“It was like a meditation 101 of sorts,”
Sridhar said, adding, “It was a huge success.”
The CRC currently offers meditation classes,
and, The Mind and Meditation program,
which teaches practical breathing, yoga, and
meditation as a simple sequence, designed for
first timers as well as seasoned meditators.
Machado School in Morgan Hill offers the
foundation’s Happiness Program, a three-day experiential work-
shop on breathing, yoga, meditation, Sudarshan Kriya, and the
Art of Meditation, a natural, effortless system of meditation.
“We found Morgan Hill to be an absolute good experimental
ground for us,” Shridar said.
BookSmart also joined with the foundation last year, offering
weekly one-hour meditation sessions called, Meditation Sundays.
Unfortunately, BookSmart’s relocation earlier this year put an
end to the sessions, but the group is confident with the help of
Mayor Steve Tate, an enthusiastic fan of the foundation, that the
Sunday sessions will return soon.
According to Verma, Mayor Tate is also a fan of the annual
Morgan Hill Yoga Festival, sponsored by AOLF, which was first
held last June as a way of introducing yoga to the community.
The foundation’s core belief of service to the community is
the driving force behind the outreach ventures, and the residents
of both communities have been very receptive.
Long-time AOLF members, Sanjeev and Remuka Arora,
moved last year from San Jose in search of a
home they could also utilize as a meeting place
for AOLF meetings and classes. They specifically
targeted the Gilroy area.
“That was actually a drive for us, a
motivation, and we had been praying to the
creator to give us a place,” Arora said.
A recent newcomer to the Gilroy business
community, BookBuyers owner Hotranatha Ajaya was eager to
collaborate with the foundation and hopes, in the very near
future, to provide a space at his store for weekly meditation
sessions.
“I’m very happy to have them do meditation classes here,”
Ajaya said.
Securing permanent headquarters in both Morgan Hill and
Gilroy to better serve the communities, is the current goal of
AOLF members and volunteers.
“That would be a dream come true,” Arora said.
Meanwhile, pursuit of the foundation’s ultimate goal, to create
stress-free, and violence-free communities all across the world,
continues for Murtinty, Shridar, and Verma, as they continue to
build relationships within those communities, spreading aware-
ness of AOLF’s programs, and classes, and the life time benefits
provided by both.
“If you can breathe, you can come and do our programs,”
Shridhar said.
Photos Above Clockwise: Morgan Hill Yoga Festival, Morgan Hill Mayor Tate at a ceremony that took place in February of this year at the
Harmony Event in India, and Meditation class at the Morgan Hill Centennial Recreation Center. For information about classes and programs,
go to, artofliving.org/gilroy.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016
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