Kamlesh Patel, lovingly known as Daaji, is the fourth global teacher of ‘Heartfulness’, a simple set of heart-focused meditation practices to suit the busy lifestyle of today. Born in Gujarat, India, Kamlesh D. Patel showed an early interest in meditation and spiritual growth.
In an exclusive conversation with The Daily Guardian, Kamlesh explains why meditation is necessary for everyone leading a stressful life today and how to do it.
Q: What is Heartfulness Meditation and how did it originate? Is it affiliated with any religion or spiritual practice?
A: When we manage to tune into our feelings and capture the inspirations that come from our heart, making them the guiding source of our decisions, it is called “listening to the voice of the heart”. This kind of shifting from analytical thinking to deeper levels of feeling, intuition, and consciousness is possible through meditation on the heart, known as Heartfulness Meditation.
Q: How does one start Heartfulness Meditation?
A: One can begin meditation with a Heartfulness trainer one-on-one.
Q: With a basket of wellness programmes already available, why should one choose Heartfulness Meditation?
A: The process of Heartfulness Meditation has its foundation in the heart, where feelings and emotions reside. The unique aspect of Heartfulness is to meditate with the aid of yogic transmission, or Pranahuti, and such training is imparted by the Heartfulness Guide or trainers. Meditating on the heart improves emotional intelligence, sensitivity, and intuition.
Another distinguishing aspect of Heartfulness is the rejuvenation technique called cleaning, which removes emotional baggage of the past. Heartfulness Cleaning addresses emotions such as discontentment, restlessness, anxiety, anger, fear, confusion, and negativity, helping you feel light and rejuvenated.
Q: How long does one need to practice Heartfulness Meditation to feel the effect?
A: For some people, the first meditation session is a game changer; they feel the effect and are able to tell the difference immediately. But, of course, like any other practice, one has to try it regularly and sincerely for a period of 6 to 12 weeks to observe specific visible changes in their inner and outer environment. For example, only when you work out regularly for a couple of months in the gym can you see changes in your body. A mind or heart gym is no different.
Q: In today’s hectic lifestyle, how can we find the time to meditate?
A: Especially when we believe we don’t have time to meditate, we need to meditate more and more.
Meditation is the most important and relevant time-management tool in our lives. It helps us regulate our emotions. After all, what is time management if not emotional management? We need physical energy to do things, but, more importantly, we need mental and emotional resilience to manage multiple things in life. Meditating for an hour every morning helps us stay focused, align our priorities, and become emotionally resilient. That is the secret to time management. So, ‘hectic’ does not exist in our lifestyle; meditation does.
Q: Is there any fee or donation required to learn or practice Heartfulness?
A: All good things are available bountifully in nature and are free of cost. Do we pay for clean air, water, and love? Meditation is one of the noblest way to create peace. It is free of cost—a tradition that Heartfulness will always continue. Today, Heartfulness has spread to 160 countries.
Q: Does practicing Heartfulness require us to change our lifestyle? Is it compatible with normal family and work life?
A: Heartfulness changes our life for the better. We do not have to change anything. It helps us mold our lives to become the best version of ourselves that we can be. It helps us balance and regulate our lifestyle.
Q: Does Heartfulness work on medical ailments? If yes, which ones?
A: Recent research and work done by the Heartfulness Institute have proven that Heartfulness Meditation alleviates burnout and is extremely effective in increasing productivity, emotional wellness, and even telomere length, as published in a recent study.
Interviewed by Communication Professional Madhuri Shukla