We are having meditation in school every day. I think this is very good as many children do not meditate at home. It will help us to start our day with a calm mind. Many people have different views about meditation. They think it is a waste of time. But if you do it sincerely, you will always be good-natured, honest and trustworthy and you will become a favourite among everyone.
-Akshay Chowdhri (Class VI)

Yes, I do like meditation. Meditation is just concentrating on your breath. It helps us to concentrate on our breath and it also makes our mind clear. I like to meditate in school twice a day because it feels real good. I would also like my friends and adults around me to practise meditation. Just imagine if you get very bad marks in the examination and want to get better marks in the next term, just do a little meditation before you start studying for your examination. If you don`t agree with me, just meditate for a few minutes and you will find a lot of difference.
-C. Apoorva Reddy (Class VII)

After one month of Anapana experience

Experiencing is believing. With faith, born of experience, I can honestly say that not only have I felt calmer, but people around me also felt the same. A month is a long time and I have been through the usual ups and downs, but daily practice of Anapana has helped me to quickly regain my balance.
-Lakshmi Naik

After four months of Anapana

Meditation is a type of medicine, after practising which we receive a dose of tonic. It also keeps our mind under our control and it only benefits us if we practise it. It helped me a lot in studies and made me remember what I had learnt at home. It also helped me in the examination hall. In one exam when I did not remember one `fill in the blank', I did meditation for about 2 or 3 minutes. I remembered it. It not only makes us remember what we learn but also keeps us attentive in the class. In meditation we have to keep observing our breath. The breath is the only thing which is with us all the time. No father nor mother will be with us all the time nor will the teachers. Meditation cleans our mind. During meditation we should not think of the past nor of the future, we should be only in the present. Meditation cleans the mind of the bad things which we have done. If we have our mind under control, we do not do bad things.
-Tasleem Banu (Class VI)

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do like meditation. I feel that I have improved my concentration. I practise it at home in the mornings and at night. I feel that we should practise it every day. If we can do it every day, I think we will all grow up to be good citizens of our country and we will earn good names.
-Devangana Pande (Class VI)

Meditation helps us to concentrate better on what we want to do. It is difficult at first but after a little practice, it becomes easy. All you have to do is to sit straight and with your legs folded, neck and head straight and eyes and mouth closed, concentrate on your breathing and on nothing else. Do it for 15 to 30 minutes every day and the mind becomes purified. By meditating, there are many advantages. If you meditate every night before sleeping, you will wake up refreshed. With meditation it becomes easy to concentrate. Meditation purifies our mind and we learn to control our anger, selfishness and greed. Thus, by meditating, we have peace of mind but an important thing is that we should meditate every day.
-Prasanna (Class VII)

PATH OF JOY

It is the path of joy
Coming here you won`t get annoy.
So silent, so nice
I`m sure you will come here twice.
Your concentration on your breath
Is just what you need
Just continuous meditate
Must not make you irritate.
Listen to the instructions
Forget your mind`s distractions.
If you have no peace
Your problems here will cease.
You will not tell any lies
And you will be very wise.
If you do this
The result is
Your Future will be bright.

-Mary Thomas (Class VII)

MEDITATION

Meditation is the first step to success,
The beauty of Nature you will accept.
The five sheels if you follow,
You will never feel sorrow.
Never steal in your life,
And never say a lie.
Neither ever kill a person,
Nor you fall in drug addiction.
All people are my brothers and sisters,
Everyone has to be breath`s minister.
Anybody from anywhere can come any time
Whether they are seven, eight or nine.
Therefore I say-
Meditation is the first step to success.

-Riddhima Jain (Class IX)

Firstly when I did Anapana, it was boring. But when I found difference in me, I started loving it. Anapana is very nice and interesting. It is very hard but not impossible. At first some pains are there, but as we practise more the pains become less and we feel comfortable afterwards. We can increase our self-confidence and we can also reduce anger, talking lie, etc. Lastly I tell that everyone should learn Anapana and live happily.
-Pooja Mantri (Class VIII)

Although it is no fun to meditate, I want to try anyway. When I start sitting, I have painful back and neck, then numbness in both legs. I want to walk out from the meditation hall. But I stay, fight and my mind gets calmer. I am happy to go on sitting. I continue to meditate at home so that I will be able to decrease my anger and be more successful in my study.
-a student from Thailand

We came here to learn a very good method of making our mind sharp, calm and alert. Before I came here my mind was not so calm. I was not able to concentrate hard on anything, but after coming here my concentration became very good and I became very calm too. If I would get another chance to come here I would not hesitate. I have not been to camps but I think there are no better camps than this.
-Abhishek Sharma (Class VI)

Thank you for everything. I had had a wonderful time. Earlier I knew that I should not get affected by unpleasant things. Sometimes I would be able to snap out of a negative mood and at other times there was no use getting affected by negative things. Thanks to this course, now everything is clear. I`m sure I`ll be able to control my moods with practice.
-Annapurna Akkineni (Class XII)

The service, the main concept (Anapana), the environment, the simple yet tasty and healthy food, the discourses, and mainly the teachings were excellent.

I feel that I have gained a lot during these two days. I feel my mind becoming lighter after every session. I am confident that now I can control my mind and my feelings of anger, fear, anxiety and many more.
-G. Shambhavi (Inter Ist year)

This is a very good course which helps each and every person to improve the talents in him. This was the course which has helped me to stand 2nd in my class in the 9th standard.
-Akil Kumar (Class XI)

These two days have been some of the most beneficial days I have known. When I first saw the time-table and ten sessions in just two days, I wondered how I would ever sit for all of them. But then I found myself actually coming around fifteen minutes earlier to the hall and just quietly meditating.
-Ammu (Class XI)

I have liked all the courses as they have really changed my way of analyzing things and thinking. And I feel they really improved my life-style.
-S. Samana (an old student) (Class X)

I will now be able to increase my tolerance and will be patient and I promise that I would practise my meditation.
-Sahithya (Class VIII)

I have attended a course previously. I have become more confident and determined to face any sort of nervousness. I have become patient and tolerant.
-D. Vishal (Class XII)

Now I have a feeling that I`ll be able to be more concentrated while studying and even if I get distracted I`ll be able to bring back my attention to my books as quickly as possible.
-Gauthami (Class X)

This is for the first time I`ve attendeed a bal-shivir and I have found it very interesting. Moreover, it is for the first time that we have been introduced to sach an inspirational students` camp of meditation.In the beginning, I found it quite harder but now I am feeling much lighter through ``Anapana'', and I`ll continue it throughout my life. This is a wonderful technique of concentration and I hope to increase my learning powers. Besides, I found that a bal-shivir session has many important messages like leading disciplined life, focusing on one`s mind, maintaining silence, concentration, being with Sangha and the noble idea of `Panchsheel'.
-Tsering Wangchuk Bhutia (Class IX)

I feel I have done a great job by attending this camp. I had never expected that attending this camp could change my thoughts. After attending this camp now I can differentiate between good and bad and even I have learnt to control my mind and I am even interested to attend a ten days` course.
-Chodup Tenzing (Class IX)

The technique of Anapana has taught me to concentrate and to control my mind. I have really liked the bal-shivir as this has made me think that in order to become a good man in life the foundation must be very strong. I will always keep myself in the right path and will always remember the `Panch sheel'.
-Tsewang Norhu (Class IX)

I feel this is a wonderful technique because boys of my age could be easily harmed and influenced by bad company. Anapana will always be a guiding force in my life and and I will always try to keep myself in the right path.
-Supendra Subba (Class IX)

Frankly speaking, I laughed at the idea of a meditation course before attending it. I thought it to be a painful course and it would be simply a wastage of time and energy. But when the course started, I began to realize that I was wrong. This meditation course was absolutely new to me and I had no idea about its essence before. It is not at all a wastage of time and energy. Rather it is a means through which one can boost one`s energy and mind. It not only gives mental but physical strength too. It is most necessary for us too. As we are students, our minds are always crowded with worry, tension and nervousness regarding our academics and our future. Being teen-agers, we are always excited. So we should meditate for at least 15 to 20 minutes twice a day. This will help us to concentrate on our studies and thereby help us to fulfil our goals and aims in life.

Anapana is a technique, I feel, very helpful in guiding the young minds in the right direction.
-Nazia Abedin (Class XI)