3,000 meditate for world peace in front of the White House
'Take a breath DC'event extends Art of Living's campaign for a 'Violence-Free, Stress-Free America'
-- Around 3000 people gathered in front of the White House to meditate for world peace. The event “Take a Breath, D.C.”, organized by Art of Living youth leaders, aimed at spreading the message of a stress-free and violence-free society for change and peace in any community.
“The root cause of violence is stress in the individual. By addressing and removing the stress, there is peace in the individual, the environment and society,” said Rasher Patel, Senior Faculty and Director of Training and Development for the Art of Living Foundation.
Around 125 graduates of the Yes+ program marched along 10 city blocks, waving orange and white flags. Their march ended on the lawn of Lafayette Park, located in front of the White House. In an area that attracts demonstrations, often with loud speakers and graphic images, tranquility and an unusual stillness marked the twenty-minute meditation.
Following the meditation, the United Nations Millennium Group’s Mission Green Earth project lauded the Art of Living’s commitment to environmental sustainability. The Foundation has spearheaded the plantation of over 100 million trees globally ahead of their July 2009 mission date. Locally in D.C., the Art of Living community planted 1800 trees, adding to 1 million across the U.S. and many more around the world, including 35 million in India.
The event included a special proclamation from Councilman Jim Graham, recognizing the efforts of the Art of Living volunteers and their commitment to human values and service. He congratulated the 125 graduates of the YES+ Course that took place over the four days preceding and leading into the peace meditation.
The young volunteers and students who also organized the YES + course have already been implementing a comprehensive awareness campaign, hosting over 150 introductory stress reduction sessions for people from different backgrounds. The group also kicked off a worldwide initiative to spread a smile on a million faces. They began by collecting over5,000 photos of smiling residents in less than 24 hours. Youth leaders planned the “Take a Breath, D.C.” campaign
to extend the Art of Living Foundation’s “Violence-Free, Stress-Free America” initiative, launched in March 2007 by global humanitarian and founder of Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.