Leaders Meditate Together at an Event Organised by Heartfulness Institute and IIM Bangalore

Over 350 thought leaders from Bangalore and further afield, including leaders from the corporate world, business, government, and research institutes, were witness to an evening of reflection, shared insights, interactive learning and an experience of the life-enhancing Heartfulness Meditation at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. This corporate event was a precursor to the 3-day international conference on 'Elevating Consciousness Through Meditation for Global Harmony'. The conference was co-hosted by the Heartfulness Institute (http://www.heartfulness.org) and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, (https://www.iimb.ac.in).

Guests were guided through the experience of relaxation and meditation by Daaji, the Heartfulness Guide. In his opening remarks, he said, “In Heartfulness, the thought we maintain in our heart is a divine thought. In this way of meditation we don’t have to do anything. A lot is done by the Master or Guru and we witness the impact of the Transmission in our hearts. At each chakra there is a different level of consciousness and there can be a galactic shift from one to the next. One has to be receptive, open and sensitive. Interest is important.”

The experience introduced the audience to pranahuti or Transmission, the specialty of Heartfulness Meditation. The effect of Heartfulness Meditation with pranahuti on brainwave patterns, heart rate and blood pressure, vagus nerve activity and telomere length on chromosomes, amongst other things, has been supported by research. Many feel the effects of Transmission in their first meditation session and are often surprised at their own ability to plunge into an absorbed meditative state.

After meditation, the rejuvenated audience had an interactive session with Daaji that include a talk and a Q & A session. “Meditation is about becoming one with the Self. The idea of meditation is to move from thinking to feeling. All great leaders are good followers, following their heart and listening. They are empathetic. In general women are better leaders, as they have a higher level of empathy. Meditation is all-encompassing and if practised diligently it can create transformation in our lives. It helps in leading more meaningfully, be it for managing the self, managing relationships, managing people or managing situations,” said Daaji.

Some of the questions from the audience were about the purpose, goal and benefits of meditation: how meditation can make one a better leader; the need for prayer; the difference between idol worship and spirituality; the ultimate goal of meditation; how to understand the chakras; and various states of consciousness, among others. Daaji’s simple, deeply insightful and relatable responses allowed the audience to delve deeper into the subject.

Among those who had enriching and profound experiences at the session were Basavaraju, IAS - Chief Election Commissioner, Karnataka; Rajiv Raghunandan, Managing Partner, SeedX; Padmashri Dr Bhagavatula Dattaguru; Sri Dr V K Aathre, former scientific advisor, Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India; Sri Shekhar Ramamurthy, Managing Director United Brewries Ltd; Dr A.R. Upadhya, former Director National Aeronautics Limited; Atul Satija, Founder & CEO, The Nudge; Lakshmi C, Managing Director, Accenture; Usha Jamadagni, Managing Director, Accenture; Ramesh Halagali, Lt. General, PVSM (Param Vishist Seva Medal), Indian Army; Unmesh Pawar, Partner and Head, People, Performance and Culture, KPMG India; Dipesh Sutariya, CoFounder and CEO at EnAble India, and President, Disability NGOs Alliance; Dr. Naresh Shetty, President, M S Ramaiah Memorial Hospital; Vaani. N., Jt. Controller, Commissioner of Transport; Prof. S. Settar, Emeritus Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, IISc. Campus and Dr. Sisir Roy, Visiting Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies.

Professor Ramnath Narayanswamy, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore said, “IIMB is delighted to bring Daaji and Heartfulness to this august audience. In this very fast-paced world we are in dire need of a path that helps us to experience a life with purpose in a fulfilled way. Meditation has been known to create a positive impact and there are numerous examples of it changing the lives of renowned leaders across the world.”