Teaching the Art of Living to Sendong survivors

Since Typhoon Sendong devastated entire communities in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City last December, over 340,000 survivors have been trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Apart from dealing with the loss of over 1,000 people and over one billion pesos in damage to property, the victims' psyches have also been greatly damaged.    While many organizations have pitched in to provide food, shelter and clothing, other groups have focused their efforts on psychosocial intervention. Among these groups is the Art of Living Foundation, whose volunteers have flown in from Manila, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to give trauma relief workshops at evacuation and relocation centers.   With assistance from Save the Children, Child Fund, and the advocacy group Sulong Kagay-an, their goal is to attend to the survivors' emotional wellbeing. They help residents recover from depression and cope with stress through breathing techniques, meditation, and yoga.   “Whether it may be a fire, an earthquake, or in this case flash floods - anyone, no exceptions, would naturally feel trauma and stress long after the calamity has happened. We're here because we believe that the first step in recovering is being mentally and emotionally equipped,” says Art of Living Philippines Chapter Head Nameeta Dargani.   The foundation has reached over 2,000 people so far, but they wish to support thousands more. “The vision now is to train people who are actually in the barangay and in the relocation center so they can follow it up and to have sustainability in what we do. Because we have food, shelter and all these things, but we need them to reconnect to who they really are and become more responsible and more productive,” says Art of Living teacher and CDO resident Julie Ang, who spearheaded the program in CDO and Iligan.   Opera and Broadway mash-up    In order to raise funds for their stress-elimination programs, two of their volunteers will be performing at a concert dubbed “Harmony in Diversity.”   Hong Kong-based opera singer and full-time Art of Living teacher Wayne Yeh and musical theater performer and Art of Living volunteer Lissa de Guia have performed in various places all over the world. Yeh is a member of Opera Hong Kong, and has performed in Europe as well. He has trained under notable voice coaches Rita Patane and Pietro Spagnoli in Milan, Italy. Meanwhile, De Guia was in the original German cast of Miss Saigon in Stuttgart, and played Gigi in the UK tour. She trained under Tony and Emmy award-winner Helen Gallagher in HB Studio, New York.    This month, they take the stage in Manila for their fundraising show, where they will stage a mock battle between Opera and Broadway. The show begins with Irving Berlin's "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" from Annie Get Your Gun. Arguing for opera, Yeh sings Figaro, Toreador, and Bella Sicome. De Guia defends Broadway with favorites from Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, The King and I, and The Wiz. According to the foundation, “while the mash-up is thrilling, it is only an excuse for these two artists to continue showing their love to those in need.”   The idea for the concert was inspired by a smaller fundraising dinner where the two sang together, only three days after meeting at a workshop for children in Cagayan de Oro City.   The performance will be held at the Isla Ballroom of EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. It will include a silent auction of pieces from contemporary artists such as Gus Albor, Tosha Albor, and Wesley Valenzuela.   Proceeds from the concert will fund the Youth Leadership Training Program, where about a hundred 18- to 25-year-old residents will be taught exercises. “When they go back to their community not only can they do the stress debriefing but they'll also be taking on the responsibilities. Aside from tree planting and gardening, we'll figure out what skill they need for each area,” says Art of Living volunteer Denise Celdran.   Lifting the veil   Celdran explains that they began conducting informal workshops by teaching simple exercises to children in some evacuation centers. “We hold a lot of trauma and emotions in our chest area and in other parts of our body. So when we go through movement and sound exercises and meditation, we actually clear those stuck emotions. This has a physiological explanation also aside from emotional and mental," she says. Teacher Julie says it's important to teach not only the children, but also their parents and the facilitators as well. “If you don't give peace of mind to parents, they cannot contain the anger and the depression, and the recipient of that would be the children,” she says.   She shared her experience with one mother, who only learned to understand her child after a workshop session. “Every time it rains in Cagayan, the child would get a plastic bag and put all the clothes in the plastic bag, and would tell the mama to go away. The mother couldn't even understand the stress, so what she would do is spank the child. After the course she said ‘for the first time, I hugged my child and then I understood why the child was doing that,’” she recalls.    “Even the facilitators are so stressed with what's going on that they are not effective anymore. So there is a chain effect of not being peaceful and centered,” she says.   De Guia also shares that in the riverside community where she taught the exercises, the residents suffered a lot, with at least eight children lost in the flood waters and 20 people missing. “The difference in the look of their faces from the first day and the last day, it was as if a veil was lifted,” she says.   The volunteers themselves practice the exercises everyday. “Before we go to the evacuation center we do the breathing technique and the meditation and the yoga. When we get home we do it again, because we need to release and to empty. We’re walking the talk,” says De Guia.   Positive action   She adds that the Art of Living acknowledges the trauma, but is focused on positive action. “What I love about Art of Living is we don’t label your pain. We don’t try to tell you this is how you should feel. We just teach you this breathing technique, we also have some discussion about values, how you can be of value to your family and community,” she says. The foundation cooperates with other groups in the psychosocial intervention cluster, all with their own programs of debriefing and counseling.   “We're going to help them realize that out of the calamity a better life can come of this,” says Celdran. The Art for Living course includes the purifying action of the Sudarshan Kriya breathing technique, which teaches people to use breath to influence their emotions. “You let go of all these external concepts and deep-rooted issues and in three days you just let it go,” she says.   “It's like a spa for the mind,” adds Yeh.   The Art of Living tackles the seven levels of existence: the physical body, breath, the mind, the intellect, memory, ego, and the higher self. “It’s about getting rid of all those layers... clearing all of that so you can realize your higher self. That’s when you’re more peaceful. No matter what has happened in your life, you’re able to move forward because you’re connected with your higher self. You’re connected to something greater,” Celdran says.   Among the foundation's workshops is the Breath Water Sound program, which is designed for trauma relief. Celdran explains that it makes people aware of how the breath connects the mind to the outside world. Water is used for detoxification, as drinking more allows you to release more toxins from the body. Sound is used in the form of repetitive exercises to recite in order to release grief and negative emotions.   “Water is also the connection between us and life... this is also the connection with the environment. With what happened, water is both bad and good. Water caused a lot of death, but without water we also can’t live,” says Celdran. – YA, GMA News   For more information, visit www.artofliving.org.ph or contact Madeline Pajarillo at 09178408833 and 09178202081