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Vijayalakshmi Arora, Ajay
Kalra and Dinaz Dastur share their
expeeriences |
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Read
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Experiences
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Suma Varughese |
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Editor in Chief, Life Positive |
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http://www.lifepositive.com/ |
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Amazing Grace
Love, Acceptance and Peace characterise
Jasmine Bharathan
The first time I laid my eyes on Jasmine
Bharathan, was at the Life Positive Expo 2008. A
slight figure dressed in trousers and a shirt,
with a cascading head of curls, youthfully
rounded cheeks and a warm smile. A young girl, I
thought to myself, and an attractive one, too.
We didn’t spend much time together at the Expo,
as my attention was diffused over many
activities, but there was a warmth in my heart
when I thought of her. Something in her touched
me, made me want to reach out to her and protect
her. Maybe it was her small stature. And yet
there was courage, a lot of it. It was evident
in her straight back, and direct look, like a
tiny kitten looking at the big bad world with
unafraid eyes. What I remember most vividly was
her quietitude. She never thrust herself into
the conversation, and yet remained available and
affable, a self-contained, still figure.
We came back to Mumbai and our lives drew apart
until I registered for a two-day workshop that
she was holding. I had been interested in the
field of energy psychology that she is an expert
at and was keen in learning it.
A kind of magic happened during those two days.
It’s hard to explain, but let me try. We were a
fairly representative group of the kind of
people such events draw – some writers, yoga
teachers, healers, businessmen, homemakers and
so on. All nice, interesting people but under
Jasmine’s wings, we blossomed into a family.
Ostensibly Jasmine just sat there. She was not
the kind of facilitator who is the life and soul
of the action. Often, during breaks people would
gather for noisy interaction in the large
kitchen, leaving her alone in the drawing room
of her flat where the workshop was held, with
perhaps one or two others. And yet, she made it
all happen. She did it simply by accepting
everyone as they were and by giving them space
to be. If someone wanted to get more money, she
was available for that. If someone had a
relationship problem, she was compassion itself
in making that come about. One of us was
grieving the death of a parent. I watched as
Jasmine went to her during the lunch break and
held her gently and allowed her to sob her heart
out. Jasmine made us feel loved, understood and
accepted.
I, who was struggling to adopt these qualities
in myself, watched her fascinated.
During those two days I penetrated what lay
beneath that quiet unassuming demeanour. A
wealth of love, boundless peace and an abiding
acceptance of life made her like an oasis in the
desert, a haven of life-giving water for any
passing stranger who happened to come to her.
Spending those two days with Jasmine gave me a
precious gift. I had gone home that night
feeling uncomfortable with myself because there
was someone in the workshop I had taken a
dislike to. As I wrestled with my feelings and
struggled to come to terms with them, a novel
thought crossed my mind. So what if I disliked
her? I had the right to do so! What, really? I
did? My inner voice confirmed that I did indeed
and I spent the rest of the night giving myself
permission to be angry, irresponsible, clumsy
and all the other bete noirs that had troubled
me for so long. I went back the next day with
peace in my heart and to my surprise, I was full
of love for the person. I have simply no doubt
that it was Jasmine’s accepting presence that
had opened up this space in me, for acceptance
is a transformational quality.
In the beginning of the workshop Jasmine had
told us that we would be drenched in love. And
so it was. We left the workshop punchdrunk with
love not just for Jasmine but for each other.
The very next day, one of us sent an ecstatic
email to the group recalling each of us by name
and appreciating our unique qualities. That
triggered off a volcanic response. Emails began
flying back and forth between the group, faster
than we could read them. The ecstatic bonding
lasted for months and although the letters have
tapered off, the friendship that they kindled
remain like a warm glow in all our hearts.
Jasmine characteristically hardly joined in the
lovefest, but she didn’t need to. She was the
source of it.
When I look at this quietly radiant young (oh,
sorry, not so young. She is 44, I learn to my
astonishment) woman, I feel a deep respect. I
had gone in search of a healer but I had
actually found a spiritual force.
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