Upama has been a Heartfulness practitioner for over 33 years and is a meditation trainer, an NLP practitioner, a quantum speed reading trainer, a quantum healer, and a Brighter Minds facilitator who has trained more than 3,000 students. She is a special educator, MDA and Davis method.

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Upama Rajasekhar

<h4
 id="h-upama-rajasekhar-is-a-brighter-minds-trainer-and-heartfulness-trainer-here-she-shares-some-thoughts-on-future-educational-goals-and-today-s-children">
 UPAMA RAJASEKHAR
 is a Brighter Minds trainer and Heartfulness trainer. Here she shares
 some thoughts on future educational goals and today’s
 children.
</h4>

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 Recently I spent three days with the most humble school principal and
 six of his students during their recent visit to Kanha Shanti Vanam. I
 am so grateful to witness, develop, acknowledge, and expand my thinking
 and ideas. I was shocked, surprised, hopeful, and grateful to learn from
 them.



 What made them stand out? I feel that right brain education is the
 answer. I employ quantum techniques as well as utilizing the
 subconscious mind. I believe that teachers and parents must work on
 themselves first. Once they’ve tested these techniques in their own
 lives and are convinced of their potential, they can then utilize them
 with joy and confidence with children.



 Children sometimes have difficulty accessing their unlimited innate
 abilities because of a negative self-image in their subconscious.
 Education can liberate children from anything that limits their mental
 potential. If a parent or teacher can eliminate these negative
 impressions and allow children to discover the innate power within
 themselves, they will be able to make use of their talents. This
 self-transformation is an essential element of being an achiever.
 Children raised in a heart-based program become sensitive, wise,
 passionate, curious, loving, and kind human beings. What more can we
 wish for?



 Today’s child is a wonderful, magical mixture of sense-abilities. In the
 past 30 to 40 years, science has unlocked the door to the infant mind,
 giving parents rational proof that their children have genius-like
 learning abilities during their formative years. As a mother and a
 teacher, I am encouraged to do all that I can for our children, in the
 hope that the knowledge they gain and the positive learning habits they
 form during this time will influence and enhance their learning and
 quality of life forever.


<h4>
 The relationship
 between love, the mind, and the brain
</h4>


 The mind makes the brain work, and love makes the mind work. If you
 respect your child as an individual and show them your love, recognize
 their existence, and praise them, their mind will be relaxed and they
 will be able to use their true potential. If you pay attention to your
 child’s mind and their right brain, they will change, grow, and be
 easily able to acquire knowledge or information. This is because you
 were able to ignite a fire within them to learn and absorb. This applies
 to both parents and teachers.



 The left brain is trained through knowledge-based education, whereas the
 right brain has rich potential abilities because it resonates with the
 cosmic energy. The purpose of the right brain is to process resonance,
 images, mass memory, and high-speed processing. The right brain can be
 cultivated by using techniques like sensory perception and memory games.


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 <img alt="right-brain-education3" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/right_brain_education3_2d6980d81c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T07:54:03.605Z" />
 
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 The 21st century is the era of the right brain. It is important for
 education to integrate intelligence and intuition, body and mind,
 rational thoughts and feelings. Fostering these combinations is the true
 goal of education.



 By planting the seeds of music, math, spoken and written languages,
 science, art, culture, and more, early in life, your child’s mind will
 have a rich subconscious library of information. They will naturally
 crave to learn more about the world around them, eagerly building this
 growing library. And when high-quality input is combined with joyful
 play, imaginative exploration, and critical thinking activities, both
 hemispheres of the brain are stimulated, resulting in an incredible
 whole-brain acceleration.&nbsp;


<h4>
 Future educational
 goals:
 
</h4>

<ul>
 <li>Inducing hidden human potential.</li>
 <li>Enhancing the well-balanced development of body and mind.</li>
 <li>Nurturing sensibility.</li>
 <li>Instilling creativity.</li>
 <li>Promoting a deep sense of spirituality.</li>
</ul>

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 <img decoding="async" width="700" height="692" alt="right-brain-education2" class="lazyload has-img-center"
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 In the near future, I hope that we will develop curricula that educate
 children to be able to carefully understand their ego, the true nature
 of the universe, and the meaning of life, rather than simply learning
 facts and gaining knowledge. Parents and teachers can aspire to
 understand the nature of a child’s mind in order to unlock true
 potential and allow it to develop holistically.



 This is my perspective to share, and my joy to impart – the truth about
 the children of today and their impact on our future. Let us encourage
 humankind to become like little children. Only after doing so, we can
 finally come to understand the traits of this new generation and
 resonate with them.


<h4>
 Today’s
 child
</h4>

<ul>
 <li>
 Picks up information at an incredibly fast rate. They are wired to
 continually gather data and connect or link it to what they already
 know.
 </li>
 <li>
 Is a multi sensory being who can absorb information through more than
 just their five physical senses.
 </li>
 <li>Seeks clarity and balance.</li>
 <li>
 Blossoms in a joyful, stimulating environment that meets their
 individual needs.
 </li>
 <li>
 Brings mental images to life. They can see these images clearly,
 three-dimensionally, with all their senses. They have the ability to
 imagine, invent, and create a positive future for all of us.
 </li>
</ul>


 Today’s children are all around us. All it takes is a little bit of
 effort on our part to see them with an open mind, a listening heart, and
 a willingness to see.



 Once we combine what we know about the current generation with
 effective, gentle, playful learning methods – allowing their unique
 geniuses to unfold – we need to ask ourselves: how do we evolve in order
 to successfully raise and nurture today’s children? When we answer this
 question completely, we will genuinely affect the whole world in a
 positive manner. In short, we all need to rise up.

Right brain education

<h4
 id="h-upama-rajasekhar-is-a-brighter-minds-facilitator-here-purnima-ramakrishnan-meets-with-her-and-some-of-the-children-she-facilitates-in-the-program-to-learn-firsthand-about-their-experiences"
>
 UPAMA RAJASEKHAR
 is a Brighter Minds facilitator. Here,
 PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN
 meets with her and some of the children she facilitates in the program, to
 learn firsthand about their experiences.
</h4>

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 I had heard a lot about the Brighter Minds program, when I had a chance
 encounter with one of the facilitators ram, Mrs. Upama Rajasekhar, and this
 meeting was perhaps one of the turning points in broadening my own perception
 about the world in so many ways.



 “So, why did you decide to become a facilitator?”“I wanted to train my son. He
 is an archer and wanted to master blindfold archery, so I wanted to help him
 realize his dream. The rest, as they say, is history.”



 This was just the start of the conversation. She invited me to interact with
 her students. When I joined them, I felt like I had entered a sci-fi movie
 set, the likes of Asimov’s second foundation series.



 “My son changed and developed so much in just two days of the program, that we
 felt this is something all children in the world should experience,” said
 Upama.“So what exactly happened?” I asked.“Have you heard of the term sensory
 perception? Our brains can sense certain things from the atmosphere, depending
 on their capacity of perception. When their functions and capacities are
 heightened, we can perhaps call it super-sensory perception,” responded Upama.
 “So, do these kids acquire a sense of perception than is more heightened than
 normal people?”“Well, that is not exactly true,” answered Upama. “To an
 extent, however, we are awed by their abilities to learn quickly and the way
 their memories improve. Their intuition develops, and this leads to better
 confidence in everyday life. They have a pleasant personality, and we just
 feel so empowered around them. Let me introduce you to some of the children,
 and you can interact with them to see what I mean.”



 Some of the kids were familiar, because they were from near where I lived, and
 they sat down to chat with me.



 One boy said, “Aunty, you should see me performing while blindfolded.”
 This young boy was blindfolded and then guessed the colors of colored
 balls correctly. I was awed. I had heard of such things, but never witnessed
 it with my own eyes. “What else can you do?” I asked him, wanting to see
 more.“ Aunty, close your eyes and think of something,” he replied. I
 closed my eyes and wondered what to think of. For some strange reason, my
 attention went to the dry deserts, and I could see a pyramid being built in
 the distance. I went nearer, and noticed that there were so many workers, who
 were probably slaves. I saw a pharaoh nearby, but then thought that a child
 couldn’t figure out something so complicated, so I decided to focus on a
 single pyramid. I opened my eyes to see the boy in a deep concentration. “ Aunty,
 I can visualize some laborers,” he said. “What were they doing?” “They
 were building something,” he answered. “What were they building?” “A
 pyramid, I think.”



 I stopped him, and gently asked him to open his eyes. I think I couldn’t take
 more than this, so I told him to go back to his friends.



 “Upama, how did he do this?” I asked. “So, did you think of a pyramid?”
 she responded with a question. “I visualized exactly what he mentioned –
 some people building a pyramid in the desert,” was my answer. “It
 happens. I am not surprised. Some children have that uncanny ability to tap
 into their abilities at the most appropriate times. But it does not happen all
 the time.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “There has to be an
 environment of calm and composedness. They have to be completely relaxed on
 all planes. So that is why we relax them at the beginning of the session using
 the Heartfulness Relaxation technique. And then we proceed to the other
 activities of the Brighter Minds program.”



 “So in their minds, in their calm composure, are they really able to know
 exactly what someone else is thinking?” was my next question.
 “Neuroplasticity!” responded Upama, with great emphasis. “It just means
 that the brain cells reshape or remold themselves depending on various
 external and internal stimuli in the exercises. We have exercises for the
 right and left hemispheres of the brain, for the eyeballs, and many other
 things. We also have certain music which stimulates the brain and helps it to
 enter the alpha and theta states. We always encourage children to be natural.
 We are not rigid in the exercises. Who knows what these kids could lead us to!
 So, a certain amount of flexibility is required as a facilitator. We
 facilitate the children in their journeys to realize their true potential.”


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 My next question was, “Don’t you think the children could start getting proud
 of their achievements, their confidence spilling over into over-confidence?”
 “When they go through their journey, when their minds are opening up in
 such a magnificent way, there is no place for ego. There is no place for
 pride. The children feel humbled and awed, feeling confidence in the higher
 support, as they evolve. Their hearts are refined, and their humility is also
 refined. The more they know, the more they realize that there is a lot more to
 traverse.



 “Let me tell you about how I feel – there is no place for pride or ego in this
 work. I am happy seeing these children. I have trained 500 children so far,
 and I have seen them flower so beautifully, without ego being inflated. Every
 day I thank God that he chose me to do this in my life, where I can be of use
 for humanity’s upliftment.”



 I also had an opportunity to interact with Upama’s son: “So, did you learn
 blindfold archery?” “Yes,” he responded, “and I am happy for that.”So I
 asked, “What has changed in you from within?” “Ideas come. I am curious.
 I have changed. Feeling change itself is creative. I was a limited version
 earlier. I now feel that every day I am becoming a more complete version. Do
 you know what I mean?” I did not entirely comprehend, but I accepted
 what he said.


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>
 There is nothing great in what we are doing here. We are not
 creating history. We are not making magic. We are just helping
 people 
 realize their true potential.
</h5>

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 “Upama, I am curious, can adults also improve their sensory perception?” “Yes,
 we are planning to release adult classes soon, for the general public. We are
 in the process of concluding some research. You know, there is nothing great
 in what we are doing here. We are not creating history. We are not making
 magic. We are just helping people realize their true potential. We are telling
 them, ‘There is this organ called the brain, so please use it to the fullest
 capacity.’ That is all. Why don’t you try what the other kids are doing?” “But
 I am an adult,” I said. “That is exactly what I was trying to convey,”
 she said. “Don’t create these barriers in your mind, as they do not exist. We
 are still researching the program for adults, but that does not mean something
 wonderful cannot happen with you. Come on.”



 My personal experience with what happened is a story for another day. Let me
 tell you, though, I came out with my heart filled with beautiful magic, an
 eternity of waiting having unlocked in my mind. It is difficult to put into
 words what I felt after that. I don’t know about identifying colored balls
 while blindfolded, or guessing thoughts accurately. I have not tried to guess
 things many times, but I can vouch that this is something everyone can try. I
 now understood what Upama’s son was trying to tell me earlier – that indeed
 change is creative. It is the ultimate creativity.



 Sometimes, things we have always wanted all our lives, without consciously
 realizing it, come in packages that we least expect. After witnessing the
 miracles in the mind, how can the heart go back to its past state?


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>
 Our logic and science are so limited. There is so much mystery in
 this world. Knowing how to unlock our own hidden potential at
 this time in humanity’s evolution seems all the more exciting.
</h5>

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>
 Interviewed by PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN Illustrations by ARATI SHEDDE
</h4>

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