Healing Journeys of Ayurveda: Amy’s Story

Small changes can make a huge difference. Amy, one of our recent Panchakarma and Happiness Program participants, shares how much her life has changed since coming to the Art of Living Retreat Center – she’s happier, healthier, and forty pounds lighter!

Happening Upon Health

I love the program. I happened upon the Art of Living Retreat Center quite by accident – I had been battling some health problems over the past few years, actually.  I had looked for answers and hadn’t really found anything that worked.

The Art of Living Retreat Center happened to be about 2 hours away from my home. I said I can drive there, yay! And then I found a program that sounded like what I have been searching for for a very long time. I felt it could be my hope for health for the future.

Become the Person You Were Meant to Be

It’s been much more than a spa treatment. It was life-changing. It has been getting my health back. It has been getting my spirit back. It has helped me to retrain myself, to center myself and be the person that I really always wanted to be. The staff here works with you, supports you and gives you the tools you need in your toolbox in order to go home and start putting those items in your life. You can then start to implement them into your life for the future.

The staff teaches you how to eat for your body type, and it’s not a diet, but a better way of life. I finally feel healthy and vibrant again! I’ve lost forty pounds to date because of the lifestyle changes recommended, and my family of four has lost over one hundred pounds! It’s not all about the weight, though – the dedicated, caring employees here encourage and inspire you to be a well-rounded person.

Forming Special Bonds

My favorite part of the program was the people — bonding with our little group and the staff. Everyone here is so gracious and loving and giving. I can’t even start to name people because then I would feel like I was excluding someone from the list. But Dr. Lokesh, Medha, I mean, Mary, everyone… People in our group come from all walks of life, driving in from Iowa, New York, driving from North Carolina. We have come together and we’re a family now. And we always will be, because we helped each other through a journey that no one else in our life could share with us. We help each other get through it and we’re friends and family forever, along with the staff that supported us as well.

It’s amazing to bond with people that you wouldn’t normally get to meet or even think that you would be connected with. The people in our group were just awesome. I love sitting and talking with each one of them. In fact, if I had one wish to be granted this week it would be that we could add a week to the program just to sit and talk with Dr. Lokesh, Medha, and the staff. I’d love to talk more with the people here because all of them have a wealth of knowledge, and it’s just amazing to sit and talk with them. There’s just a feeling here of majesty and connectedness that I’ve never experienced anywhere else I’ve been.

Having the Ability to Feel Calm and Centered

One thing that struck a chord with me was the meditation, definitely. I can look back now and realize that in the past I was trying to find forms of meditating, but they were not exactly the right ways of meditation. And when I would get stressed or frustrated I would want to get away and rethink the situation. But now I have the tools to really meditate, center myself and calm down, whatever the case may be. I can put that into practice every day in my life. And I think that’s going to make the difference.

Body, Mind, and Spirit

I came back and completed the Happiness Program, and I am amazed at the simple changes we can make to become the person we’ve always dreamed of being. Words can’t describe how grateful I am to have discovered the Art of Living Center. Each and every person here is dedicated to helping others live better lives, and they truly care. It’s like having an extended family high on the mountaintops of Boone. This place is majestic. I’ve made lifetime friends here, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to live and love more deeply.

I have had the greatest experience and I’m so blessed and grateful that I found this program.