KATHMANDU, Sept 22: Lotus Mindfulness and Relaxation Services (LMRS) in Kathmandu organized a peacemaking event through meditation on the occasion of the UN International Peace Day on Monday.
The organizer hosted an online event inviting international peacemakers from different corners of the world to share their experiences and encourage people to make meditation ‘The New Normal’ during these turbulent times. A total of 70 participants, mainly youths, from different countries including the US, Germany, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal participated in the virtual event.
In her opening remarks, Nun Mithila Chowdhury, who is also Joint Secretary General of World Alliance of Buddhist from Bangladesh, said that Nepal is indeed a land of peace as it is the birthplace of Lord Buddha. She also expressed happiness to see many youths from Nepal joining the event.
Experiences for a lifetime
One of the peace makers from Germany Andreas Kernbach described meditation as a tool to enhance the quality of life. He shared how meditation helps one to deal with setbacks in life through a positive mindset which automatically results in an increase in the quality of life.
Also addressing the function, Chein Hoke from Myanmar said meditation should be taken as a way of spreading love, kindness, and positivity to people around us. He also shared how meditation helped him create a positive mindset and enhance his communication skills to spread positivity to the people around him.
The program also featured a virtual drama that portrayed a stressful life of four friends caused by the pandemic. The drama ended with a meaningful lesson of maintaining peace and moving forward. The event also had a guided meditation section by a certified meditation instructor from Thailand, Warunyaporn Sumittrikul.
Director of Lotus Mindfulness and Relaxation Services Arvind Shakya urged all to cultivate meditation habits for peace of mind. He argued that meditation should be practiced every day to calm the mind from stress and negativity just as we brush every day for oral health.
Lotus Mindfulness and Relaxation Services has been conducting free weekly virtual sessions called “Finding Peace” from the initial days of the lockdown to help people relieve their stress and anxiety during these turbulent times.