were
 experiencing. So it’s that deeper reason that I am asking, or suggesting, that you invoke or intend and attend to as
 we continue.
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Even right in this moment I feel that we are dear, dear companions, that we are joined
 together by a certain commitment, a certain dedication, and a certain view of human beings: in some very real way,
 the view that human beings are actually filled with a certain kind of genius. They are capable far more than they
 might imagine or certainly far more than most cultures would suggest is possible. It’s as if there’s a treasure that
 they are, that they have forgotten. You know what I mean? You know that in yourself how easy it is to forget?
So you could say that in a very real way the true and real work of any of us, as
 teachers of mindfulness-based programs, is to remember. And that remembering is deeper than the intervention. In
 fact I don’t even like to call MBSR an intervention; we avoided calling it an intervention from the beginning. And
 we avoided calling it a therapy as well. Rather we said it’s an approach or a path. I don’t know what the word is in
 Farsi, but I think in Arabic it is tareeq; it’s a way.
That doesn’t mean all of the competencies that have been described as central to MBSR or
 MBCT teacher development are not important. They are important. I’d read the paper by my dear colleagues, Rebecca
 Crane and Mark Williams, when it came out years ago, about the competencies, and I asked myself, “Are these
 competencies all an aspect of MBSR?” My answer was yes. Then I asked myself another question, “Will these
 competencies be enough to walk into the classroom and teach?” My answer was no.
That doesn’t make them unimportant. It’s just that the central competency in my view, in
 my experience, is the cultivation of the human heart. And that has everything to do with the quality of embodiment.
 And every one of us will embody it in a different way. And it expresses itself probably universally as a kind of
 sympathetic nature, a kind of tenderness and softness – not passivity, but softness – and a kind of mercy.
So maybe for a moment you can just be attentive to that part of yourself. It’s right
 here. You might say it actually shows up as a kind of assertive kindness, warmth and friendliness towards oneself
 and one’s experience. In a very real way we’re asking the people that we work with to come to our courses or
 classes, to cultivate the same quality towards themselves and their experience.
In that, of course, on one hand we’re talking about the quality of tenderness or
 softness of the heart. On the other hand, you probably know well that that the heart is fierce, it can take
 everything, and it can keep giving. I’m not talking about something romantic, but it takes just that kind of an
 organ, if you will, of sensitivity and sensibility, to actually help people meet and in some way be relieved from
 their own suffering and their own pain.
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So if we look a little more deeply into mindfulness itself, there are two dimensions to
 it. On one hand there is what’s often called the instrumental dimension. It has to do with the development of skills
 and competencies, in a sense of effort and improvement over time. Maybe in our modern vernacular we’d say that has
 to do with acquisitional learning. For example, if I have to learn Farsi, I’d learn from the very beginning. I’d
 have to go very slowly, and I would probably feel like a failure or that I’m not getting it. If learn to play the
 piano, I go slowly. I learn the notes then the scales before I can play any music.
<img decoding="async" alt="" width="223" height="289"
 class="lazyload img-float-left has-img-center-in-mobile"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/insight_heart4_bac96813d3.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T08:12:07.486Z">It’s
 the same with learning to practice mindfulness. It is a practice
 in the sense that it has its own progression, and over time people often report changes. And if you’re a mindfulness
 practitioner, you discover that there are changes that take place over time. And it’s the same with the various
 competencies that have been identified in the development of MBSR teachers: over time people get more skillful at
 those competencies.
Then there is this other dimension of mindfulness practice that is non-instrumental.
 There’s nothing to get. There’s nothing to improve upon. There’s nothing to gain. It’s already complete. And you can
 see that instrumental is nested in the non-instrumental. For example, how could you love another human being if love
 wasn’t already a part of you? How could you appreciate beauty if beauty wasn’t innate? How could you appreciate the
 light of the sun if light wasn’t an innate part of you as a human being? This is what Rumi was talking about,
 several hundred years ago, when he talked about two kinds of intelligence: one acquired, one already complete.
So what’s it like to walk into the classroom knowing that you’re sitting in front of 10
 or 15 geniuses, who are already complete but they don’t know it? You can’t tell them that, you can’t give them a
 lecture about that. You can’t tell them, “Just believe me, because I know.” Our job is to embody that in some way,
 and then help them over time, simply assist them to become familiar with the depth that’s already a part of them.

That’s why I have written – and I continue to know more than simply believe – that the
 central risk in MBSR or MBCT is that we’ll become blinded to the non-instrumental and the instrumental will take
 over.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">The central competency in my view, in my experience, 
 is the cultivation of the human heart.</h5>
<hr>
So maybe we’ll take a moment and just sit with this question: How is it inside me to
 hear this, to feel it in some way? Not because I’ve said it, but how is it for you?
This really means that our job is to be students. To listen. To serve. To see if we can
 meet every situation, or many situations, in a way that they provide us with a certain kind of learning, a certain
 kind of insight and understanding. We become kind of intoxicated, so we’re a little drunk. You could say in some
 real way that mindfulness, in its most universal form, expresses itself in a deep and powerful way in remembering
 that we’re actually sober. That our senses serve us. That our mind serves us.
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And then, more centrally, the cultivation and the development of the human heart happen.
 It becomes the central characteristic of mindfulness, because it has everything to do with a slow disillusioning of
 this thing we call ‘myself’. So we move from that position of inhabiting and strengthening the self to recognizing
 that all human beings suffer, all human beings have the capacity to be free and liberated.
So thank you for letting your beauty shine out into the world. We know that there’s a
 lot of uncertainty in the world, a lot of darkness, and a lot of fear. And there’s no value in pretending otherwise.
 But in the middle of all of that, there is the capacity for us to shine forth, to feel this indelible bond between
 us, to touch deeply and know the deep, deep resources that we have within, and that the world has changed through
 very small numbers of people doing very radical things. By radical I mean fundamental. This is fundamental: the
 reality of what mindfulness is in the life of human beings is fundamental.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"> 
 There is the capacity for us to shine forth, to feel this 
 indelible bond between us, to touch deeply and know 
 the deep, deep resources that we have
 within.</h5>
<hr>
I would like to end with a few lines of Hafiz, as he’s dear to me. The soil of Iran has
 given the world a universal voice through this human being. At the end of one of his poems he says the following
 lines:
Be strong, Hafiz! 
 Work here inside time, 
 where we fail, catch hold 
 again, and climb.

So that’s what we’re all doing here: working inside time, failing, catching hold again,
 and climbing. And I thank you for climbing. We’ll reach out and help one another.
Q: Thank you, Saki, for showing us how to climb, just by sitting still
 and feeling.
To be continued&nbsp;
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Interview by AMIR IMANI</h4>
<hr>

Insight of the heart – part 1

<h4>We continue SAKI SANTORELLI’s interview with AMIR IMANI as part of a webinar series about
 mindfulness, love, compassion and the way of the heart.</h4>
Q: As a student, Saki, what I learnt from
 you is not to be afraid. This is what you taught me in my training – not to be afraid of not knowing and to rest
 in just being. And what you call heart and love, you get the power through that. You get the courage to “not
 know” through loving. I am always amazed to see how science is showing that this is healing. And the clients are
 amazed how they are transformed by just being.
Now, how do the complexities of the mind
 affect your work as a teacher? Say you have a mild depression, for example. Do you need to reach a stage of full
 recovery? Or does this mild depression dissolve through your practice and through your teaching practice?

SS: Well, I would say it depends. If the depression or anxiety is very, very
 strong in the life of the teacher, it could make working with other people more difficult. On the other hand, we all
 have bouts of depression or sadness or anxiety or uncertainty or insecurity. So it seems to me it’s not a question
 that you shouldn’t teach if you feel some depression, but how will you work with that anxiety or depression or
 uncertainty in a way that is real and genuine, and the fact that it’s known to you.
If you develop a relationship with that situation or that condition within yourself, it’s often the way you develop
 what are called the insights of the heart. In some real way your struggles and your sufferings actually have the
 potential to open you and open the people with whom you work with to bring new ways. So it can be a great service to
 you and your teaching, because it makes you so much more sensitive to others, and your work with yourself in those
 situations and conditions will inform you about how to work with other people.
So you don’t have to be completely cured. If that were the case, we wouldn’t do
 anything. We’re all lame!
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">In some real way your struggles and your sufferings 
 actually have the potential to open you 
 and open the people with whom you work 
 to bring new ways.</h5>
<hr>
Q: Would it help to say, “Keep some pain!
 It may help you in your teaching”?
SS: [Laughing] I wouldn’t say, “Keep it.” I would
 say, “If you’ve got it, you’d better work with it.”
Q: You give an example in your book,
 Healing Thyself, of the wounded healer from Greek mythology, Chiron, who is better able to connect with
 his patients because of his suffering.
SS: Yes, exactly. Those wounds actually help us
 meet other human beings. It is exactly what I was saying before: your sympathy is aroused, your tenderness is
 aroused. Your understanding of the other is informed and aroused.
Q: I remember my early days, Saki, in the
 teacher training, in the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. It is a requirement of the teacher
 training program to be a patient first. I found myself listening to these 35 so-called patients, talking their
 hearts out about their pain, their anguish, and I was feeling nothing. I was baffled: Why am I not feeling the
 pain that they are talking about?
Then I spoke to the teacher of our group
 about this. She hinted that it would come when I opened up to myself. So, starting with my own wound first, and
 then opening to the other – it looks like that for me.
SS: Yes, in a very real way we’ve been taught,
 especially as health care professionals, to separate ourselves from the people we work with, because the view is
 that then we’ll serve them better. My experience is quite the opposite. If I am able to discover some semblance of
 what they’re experiencing within myself, I can serve them far better.
I may not have the same content: somebody may have cancer and I may not have cancer, but
 have I suffered from something else? Yes. I may not be addicted to a substance, but do I experience addiction? Yes.
 And what is that like? What does it do to my body, my mind, and my psyche? What do I know about that in myself? What
 does awareness tell me, show me?
And I then can go to that source and maybe at least be in the “not knowing,” as you
 described it, Amir. I may have some sense of, “Where can I put my first foothold? Where can I put my first
 handhold?” This is exactly what Hafiz is saying in that poem. I don’t have to know the second or third or fourth
 step. I simply have to be present and take the risk of taking the first step. The development of our relationship
 will guide the second step.
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 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/insight_heart2_2_1_b13fdab417.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T12:04:23.704Z">

Q: When there are stressful sensitivities
 of life, if mindfulness practices create more sensitivity, should we reduce the length and number of the
 practice sessions? How do we find balance in terms a healthy dosage of practice?
SS: Well, these are all important questions. I
 think in some ways it’s true that mindfulness practice can make us more sensitized, and in some way it is parallel
 to what is happening in the class, in the course for people. For example, sometimes in the early weeks people say,
 “I’m feeling worse than when I started. I thought this was supposed to make me feel better, but I feel worse.”
They’re speaking about the fact that through the development of their attention and
 awareness they are becoming more sensitized to their situation, both externally and internally. And that is a lot to
 comfort in oneself. And they often express frustration because they are more aware of what’s going on, but they
 don’t yet have the capacity to do anything about it. That seems to me to be a normal part of the learning process.
 What begins to happen is turbulence. And their awareness is perturbing their system. It is because there’s the way I
 was, and then there is what I perceive now; and that differential creates a kind of friction or discomfort.
The skill of the teacher becomes really important in that moment, in terms of how do we
 titrate the right dose? Just to keep that, but not too much. Too much is overwhelming; too little, transformation is
 not possible. They’re involved in a kind of alchemy, in the sense that there is a phase of dissolution before
 reintegration.
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 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/insight_heart2_4_1_8d9501b901.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T12:05:45.509Z">

So as a teacher and a practitioner of mindfulness, as you said, we’re all involved in
 the same process of how to ascertain the right dose to have some sense of balance. I think that involves getting to
 know oneself better and better. And also, if it’s possible to work with a teacher, it’s helpful as well because the
 teacher can help with that dosage.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">So as a teacher and a practitioner of mindfulness, 
 we’re all involved in the same process of how to ascertain 
 the right dose to have some sense of balance. 
 I think that involves getting to know oneself better and better.</h5>
<hr>
You have to be careful not to push yourself so hard that you’re doing yourself harm, and
 at the same time you have to really look deeper into your practice and see if it is being motivated by love and
 kindness. And if there is any sense that you’re pushing too hard, you have to back off.
Often we instrumentalize practice so much, because we want to gain something. And while
 it takes effort to practice, there is a kind of skillful effort, which has a degree of resting in the way things are
 versus pushing too hard against them. And if that’s the case, which is not unusual, then you need to ask yourself
 some really good questions like: Who is pushing so hard? Who wants to breakthrough and to what? And what is
 motivating? They are not necessarily comfortable questions, but they are fruitful. They help us to be with life and
 ourselves as we are and as life is.
So maybe we can make this the last question, Amir.
Q: I think this will be a good one for us.
 We have been keeping the best for last. What is falling in love?
SS: Okay, the best for last!
Well, that question has been asked by human beings since human beings were on the Earth.
 And it’s portrayed in a very particular way in our cultures. Usually it is portrayed as romantic and intoxicating,
 and it’s usually about what we want. It has its beauty and its value and its function, and it’s quite wonderful. It
 doesn’t last though. At least that particular expression of it doesn’t last. And not unusually we go looking for it
 somewhere else; it’s a kind of addiction.
I think, for me, love has a lot of pain in it. In some real way, to be able to even come
 closer to saying “I’m in love” means that we’re actually putting someone else in front of us. Our care for them
 becomes more powerful than our care for ourselves. And in some very real way it portrays a kind of death. And that
 death is not just metaphoric, because it always involves a diminishment of the usual idea of the self. The pleasure
 and the pain of the other become more important than the pain and pleasure of the self.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">In some very real way we know we are in love, 
 because in some way we’re becoming bigger in 
 what appears to be our diminishment. So it means 
 that we start to give rather than look to receive. </h5>
<hr>
And that means in some very real way our ego is being slowly dissolved. The kind of
 separation between the self and the other is being eroded. So in some very real way we know we are in love, because
 in some way we’re becoming bigger in what appears to be our diminishment. So it means that we start to give rather
 than look to receive.
It seems a fitting way to end.
Q: And it’s also a beautiful way to begin,
 Saki. The sheer fact of touching our wounds, ourselves, for the first time – however it may be, not pleasant,
 it’s painful even – but the touch, the connection, for the first time is like falling in love for us. And that
 moment we are bigger than before.
SS: Yes, because we begin to discover how big we
 already are. The world is always squeezing us down, and of course awareness is fathomless and boundless, and
 touching that boundlessness is … Love simply arises and is known.
Q: How about rephrasing it to “rising in
 love?”
SS: Yes, I was going to say that!
Q: Thank you so much for raising the
 awareness of this small group. And all this started 20 years ago with a simple act of kindness from your side,
 and it’s amazing that we never forget kindness, especially when it’s not asked for, it’s just given to us. Thank
 you.
SS: Thank you so much. May we continue to travel in
 this caravan together.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Interview by AMIR IMANI</h4>
<hr>

Insight of the heart – part 2

Dr. Sameera, BAMS, MD in Dravyaguna (Ayurvedic pharmacology), is a senior Ayurveda physician at Wellness by Heartfulness, Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad. Her work focuses on women’s reproductive and hormonal health, using evidence-informed Ayurvedic care that brings together herbal therapeutics, diet, and lifestyle guidance.

sameera.webp

Sameera

<h2 style="text-align:center;">Where Tradition Meets Modern Science for Holistic Well-Being</h2><h4>Integrative wellness unites modern medicine with traditional wellness practices such as yoga, meditation, mindful eating, sleep awareness, and stress management to support prevention, emotional balance, nervous system balance, and holistic well-being.</h4><h4>BY DR. SAMEERA</h4>Life moves quickly. Between work, responsibilities, and daily routines, we keep moving forward without really noticing how we feel. A little fatigue becomes normal, sleep gets delayed, and meals become irregular. The body begins to feel stiff, while the mind stays busy even after the day ends.Healthcare today is evolving beyond simply treating illness. People are increasingly seeking ways to stay healthy, improve their lifestyles, and achieve balance in both body and mind.Despite advances in medical technology and access to health information, lifestyle disorders such as diabetes, obesity, stress, sleep disturbances, and chronic fatigue continue to rise. This has created a growing awareness that true well-being depends not only on medical treatment, but also on daily habits, emotional health, and overall lifestyle.This is where the concept of integrative wellness becomes critical.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Bringing Two Systems Together</h4>Integrative wellness combines the strengths of modern medicine with traditional wellness practices. Rather than seeing them as separate or opposing systems, it focuses on how both can work together to support long-term health.Modern medicine plays a crucial role in diagnosis, emergency care, surgery, and disease management. Traditional wellness systems focus more on prevention, healthy routines, mindful eating, movement, emotional balance, and <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/alone-but-not-lonely" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">inner well-being</a>.Today, science is increasingly exploring what traditional systems have emphasized for centuries—that lifestyle, stress, sleep, and food habits have a major impact on health outcomes.This integration creates a more complete and human-centered approach to healthcare.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Why Integration Matters Today</h4>Many modern health conditions are closely linked to how people live their daily lives. Irregular eating habits, lack of physical activity, emotional stress, poor sleep, and constant mental pressure gradually affect overall health.Integrative wellness places strong emphasis on prevention and sustainable lifestyle practices.For example, health is not only about what we eat, but also when we eat. The body functions according to natural biological rhythms. Digestion and metabolism tend to work more efficiently during the daytime, while nighttime is better suited to repair, recovery, and rest.&nbsp;Emotional health is equally important. Chronic stress can influence sleep, digestion, blood pressure, immunity, and physical energy. Increasingly, healthcare is recognizing that physical and <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/inner-flowering" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mental well-being</a> are deeply interconnected.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">The Growing Importance of Inner Wellness</h4>Another important shift in healthcare today is the recognition of inner well-being.Practices such as yoga, meditation, breath awareness, and mindfulness are increasingly being explored for their role in supporting relaxation, emotional resilience, and nervous system balance.Integrative wellness therefore looks at the individual as a whole—body, mind, and inner state—rather than focusing only on isolated symptoms.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">A More Balanced Future of Healthcare</h4>Integrative wellness does not replace modern medicine, nor does it rely only on traditional practices. Instead, it encourages collaboration between the two.Modern science offers powerful diagnostic and treatment tools, while traditional wellness systems emphasize prevention, balance, and conscious living. Together, they help create a more sustainable and balanced approach to health.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/space_that_heals2_6c0180936a.webp" alt="space-that-heals2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<hr>FROM WELLNESS BY HEARTFULNESS<a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/wellness-yoga" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wellness</a> by Heartfulness offers integrative care across Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Yoga, Heartfulness Meditation, and a range of complementary therapies, personalized under qualified physicians and healers.<a href="https://wellnessbyheartfulness.com">wellnessbyheartfulness.com</a>&nbsp;

The Space That Heals

Samuel is an experienced medical researcher, triathlete, and surfer. As a neuroscientist, he researches genetic and rare diseases at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane, Australia. He uses the Heartfulness practices to balance his life and maintain a healthy and peaceful mind.

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Samuel Eiszele

<h4>SAMUEL EISZELE explores the depths of happiness,
 reminding us that happiness and suffering coexist, and that true happiness is about intentions, integrity and
 innateness.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h2 class="text-center">EMBRACING DIFFERENCE</h2>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
I love the question, “What does happiness mean?” Because, in my opinion, unconditional happiness is the purpose of
 human life, so understanding and evaluating what brings happiness will help us fulfill an enlightened life.
Happiness is very rich, rewarding, and complex. It is not diametrically opposed to grief or suffering, but rather
 something that I can experience when I know that I am being held in the integrity of my family, my community, what I
 stand for, and what I am rooted in.
<hr class="vertical-space1">

 <img decoding="async" width="627" height="800" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/discover_your_true_nature2_7b2f9547be.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T11:15:44.573Z">

<hr class="vertical-space1">
Happiness is about harmony and solidarity. It is knowing that when I arrive in a new environment, even if it is
 inherently challenging, I am arriving with a set of intentions: The intention to embody gratitude, loving-kindness,
 forgiveness and an active interest in others. And when I know that I carry this energy in my heart, my mind, and my
 inner being, then every moment becomes like a sacred offering, an opportunity to really open up to and unfurl to
 greater levels of interconnectedness and understanding. It truly is exceptional how interdependent we all are and
 have to be in this world.
Expanding upon the notion that happiness is the very nature of our being, I believe that other aspects of our inner
 being, like passion, are innately connected to happiness. Passion is defined as an intense driving conviction. It is
 a powerful feeling of enthusiasm toward something or someone, and it brings us the opportunity for new adventures
 and experiences. 
<hr class="vertical-space1">

 <img decoding="async" width="627" height="800" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/discover_your_true_nature3_d127888585.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T11:26:06.503Z">

<hr class="vertical-space1">
For example, I have developed a deep-rooted passion to understand the human body. Most people typically see the body
 as a collection of different parts, like arms, legs, torso, and the head. From this viewpoint, it may be difficult
 to imagine that the human body consists of over 70 trillion cells, all working in perfect harmony within our organs
 and the different organ systems to help us perform under even the most extreme conditions. My passion for the
 medical field has forced me to step out of my comfort zone by moving cities, challenging myself in academic
 research, and assisting in projects that could impact the lives of many. I believe that finding and pursuing our
 deep-rooted passions will help us live a full and happy life. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, was an extremely
 passionate person who told us, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet,
 keep looking, don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
When we look outside our innermost feelings and emotions to find happiness, we lose control of our true nature. We
 are habituated to believe that happiness is found outside and through material means – a different partner, a new
 job, more money. We burden ourselves with so many pursuits, and it is difficult to avoid at times – at least I find
 this to be true for myself. When I was younger, I associated happiness with winning, an incredibly joyous feeling of
 coming first in a swimming race or achieving a high grade; however, the feeling was only transient. I have come to
 realize that there is a distinction between the happiness we gain from external factors, and the happiness within
 our being. When our attention is no longer exclusively directed toward material means of happiness, we can more
 deeply experience what’s innate – our very being.
<hr class="vertical-space1">

 <img decoding="async" width="627" height="488" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/discover_your_true_nature4_adb87c3cae.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T11:26:57.701Z">

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<hr>
<h4 class="text-center"
 id="h-by-remaining-open-relaxed-centered-and-able-to-let-go-of-distractions-we-give-ourselves-the-opportunity-to-find-unconditional-happiness">
 By remaining open, relaxed, centered, and able to let go of
 distractions, we give ourselves the opportunity to find unconditional happiness.</h4>
<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
I think it’s safe to say that nobody wants their happiness to be conditional upon the behavior of other people or the
 different circumstances we find ourselves in. However, this is sometimes difficult to achieve, especially when there
 are a multitude of factors that affect our emotions and beliefs, such as the current pandemic. Releasing these
 distractions and turning toward the present moment can allow us to rest in our own being – enhancing our experience
 of happiness, not diminished by circumstances. I am relatively new to contemplative practices, however, I believe
 that they strengthen our capability to tune into our center and enrich our consciousness. By remaining open,
 relaxed, centered, and able to let go of distractions, we give ourselves the opportunity to find unconditional
 happiness.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<hr>
<h4 class="text-center">Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4>
<hr>

Discover your true nature

Sangeeta Prasad, MA, ATR-BC, maintains a private art therapy practice in Virginia and serves as vice president of the Prasad Family Foundation. She served on the American Art Therapy Association Board of Directors from 2016 to 2018 and has authored Creative Expressions: Say it with Art and Using Art Therapy with Diverse Populations.

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Sangeeta Prasad

<h3 style="text-align:center;">An Art Therapist’s Perspective</h3><h4>VANESSA PATEL speaks with art therapist SANGEETA&nbsp;PRASAD about how creative expression becomes a language for what’s difficult to express—from children working through trauma to adults navigating pain, change, and the complexities of mental health—and why making art is a fundamental human need.</h4>Q: What brought you to art therapy?SP: I grew up in Chennai, India, where my mother ran a wonderful kindergarten school. The arts were always highly encouraged there, and I was always surrounded by children, education, and the arts. At college, in addition to my fine arts degree, I also completed one year of visual communication, and I realized I wanted to do something more—something that involved people and art.To escape the humid heat of Chennai, I would frequently visit the beautiful, air-conditioned American Library [now the American Center]. And there I came across a book by Edith Kramer, a pioneer in art therapy who worked with children with special needs. I started reading it and I knew: this is what I wanted to learn more about.I went on to study fine arts and then art therapy at George Washington University in 1985. My intention was to return to India and establish a special education school, as there was nothing like it at the time. I began by setting up a resource room at Bambino, my mother’s school, where we worked with children with autism, developmental delays, hyperactivity, and ADHD. At that time, these conditions were not well understood.Q: How did you identify these children without the diagnostic tools we have today?SP: It was more from observing behaviors—when a child didn’t want to come into school, or they were very anxious. My mother knew how to handle them. I implemented art therapy techniques I’d learned working with what they called at that time “emotionally disturbed children”—children with emotional issues, trauma, and some children on the spectrum. Having that background in abnormal psychology helped me understand how to work with them better.We hired a teacher to work with the children using different methods from those in the regular classrooms, while also integrating them into the regular classrooms. I did art therapy and worked alongside the families.After getting married, I returned to the U.S. to settle. The teacher who started with me at Bambino went on to establish a special education school in Chennai and continues to work with children with special needs.Q: What’s the difference between a regular art class and an art therapy session?SP: That’s an excellent question. In an art class, you’re very product-oriented and skill-oriented—you need to learn how to mix watercolors, perspective drawing, and your intention is really the product. In art therapy, the intention is the process. It’s okay for a child to scribble; in fact, we encourage that to help creative thinking.Art can be used in many different ways—as a diagnostic tool, depending on what the person expresses, or for honing fine motor and gross motor skills. Our training helps us understand emotional expressions. Each one of us chooses different colors and different ways of expressing ourselves visually through art.So, it’s really about understanding a person without them having to provide the words?SP: It’s a combination. Sometimes, it could be only the artwork—a person might come in and take something, expressing themselves without having the words to say it. And sometimes it’s a combination of the two.Q: For somebody who’s undergone trauma, how long does it typically take to connect with them using art therapy?SP: It depends. I have clients who have come to me for more than five years. In hospitals, we have short-term and long-term clients; it’s different in schools—it really depends on the setting. We also work in oncology units, utilizing art to manage pain.&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">In art therapy,&nbsp; the intention is the process.</h4><hr>&nbsp;When she drew it and saw it, we then talked in metaphor about what would help this fish. This allowed her to put the problem outside of herself and step back to see it. We discussed what causes these wounds and whether there was anything she could do to make the fish stronger.Q: That’s really beautiful. You’re providing a safe space where there’s a lot of trust involved. Maybe that’s one reason clients keep coming back—it’s a place where they can really be themselves or discover who they really are.SP: Right, absolutely. Sometimes they’ll stop coming, feel better, and then, after some time, if they need support again, they come back. That’s not a bad thing, because they need the support. They know what helps them. It’s a safe place for them to talk about these things.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/healing_journeys2_9527b966c5.webp" alt="healing-journeys2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Q: What techniques do you use?SP: It depends on the person. With the client I just mentioned, I used visualization as a means of understanding her pain. With one client who is an adult but functioning like an eight-year-old, I focus on fine motor and gross motor skills. We’ve started a weaving project to improve left-hand-right-hand coordination. Sometimes I’ll do an art activity where she has to draw how she’s feeling about something that happened during the week, because she can be very impulsive and doesn’t know how to handle change.We employ various techniques tailored to the client’s specific needs. Art is so versatile. We offer a diverse range of materials, including pencils, paints, clay, found objects, and natural elements. I utilize many of the materials we find and collect in nature in the art room. Recycled materials, things that people consider trash—we’re always collecting them.&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">She said, &nbsp;“Art fosters self-expression,&nbsp; as the need to visually communicate&nbsp; is deeply ingrained within us.”</h4><hr>Q: That’s incredible creativity. Can you talk about your books?SP: I have two books out. One is Creative Expression: Say it with Art, written in India in 2008, mainly for teachers. I have now uploaded a PDF to my website and am making it freely accessible to teachers. The other is Using Art Therapy With Diverse Populations, where each chapter focuses on working with a different population, such as asylum seekers, prisoners, and various age groups. We have about twenty-seven authors contributing.Our therapists can work in various settings, including community centers, hospitals, and schools, with all age groups, utilizing relevant techniques. That’s why training is essential. I have to emphasize that because a lot of people think that because they’re artists, they can do art therapy. But art therapy is a mental health profession. It requires a master’s level program—two to three years of very intense training with internships. There are also PhD programs where research is being conducted on how the arts have been utilized in indigenous populations. From&nbsp;prehistoric times, we see art being used on cave walls as a means of expression. The arts have always played a crucial role.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/healing_journeys3_155b6b4289.webp" alt="healing-journeys3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Q: So training typically involves art, education, and psychology?SP: Yes, all three components. A lot of psychology and counseling techniques. In the U.S., it typically takes two to three years, depending on the program, and we usually recommend working with at least two populations under supervision. Currently, I teach at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology in Pune, India, where I helped design and launch a hybrid program. I still conduct supervision there, so our students work in various settings and we provide them with opportunities to discuss the challenges they face. &nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/healing_journeys4_23a947d88d.webp" alt="healing-journeys4.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">I utilize many of the materials we find&nbsp; and collect in nature in the art room. Recycled materials, things that people consider trash— we’re always collecting them.</h4><hr>Q: You seem to have a very holistic approach to mental health. Would you say that’s something that’s becoming increasingly necessary?SP: I think so. Medication is not the only solution. We need a multifaceted approach. When a person comes with an issue—trauma, developmental delays, life changes, a divorce—you want different tools for that person. Along with art therapy, I use a lot of mindfulness <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/an-experience-in-meditation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meditation</a>. I’ve been trained as a mindful meditation teacher and have my own practice. I find the combination of mindfulness and art a wonderful mix.Neuroscience is another passion of mine. If we understand the brain and the body, as well as the connections between them, that can really help us understand where our client is coming from and provide them with different tools to work with.Q: I loved reading about the spiritual perspective in your work. I’m also a trainer in Heartfulness meditation, and sometimes after a meditation session, people want to sit and talk, and your role is to listen. You take it to the next level with your art therapy training.SP: It’s really wonderful because in the schools I’m involved in, it’s become so apparent that children really need another means of expression. And art therapy provides one of those tools. &nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/healing_journeys5_a6db52a2bf.webp" alt="healing-journeys5.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Q: You’ve also used this in prisons. How does that help with rehabilitation?SP: There’s a wonderful art therapist named Dave Gussak who has done a lot of work and research into how art therapy can be used in settings where there can be a lot of aggression, where people come wounded, and where there are angry outbursts. There’s a lot of trauma, and then there’s re-traumatization happening within a prison.&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">One artwork that Dave shared in his book&nbsp; is from an inmate who collected M&amp;Ms, and using M&amp;Ms and water,&nbsp; they did amazing paintings.</h4><hr>Art therapy can be used to help calm them down and improve their communication, leading to better understanding. Many people end up in prison because they have mental health issues. Helping them work through some of this can aid in rehabilitation. It needs specialized training and experience because it’s a unique place of work—you can’t use many art materials in that setting. No scissors, no glue. You have to be very vigilant.Despite these restrictions, people have continued to create art. One artwork that Dave shared in his book is from an inmate who collected M&amp;Ms, and using M&amp;Ms and water, they did amazing paintings.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/healing_journeys6_2ca23ad600.webp" alt="healing-journeys6.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Q: So they used the dye from the M&amp;Ms as paint. How ingenious!SP: Yes, it says so much about the creativity of that person being in prison with limited resources. Art fosters self-expression, as the need to visually communicate is deeply ingrained within us.Q: Like a primal need to connect with the outer world and express what you are.SP: Right. And it also facilitates a connection to the inner world. Like <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-neuroscience-of-meditation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meditation</a>, there’s that inner and outer connection.Q: That’s a lovely, hopeful note to end with. Thank you very much for your time. Thanks for the opportunity.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/healing_journeys7_ea8777eade.webp" alt="healing-journeys7.webp"></figure>For more information, visit sangeetaprasad.com&nbsp;&nbsp;

Healing Journeys

Sangeeth is a Product Manager in the energy sector, exploring Nature Based Solutions to achieve zero carbon emissions, both for corporates and countries. He leads the Forests By Heartfulness initiative, helping with strategy, industry outreach, and collaboration with other NGOs.

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Sangeeth Parvatham

<h4>SANGEETH PARVATAM is the Program Manager at Forests By Heartfulness. BRENDA NETH interviews him about the development of the programs, and the conservation that is developing at the grassroots level as a result.</h4><hr>Q: What are some of the successes at Kanha Shanti Vanam that led to the creation of the Forests By Heartfulness (FBH) initiative? What are some of the lessons learned?SP: Kanha Shanti Vanam has been transformed during the last 7 years as a result of several interventions backed by a combination of science and intuition guided by spiritual practice.For example, one initiative is the ex-situ conservation of critically endangered species, like Syzygiumtravancoricum, with only 15 trees spotted in the wild. Most of the conservation of these rare and endangered species was done without erecting steel or concrete structures, by providing the right natural conditions using shade-giving plants, rain guns, and lots of loving care.Another successful initiative was the translocation of hundreds of adult trees identified for felling during various road and housing developments in Hyderabad and other parts of the country. The survival rate has been astounding, given that tree translocation is fraught with many challenges.But these initiatives are resource-intensive activities that can only be accomplished by committed teams, funding, and a lot of care.I have personally learned the importance of involving the local community. Any project that is designed to benefit the community, can eventually become the community’s, with FBH acting as a conduit or facilitator.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/forests_by_heartfulness2_700x467_9cc995cd97.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T07:01:38.729Z" alt="forests-by-heartfulness2"><hr>Q: Does FBH use the principles of permaculture, which was one of the key reasons for your involvement in the first place?SP: Yes, we have applied some of the core values of permaculture, like Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share, but our work also includes other aspects like species conservation, landscaping, creating meditative spaces, etc. I am a lover of permaculture principles for supporting ecosystems, food supply, and soil regeneration, but the main objective of FBH is conservation.Q: You have shared a list of 231 species, the majority of which are trees that are currently being grown in 18 FBH nurseries across India. How do you determine which trees to grow in which nurseries, and where to plant them?SP: Thanks to its latitudinal and longitudinal spread, India is one of the 12 mega-biodiversity countries in the world. The Indian subcontinent can be broadly classified into 8 distinct floristic zones: the Western Himalayas, the Eastern Himalayas, Assam, the Indus plain, the Gangetic plain, the Deccan, Malabar, and the Andamans. The species in these zones are not mutually exclusive, there are overlaps. When setting up the nurseries, species are carefully selected with the guidance of conservation experts from forestry, botany, and climate science, to match the zones of the nurseries, and efforts are taken to grow the saplings native to the zone.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/forests_by_heartfulness3_99685a66a9.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T07:02:16.846Z" alt="forests-by-heartfulness3"><hr>Q: How is the land acquired for the plantation efforts? I understand there are three types of plantations. Will you tell us about them?SP: FBH looks for public spaces for plantation efforts to benefit the local communities. These include educational institutions, village common lands, industrial zones for greening, temple lands, etc. Plantation is only done after written approvals are obtained from the landholding authorities. The land rights, the plantations, and the produce always belong to the communities, not to FBH. We only create spaces of conservation by planting trees and eventually handing them over to the communities.The type of plantation depends on the end-goal of the project. Is it to provide fruit and medicinal plants for the local community? Is it to enhance biodiversity and wildlife? Is it to create a microclimate and raise the local water table? Is it to sequester carbon from the atmosphere? None of these goals are mutually exclusive, as you can imagine.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/forests_by_heartfulness4_700x394_dd8d8542cf.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T07:02:51.326Z" alt="forests-by-heartfulness4"><hr>We primarily do block plantation, avenue plantation, and Hearty culture Dense Forest (HDF) creation. HDF is our proprietary methodology to create thriving mini forests within a short period of time. HDF is characterized by the choice of species selected, the placement of species based on their eventual canopy and height, and extensive use of activated biochar for soil remediation.Q: What is biochar?SP: Biochar is made by burning twigs, branches, leaves, paddy husk, crop residue, etc. in the absence of oxygen. The process is called pyrolysis. It can be done in small-scale boilers or by burning in mud pits. The resultant product is a dark pellet of super light material that can crumble in your hands. Pellets are activated by soaking them in fluids with high microbial content, such as nutrient-rich liquids, and the resultant product is activated biochar. This is then put in the holes before planting saplings. One unique feature of biochar is it surface area. Per unit weight, it has more surface area than any other substance on the planet. It can absorb, retain, and release nutrients to plants for several months.&nbsp;We have experimented with biocharat Kanha Shanti Vanam and can vouch for its effectiveness. Now we use it in all our plantations.Q: In 2019, FBH did a mass plantation of 64,000 saplings in 64 cities, each site receiving 1,000 saplings. How are the saplings doing now?SP: The mass plantation in 2019 was a reality check for whether we could pull off a pan-India plantation drive and sustain it. It was a grand success and gave us the necessary confidence to create FBH as a pan-India initiative. The saplings are doing well, although survival rates vary according to location. Survival depends on several factors, including soil preparation prior to planting, health of the saplings, handling during plantation, administration of nutrients during and after plantation, and most importantly the first year of care and regular watering.The costs are kept very low – to around $1.92 for a one-year-old sapling– when the sites have a good water source, fencing to keep out intruders, locally-sourced materials, and lots of local community support.Q: Why are trees so important in halting climate change? Why should farmers be interested in having their “bunds” (dirt borders for farms) planted with trees?SP: Planting trees is the cheapest and most sustainable way of combating climate change. The World Economic Forum has done a scientific study using satellite imaging, and determined that there is enough place on Earth to plant 1 trillion additional trees. They can sequester enough carbon dioxide to keep climate change under control.Tree-based agriculture, known as agroforestry, is a potent solution, especially in countries like India with huge tracts of agricultural land. Trees on farm land provide an alternate source of income for the farmers and insure them against crop failures. They also prevent soil erosion, raise the water table, and improve soil quality.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/forests_by_heartfulness5_700x314_30273f9e75.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T07:03:47.529Z" alt="forests-by-heartfulness5"><hr>Q: In FBH, you make a sankalpa, a prayerful intention, when planting a sapling. What is that experience like for you, and how do you feel it impacts the trees and the planters?SP: Trees are vibratory beings with life in them, just like us. They respond to love, care, and benevolence. A prayerful intention at the time of delivering the sapling to Mother Earth goes a long way in its growth. Although I don’t live in Kanha, I visit there often, and I see phenomenal growth, even after a gap of two months. It can only be attributed to the elevated vibratory levels of Kanha, to which trees respond more than humans. This is not a matter of speculation but of observation.Q: What are some of the challenges facing FBH as you move forward with your goals of 30 million saplings planted by 2025, involving 10,000 farmers and microentrepreneurs, and the preservation of 80 endangered medicinal plants?SP: The challenges are many, but none that can’t be overcome. What works in one region may not work in others. Ready availability of saplings for plantation, suitable land with clear title, the support of local communities, and providing care during the initial months are just some challenges I can think of. This is where collaboration helps. Tree plantation is not an exact science and there are many things we can learn from others who travel this path. Collaborations allow us to play to our strengths and address the gaps in end-to-end project implementation.Q: Do you foresee collaborations with other Heartfulness organizations outside of India?SP: Yes, it’s only a matter of time before this will become a global movement spreading to all corners of the world. The barriers are disappearing, and technology is playing a big role. For example, a simple YouTube video on how to produce and use activated biochar for crop management can go viral, and the principle be applied everywhere.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/forests_by_heartfulness6_700x467_22d3d553c3.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T07:04:46.360Z" alt="forests-by-heartfulness6">

Forests by Heartfulness

Sanjana is a medical student and photographer based in Houston, Texas. Being people-oriented, she is always listening to people. Her focus is to take care of people, not cases; capture memories, not click photos. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and listening to music.

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Sanjana Ayyagari

<h4>SANJANA AYYAGARI shares some everyday images of ways to be more aware, take care and responsibility for self and others, and build community. All this leads to a better sense of well-being.</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/better_leader3_700x511_33997710d2.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T07:01:02.602Z" alt="better-leader3-700x511"><h4>Education</h4>Today, young people are revolutionizing the world by educating themselves on issues pertaining to society as a whole. They are conversing with each other, whether over email, social media, or in person. While they do not always find all the answers to their questions, they are enriching their minds and preparing themselves to face the challenges ahead.<hr><hr><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/better_leader2_700x511_de3b7238f8.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T07:02:27.721Z" alt="better-leader2-700x511">Environmental ConsciousnessYoung people are striving to limit the negative impact of their existence on the planet. Everything from metal straws, reusable grocery bags, and recyclable materials have become staples in their households and their mindset is governed by the goal of leaving the planet in a better state than it was when they arrived.<hr><hr><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/better_leader4_700x486_ce1fcd9245.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T07:03:52.209Z" alt="better-leader4-700x486"><h4>Health and Well-being</h4>Health and well-being are no longer a series of quick schemes to get fit and be ready for the next Instagram post, but rather a lifestyle adopted by young people to feel their best from within. Whether it be yoga, meditation, lifting weights, or simply staying hydrated, this generation is prioritizing feeling good physically, mentally, and emotionally.<hr><hr><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/better_leader5_9b37c56479.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T07:05:08.008Z" alt="better-leader5">Community and CamaraderieAt times it can be isolating to be part of a generation that is going through a lot of self-doubt and creating their own path to living a fulfilling life. But young people have realized that it is always better to collaborate and not compete. By coming together as a community, this generation is not only better equipped to navigate the obstacles of their individual lives, but also to redirect their collective journey and create lasting positive change.

Everyday ways you can be a better leader

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SANJANA AYYAGARI explores the paradox of memory—both cherishing memory and, sometimes, the need to forget. She has come to see them not as opposites but as interdependent processes, shaping our understanding of our own identity.&nbsp;</h4>The <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/miserable-magical-for-paradoxical-times" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">paradox</a> of memory is so pervasive in the human experience that even J.K. Rowling alludes to it in her famous work, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In the film adaptation, Neville, one of Harry’s friends, receives a Remembrall from his grandmother. The smoke inside the marble-sized glass ball turns a scarlet red when he has forgotten something, to which Neville replies, “The only problem is, I can’t remember what I’ve forgotten.”Memory is a vital tool for human processing and interpersonal interactions. It shapes our identity, helps in decision-making processes, and acts as an anchor as we live through time. Our ability to remember is essential for our survival, as it provides us with continuity and an understanding of the world we live in. In contrast, forgetting, while often perceived negatively, also plays a crucial role in our cognitive functioning and mental health. With the amount of data and information we are bombarded with daily, especially in the age of technology and social media, forgetting allows us to filter out irrelevant information and focus our cognitive processing on what matters. However, within the very process that helps us make sense of our lives, there is a paradox: how can we cherish the act of remembering while also acknowledging the need for forgetting?In his book The Power of Paradox, Daaji proposes approaching paradoxes with the DARE to RESOLVE framework. DARE (Dismiss, Accept, Resolve, and Explore) represents four different ways to approach and make sense of <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/why-are-mountains-still-sacred" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">paradoxes</a>. The memory paradox seems to be best approached through exploration, so let’s delve deeper together.The paradox of memory lies in the fact that remembering and forgetting are not opposites; They are interdependent processes that work together to shape our lives and how we interpret the world around us. Our memories are dynamic. As we live and gain new experiences, we build on our memories and the understandings and effects they have on us. The way we remember certain events—whether with nostalgia, regret, or joy—shapes our understanding of our identity and our sense of continuity across time.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/cant_remember_forgotten2_6d28bafd29.webp" alt="cant-remember-forgotten2.webp"></figure>As a graduating medical student, I have spent over a decade primarily focused on studying to remember information and apply it to patient care. Despite learning and reviewing information for hours every day, many times I found myself staring at an exam question, unable to remember the information I needed to select the right answer. Surprisingly, while I was struggling to recall the specific facts, I could remember that I had forgotten the information I needed.This experience exemplifies the paradox of memory. Despite my efforts and the countless hours spent absorbing knowledge, forgetting was an inevitable part of the process. And yet, this phenomenon of forgetting was not without its own significance. The awareness that I could remember what I had forgotten prompted me to reflect on the limitations of memory and the inherent imperfection even in the most rigorous mental efforts. It served as a reminder that while memory is invaluable, it is ultimately fallible, and forgetting is an essential part of how we navigate the complexities of the mind.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">It served as a reminder that while memory is invaluable,&nbsp; it is ultimately fallible, and forgetting is an essential part of how we navigate the complexities of the mind.</h4><hr>

I can’t remember what I’ve forgotten!

Dr. Sanjay is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Ohio, USA, and a Heartfulness Practitioner.

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Sanjay Rajagopalan

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">SANJAY RAJAGOPALAN and KYLE RAJAGOPALAN of the Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland OH, USA, have been exploring the interface between cardiology and the spiritual understanding of the heart’s role in our lives. They bridge the ancient and the modern scientific in a way that can revolutionize the lives and work of medical professionals.</h4>&nbsp;For a long time, scientists thought emotions and feelings came only from the brain. But they now know that the heart plays a big role, too. This new understanding could change the way we think about emotions and consciousness, seeing the heart not just as a symbol, but as an organ that directly influences how we feel. This idea places the heart at the center of empathy, compassion, and love, which can be viewed as our deeper awareness of feelings.An ancient Sanskrit hymn called the Narayana Suktam, which dates back over 7,000 years, describes the heart as the gateway to awareness. In one verse, the heart’s location is described as “below the Adam’s apple, a hand’s width above the navel, shining brightly like a great home, surrounded by garlands of flames.”1 The next verse speaks of the heart’s connection to the nervous system, describing it as “encircled by nerves, with a lotus-shaped bud pointing downward, holding a subtle space inside where the foundation of everything exists.” This hymn offers a unique view of the heart, blending both its physical location and its spiritual significance with the nervous system.The connection between the heart and the brain has evolved significantly since the ideas of French physician Claude Bernard, who highlighted their relationship in 1865.2 While he acknowledged the heart's role in emotions, he believed it was secondary to the brain’s influence. Bernard suggested that when our brain perceives external stimuli, it triggers physiological changes in the heart—like an increased heart rate—through neural connections. This change in heart function, in turn, helps us become aware of our emotions, such as anxiety or fear. For instance, imagine walking alone at night and hearing a sudden noise. You are startled and your heart might race in response to rapid reflexive neural connections between the brain and heart, often before you even consciously register fear. This demonstrates how the heart’s physiological pumping response, while secondary to “fast” responses to stimuli from the brain, may precede and influence our emotional awareness of a physiological state.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">This demonstrates how the heart’s physiological pumping response, while secondary to “fast” responses&nbsp; to stimuli from the brain, may precede and influence our emotional awareness of a physiological state.</h4><hr>Today, the medical understanding of the heart is far more sophisticated. We now see it as more than just a pump; it’s a complex, well-connected organ with its own nervous system. A bi-directional communication between the heart and brain creates a seamless integration of emotions and physiological responses.3 In many cases, signals emanating from the heart precede that of the brain and also override them. For example, proteins and other molecules released by the heart secondarily influence brain activity.4Think about the feeling of warmth and openness you experience when you see a loved one. This sensation, often felt in the chest area, might be the heart’s way of communicating feelings of love and connection to the brain. This sensation may be more than just a psychological response; it could be rooted and originate in the heart itself. While the brain processes and interprets these feelings, the heart plays a vital role in generating them. This shift in understanding highlights the heart’s importance in our emotional lives, suggesting that our feelings may be more heart-centered than we previously thought.Heartfulness offers a fascinating perspective on the connection between our thoughts and feelings, blending ancient wisdom with modern understanding.5 In spiritual terms, chakras are energy centers in our body that influence our spiritual energy. In the Heartfulness tradition, there are 16 chakras—3 lower chakras, 5 chakras in the Heart Region, 7 chakras associated with the Mind Region, and 1 chakra beyond the heart and mind, known as the Central Region.The relationship between the heart and mind helps explain how our thoughts can affect our feelings. It’s believed that our thoughts start from a deep inner space (sometimes called the “chit lake or consciousness lake”), located near the forehead, and then travel down to connect with the chakras in the Heart.6<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Many spiritual traditions suggest that&nbsp; we should pause, feel with our heart,&nbsp; then think before reacting.&nbsp; This heart-centered approach allows us to bypass&nbsp; quick judgments and automatic responses shaped by our past. Instead of reacting from a place of fear or pain,&nbsp; we can respond with greater empathy and understanding.</h4><hr>This flow of thoughts from the mind can sometimes counter-intuitively disrupt our ability to truly feel, as the judgment or analysis of a situation may sometimes precede feeling. Consider a time when you reacted impulsively to a stressful situation, perhaps saying something you later regretted. By pausing to connect with your heart, you might have responded with more empathy and understanding.These insights can help us cultivate heart-based feelings like compassion and empathy in our interactions with others. When we face stressful situations—especially those that trigger painful memories or strong emotions—it’s common to react automatically, based on past experiences. However, by first connecting with our heart in the moment, we can change how we respond.Many spiritual traditions suggest that we should pause, feel with our heart, then think before reacting. This heart-centered approach allows us to bypass quick judgments and automatic responses shaped by our past. Instead of reacting from a place of fear or pain, we can respond with greater empathy and understanding.By entering this “subtle space” of the heart, we tap into a deeper awareness that connects us to others and to universal consciousness. This practice enhances relationships and promotes personal growth and healing. Ultimately, it teaches us that, even in challenging moments, we have the power to choose compassion over reactivity.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/beyond_the_beat2_318c05cb3a.webp" alt="beyond-the-beat2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_beyond_the_beat2_318c05cb3a.webp 117w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_beyond_the_beat2_318c05cb3a.webp 375w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_beyond_the_beat2_318c05cb3a.webp 562w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">By entering this “subtle space” of the heart,&nbsp; we tap into a deeper awareness that connects us to others and to universal consciousness.</h4><hr>For many <a href="https://heartfulness.org/in-en/wellness-retreats" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">healthcare</a> providers, especially those facing life-and-death situations, showing empathy and compassion is essential. However, the prevailing tendency to view patients primarily as clinical cases can create a disconnect between the heart and the mind. Relying solely on analytical thinking often limits the compassion and empathy that patients truly seek.Incorporating heart-centered skills into every physician’s toolkit can bridge the gap between clinical analysis and <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/silence-and-compassion" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">compassionate care</a>. This approach not only improves patient experience but also promotes a more holistic understanding of health, ultimately enriching both the caregiver’s and the patient’s experience.For clinicians, integrating heart-centered attention into their practice may require effort and practice, but the benefits are significant. When we engage our hearts, it can provoke the right thoughts. By allowing our feelings to guide our thoughts, we can produce more compassionate and relevant responses.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/beyond_the_beat3_105099d14a.webp" alt="beyond-the-beat3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_beyond_the_beat3_105099d14a.webp 208w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_beyond_the_beat3_105099d14a.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_beyond_the_beat3_105099d14a.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">When we engage our hearts,&nbsp; it can provoke the right thoughts.&nbsp; By allowing our feelings to guide our thoughts,&nbsp; we can produce more compassionate&nbsp; and relevant responses.</h4><hr>Taking a moment to pause and approach patient interactions with a heart-centered mindset can transform the encounter into a deeply healing experience. Patients often pick up on these heart-centered vibes, as they are particularly attuned to the emotional frequencies emanating from their caregivers. This connection fosters trust and strengthens the doctor-patient relationship.Over time, for caregivers, a heart-centered approach can become a form of practice or “sadhana,” leading to higher levels of conscious action. Just as a skilled musician harmonizes different notes to create beautiful music, a heart-centered approach harmonizes our thoughts and feelings, leading to a more fulfilling and compassionate life.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">References</h4><ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Narayana sukta [Internet]. Wikipedia 2024 [cited 2024 Jun 26]; available from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Narayana_sukta&amp;oldid=1217270843">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Narayana_sukta&amp;oldid=1217270843</a></li><li>Bernard C. Lecture on the physiology of the heart and its connections with the brain, delivered at the Sorbonne, the 27th March, 1865. Tr. by J. S. Morel. [Internet]. Savannah, Purse; 1867 [cited 2024 Jun 26]. Available from: <a href="http://archive.org/details/39002086349314.med.yale.edu.">http://archive.org/details/39002086349314.med.yale.edu.</a></li><li>Giannino G. et al., 2024. The Intrinsic Cardiac Nervous System: From Pathophysiology to Therapeutic Implications. Biology 13:105.</li><li>Daniele G. et al., 2020. Heart and Brain: Complex Relationships for Left Ventricular Dysfunction. Curr Cardiol Rep. 22:72.</li><li>Patel K.D., 2023. Spiritual Anatomy: Meditation, Chakras, and the Journey to the Center. Grand Central Publishing.</li><li>Patel K.D., 2023. The Eighth Chakra: Surrender, Spiritual Anatomy: Meditation, Chakras, and the Journey to the Center. Grand Central Publishing.</li></ol>

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