To mark Wednesday as The World Day for Inner Peace, the Columbus chapter of Sahaja Meditation has organized a free public meditation event from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday with partnering agency Mill Race Center.
The meditation, which organizers say is effective to battle stress, fatigue and more, will be offered with simple guidance and instruction at the center, 900 Lindsey St.
Sahaja Meditation is a registered not-for-profit organization that provides free meditation classes worldwide, promoting mental and physical health and wellness.
Columbus resident Rahul Kumar will lead the session. He has been coordinating similar, free hour-long gatherings at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday in the Community Room at MainSource Bank, 2310 W. Jonathan Moore Pike in Columbus. He also has led sessions at Cummins Inc. for the past seven years.
About 50 people attended a session he organized last year on The World Day for Inner Peace.
Kumar said part of the effectiveness of the meditation links to medical elements relying on activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
“People incorrectly think it’s their own doing (in meditation) that takes them to a state of inner peace,” Kumar said. “Actually, it’s easy to achieve that state when you’re not trying to do it on your own, and you let your own energy take you there.”
He also mentioned that people regularly bring their own spiritual beliefs, including Christianity, to overlay or mix with this ancient form of meditation with partial roots in Hinduism.
“This doesn’t alter anyone’s current faith in any way,” he said. “Except that it may help them follow their chosen faith even more.”
