IU Art of Living Club helps students relax

As finals approach, stress levels on campus rise.\nBeginning Thursday, the IU Art of Living Club will offer a six-session class to help educate people about how to breathe correctly and control themselves in stressful situations. \nSenior Daniel Moss said the club was interested in presenting the course because it is relevant to how students perform in their everyday lives.\n"Since I've taken the course, I've felt a lot more energetic and confident," Moss said. "Just doing the breathing feels really nice and peaceful, and later that day I'll be a little less stressed. But doing (the exercises) regularly for a while, I've stopped getting so stressed out in the first place."\nOne of the techniques taught is Sudarshan Kriya, a breathing practice that is meant to purify and rejuvenate the body and mind.\nMoss said most stress is caused by human nature.\n"The quality of our life is determined by the state of our mind," Moss said. "Our minds have a tendency to vacillate between the past and the future. We are either regretting the past or anxious about the future. The more the mind vacillates, the more stress accumulates in our nervous system. The course brings our mind into the present moment, which is where all the joy is."\nThe technique has been taught to students in 140 countries as a part of the Art of Living course. \nThe Art of Living Web site states that workshop participants "commonly report that their health improves, their awareness increases and they feel a greater sense of ease in their lives. Others report an improvement in relationships, greater creativity and increased mental clarity."\n"My grades have improved, I lost weight and my ability to focus has increased dramatically," said senior Kitty Kaler. "It could be a coincidence, I'm not sure. Regardless, I feel like I'm getting to know my self better which makes everything in my life flow a lot easier."\nThe course will be offered from Thursday through April 12, weekday evenings and weekend afternoons at the Loving Heart Healing Center, a yoga studio at 111 E. Kirkwood Ave. The course instructor, Kamlesh Patel, is an international teacher who has taught at many other colleges including MIT, Columbia and Oxford. \n"This course is just a lot of fun" Kaler said.\nInterested students should contact Moss at 322-6587 or djmoss@indiana.edu, to find out more information and register for the course. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Mark Casey at madcasey@indiana.edu.