Community Outreach – Happiness Workshop: Houston, TX
The workshop began with participants trying to define health and what being healthy meant to them. The typical responses span from disease-free to healthy in all aspects of one’s being, such as mental, physical, and spiritual. Dr. Sankaran shared an eye-opening definition from the World Health Organization. She also added a social aspect to being healthy and pointed out that shared happiness with others is essential to being healthy and happy. She also emphasized the role that spiritual health plays in being happy.
Another aspect of happiness that Dr. Sankaran addressed was the role of compassion for self and others in the face of pain. Everyone has his/her way of processing pain, and to be happy, it is vital to show compassion and empathy by connecting heart-to-heart rather than just on the mental plane.
Dr. Sankaran also shared the importance of practicing the five fundamental human values—Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love, and Non-Violence—in our interactions with others. She stressed that happiness is a journey and not a destination. It is an eternal condition within each one of us, and it is within our reach if only we connect with our conscience to find the hidden gem of happiness within.
The Sri Sathya Sai Centers of North Houston and South Houston jointly organized an enlightening two-hour workshop on the topic of Happiness within Reach on February 24, 2024. The interactive workshop was led by Dr. Ramadevi Sankaran, MD, the Medical Director at the Department of Pediatrics, Northshore Health Centers, Indiana. Dr. Sankaran also serves in multiple roles in the SSSIO. She has served as a faculty member at the Institute of Sathya Sai Education (ISSE) since 2020, where she is the Coordinator of the Medical Programs Committee. She is also the Co-Chair of the SSSIO International Medical Committee and the Coordinator of the EASE program for the SAI 100 Initiatives.
The workshop was a community outreach effort, and fliers inviting the public were sent out to several local agencies. Sai Center members were encouraged to invite family members, friends, and people from their neighborhood. In total, about 40 people attended the workshop.
The workshop began with participants trying to define health and what being healthy meant to them. The typical responses span from disease-free to healthy in all aspects of one’s being, such as mental, physical, and spiritual. Dr. Sankaran shared an eye-opening definition from the World Health Organization. She also added a social aspect to being healthy and pointed out that shared happiness with others is essential to being healthy and happy. She also emphasized the role that spiritual health plays in being happy.
Another aspect of happiness that Dr. Sankaran addressed was the role of compassion for self and others in the face of pain. Everyone has his/her way of processing pain, and to be happy, it is vital to show compassion and empathy by connecting heart-to-heart rather than just on the mental plane.
Dr. Sankaran also shared the importance of practicing the five fundamental human values—Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love, and Non-Violence—in our interactions with others. She stressed that happiness is a journey and not a destination. It is an eternal condition within each one of us, and it is within our reach if only we connect with our conscience to find the hidden gem of happiness within.
Finally, Dr. Sankaran concluded by sharing her belief that there is Love in everyone and that one needs only to tap into that Love through loving interactions with others. She also urged the audience to analyze themselves and be aware of their thoughts, words and deeds. She encouraged each participant to be that light and spread joy and happiness.
The workshop was initially scheduled for 1.5 hours but had to be extended it for an additional 2 hours. Several people stayed behind for some individual time with Dr Ramadevi. Everyone had questions that were personal to them and she addressed each and everyone’s questions. The overriding question on everyone’s mind was when Dr.Ramadevi would be back to grace us with another workshop, with a request it to be a longer session.
