Brahma Kumaris Centre gives workshops

Devki Ramsahai of St. Maarten Brahma Kumaris Centre held two well-received public seminars on “stressfree living” and “positive thinking” in Saba, writes The Daily Herald. The first workshop was held Friday at Sunny Valley Youth Center in The Bottom, while the second workshop was held at Eugenius Johnson Center in Windwardside on Saturday. The two locations made the free-of-charge workshops accessible to people across the island, and the diversity in participants proved the point. Surprisingly, Ramsahai bared most of the cost involved with her coming to the island, without directly asking for contributions.

Friday’s workshop pinpointed external stress sources and took a rational look at the personal reactions to these outside stress factors. Participants openly shared their private challenges. Many felt free to share in the group about their job- or family-related sources of stress, learning that they are responsible for the way they react and that they have a choice. Ramsahai explained that the ability of our conscious mind and our intellect to make rational choices is determined, to some extent, by previous experiences, which, when repeated, form habits and lead to shaping-up our character. These aspects should be balanced by our ability to step back, analyze and express our will. This ability of conscious choice allows individuals to distance themselves from negative emotional responses of victimhood, while developing healthy resilience mechanisms.
This was the basis for her follow-up workshop on consciously building positive-thinking mechanisms. Ramsahai offered her personal guidance to many Sabans and participants in her group who are known to have organized peer-support meetings and even participate in learning trips to India; the birthplace of the Brahma Kumaris movement. With her charismatic humble appearance, her ability to empathize and relate the message to her audience, Ramsahai succeeded to rekindle the group’s impact on Saba.