I am writing this story with moist eyes. I don’t know how to say thanks to Him, and that would be less too. Gurudev is God for me. Through Him, I learnt to smile, even in problems. After my younger sister’s marriage, I felt very lonely, as I used to share all my problems with my sister, and she used to boost me many times, and this way I was keeping a balance in my life. I was working in Pune as a Senior Software Engineer, but my personal life was in a complete mess, full of troubles. Problems were just not ceasing. My confidence was at an all- time-low, owing to the comments I would receive for being over-weight, topped with my loneliness. I felt uncomfortable in a public setting and would constantly worry about people’s opinion of me. Gradually, I started avoiding public appearances and would lock myself indoors. This developed depression in me. I tried hard to find some people who would understand me, but failed miserably, and fell into deeper depression. In the meantime, I had consulted a Doctor, who declared that I had severe depression and suggested some anti depressants to me, dosage of which kept increasing year after year, because of the unstopping problems. Then one day, in December 2014, one of my friends suggested “Meditation” and “Surya Namaskar”. So I started searching online, for the same. I came across the ART OF LIVING’S website. Till that time I was not aware of the importance of yoga, meditation. After completing the Basic course of Art of Living, I feel half my depression has vanished. I started doing Yoga, Meditation and Sudarshan Kriya every day. With regular practice and Grace, my health was getting better, and the anti depression medicine dosage was reducing, from 150 mg to 75 mg to 50 mg to 25 mg to none. Within the span of just 5 months, I left the medicines which I had been taking for the last 4 years. I learnt to smile. I learnt to endure. And I learnt how to be happy even if there is a problem in life, as problems come and go, but joy is our very nature! Now, it doesn’t matter whether I am in a problem or not, I just keep calm and trust that “GURUDEV is always with me!” Now it has been one month of leaving the medicines, and I do not have any signs of depression. From medicine to meditation, and I have become a changed person! Thank you Sri Sri, my ever-caring Master. Jai Gurudev. 

- Gaurav Kumar