Yazidi women abused by the Islamic State in Iraq attend a healing programme in Bengaluru under an Art of Living initiative spearheaded by Bhanumathi Narasimhan, the younger sister of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Basra woke up with a start, breathing heavily, in a room that was still dark at 5 am at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living headquarters in Bengaluru, recently. An image passed through her mind: a bearded man slapping her repeatedly across her face. Basra quickly shook her head and got up.
And then, at 6 am, she, along with a group of Yazidi women, hailing from the Sinjar mountains in Iraq, made their way to a hall. Teacher Puravi Hegde greeted them with a smile. They sat cross-legged on the floor and closed their eyes. Puravi explains, “Gurudev Sri Sri says our breath is linked to our emotions. For every emotion, there is a particular rhythm in the breath. With the help of one’s breath, you can harness your emotions.”
Thanks to the initiative taken by Bhanumathi Narasimhan, the younger sister of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who oversees the organisation’s Women’s Empowerment and Child Welfare projects, Basra and many women like her, who were subjected to horrific abuse—kidnapped, drugged, beaten, repeatedly raped and traded between fighters—by the Islamic State (IS), came to Bengaluru to attend a 10-day healing programme free of cost. It consisted of yoga, meditation and the Sudarshan Kriya—a rhythmic breathing technique that harmonises the mind and body.
“These sessions had a big impact on them,” says Bhanumathi. “Many said they began to experience an inner healing. They were able to sleep for the first time after a long interval.”It was in 2014 that Bhanumathi first came across the Yazidi women when a team had gone to meet Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at Chicago. “The community had heard that the Art of Living had been doing meditation and trauma-healing programmes in Iraq. So, they asked Gurudev to help the Yazidi women, and he immediately said yes,”says Bhanumathi.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar instructed many teachers in Iraq to provide help to the Yazidi women. Thereafter, in 2016, 27 women between the age group of 22 and 40 came to Bengaluru to receive training. “They promised that they would go back and help others,” says Bhanumathi.Ever since, a steady stream of Yazidi women have been coming to the centre.
In February, a group of them had come to attend the International Women’s Conference here.
A victim, Parveen, recounted her experience. She said, “The IS came at midnight to our village. Of the 44 members of my family, all the men were shot dead, and the women and children were taken to a hall. But the pretty girls were given to the fighters as sex slaves. We were raped and raped, as much as 50 times.” Today, her family has been wiped out except for a cousin.
“When Parveen narrated what she had gone through, there was not a single dry eye among the audience,” says Bhanumathi.These days, 10 Yazidi women are in Bengaluru to attend similar healing sessions. And Bhanumathi is positive that they will be able to achieve Gurudev’s message of striving for peace and happiness in every nook and corner of the world.
Benefits of sudarshan kriya
● Reduces stress and fatigue while increasing positive energy levels
● Increases feelings of calm and the ability to regulate reactions
● Boosts the capacity to multitask and make better decisions
● It has proven to decrease anxiety and depression, and increase optimism