Workshop brings relief

Thanks to the Art of Living, The University of Memphis community can breathe easier.

The Art of Living Foundation will hold a seminar, called "Breathe in health... Breathe out stress" Thursday at 4 p.m. in room 200 of the Panhellenic Building to teach students breathing techniques for stress and health benefits.

Deepika Konakanchi, an instructor for the Art of Living, said the techniques taught by the foundation have several health benefits that could help students be more successful.

"I have benefited greatly from practicing these breathing methods over the past five years," Konakanchi said. "I am able to cope with all of the stress I have. I can do several things at the same time with the least amount of stress."

She said learning these techniques will allow students to have more concentration, more energy and more confidence.

Konakanchi said the foundation is an international educational organization aimed at solving world conflicts using human values such as compassion, truth and non-violence.

The Art of Living has volunteers and instructors in over 140 countries around the world.

Ramola Prabhu, a physician who has worked for the foundation for 15 years, said these methods can teach people how to be peaceful.

"We usually have two options: we can either decrease our workload - which is not realistic - or we can acquire the skills needed to be more effective in what we do in our day to day lives," Prabhu said.

The students will learn a breathing method called "Bellows Breath," which provides instant energy to the cells in the body, Konakanchi said.

"Doing this exercise for only a few minutes is like instant coffee for the body, but much more effective," she said.

She said these exercises increase the amount of antioxidants and reduce the amount of stress hormones produced in the body, according to one study.

Konakanchi said a person feels results by practicing these techniques a few minutes a day.

"Breathing is a connection between the body and the mind," Konakanchi said. "By breathing correctly, the mind is able to push thoughts out and the body calms down and relaxes."

She said these routines help develop interpersonal relationships, manage anger and fear and increase self-esteem.

"From the time you are a child, people tell you not to get angry," Konakanchi said. "But there is no way to do that because whatever we resist persists. Learning these techniques will help someone constructively handle their emotions."

She said those problems will continue to return if they are not dealt with immediately.

"This process allows students to open up to things they have been holding onto for a long time," she said. "After a disaster, people using these techniques can detach memory and fear from one another. There is no way to forget, but the stress and trauma of the event doesn't come back."

Konakanchi also said most people work at 25 percent efficiency because their stress has accumulated, but by using these techniques a person's efficiency increases.