“Harmony“

Rammanohar Kundoor

Asian Indian | Eden Prairie, MN | he/him/his | Private Sector

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, it slowed me down, let me reflect on who I am, causing anxiety, fear, and loss. But it also allowed me to explore ways to calm down and still be happy. I went through a storm of emotions, and meditation was like a lifejacket. It let me float and do what was necessary for myself and the people around me. 

Before the pandemic, I was already a regular meditation practitioner. Life taught me many lessons, and some of them made me explore the depth and width of life from meditation master and humanitarian Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. I started meditating daily, completed self-study, and practiced silence for three days, taking time off from activities. 

My years of mediation practice taught me how to calm my mind and focus. So, I started conducting free online meditation sessions via Facebook Live and Zoom during the pandemic to pass on what I learned. Many people shared that this helped them experience a calm state of mind and gain confidence to face the pandemic. All this from a 20-minute meditation session. Doing this allowed me to spend time with family and learn new skills. 

After watching the horrible death of George Floyd, it brought me a lot of pain, making me question the world we live in and how we shape society. How can a person take a precious life in broad daylight, and no one could do anything other than watch? Riots didn’t allow peaceful protest or help educate people on the importance of reforms. Society will always be diverse, so how do we celebrate diversity and respect others’ opinions? I believe a stress-free, violence-free, healthy individual will build a strong, peaceful society; this is why I continue to meditate every day. My hope is that by calming our minds, we can explore our differences more deeply and respectfully.

10 minute guided meditation with Ram!

Find a comfortable seat and join Ram in a 10 minute guided meditation below!

Ram Kundoor lives in Eden Prairie, MN. He is a SKY Breath Meditation teacher from the Art Of Living Foundation and organizes weekend community workshops every month. He works at Best Buy in Digital & Technology as a Senior Manager and is an immigrant from India, married to Rajitha Kundoor with two kids — daughter Shruthi and son Saatvik.