The impending blizzard of 2005 did not deter about 60 people who attended the Art of Meditation workshop organized by the India Association of New Hampshire as one of its educational activities on Saturday, January 22, 2005 at St John Neuman's Church in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Swami Ishwarananda of Chinmaya Mission conducted the workshop.

All those present agreed that it was an enlightening, spiritual experience, which would be useful them in their pursuit of the peace mind. Swami Ishwarananda explained meditation, its benefits, and how to meditate. He explained how meditation was practiced in Islam, Christianity and Judaism. He spoke dynamically of Buddhist and Hindu philosophies alike. In Christianity, people meditate thinking of God. In other religions, people meditate by reciting hymns or holy words. In Hinduism, meditation is a state where you give up all thoughts. You achieve total awareness (without going to sleep!). He explained meditation as a point of stillness in which one transcends to a higher level of existence. These ideas, though very complex, were explained thoroughly with a clarity that aided us all. At the end of the workshop there was a very informative question-answer session, which threw further light on the philosophy of meditation and helped clear many misconceptions people had in their minds.
 
Swami Ishwarananda was a qualified software professional when he first met Swami Chinmayananda in 1986. That meeting caused his life to change dramatically. He joined Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in 1991 and underwent an intensive study of Vedanta for two years. After serving in India for two years, he became the Acharya of the Los Angeles center of the Chinmaya Mission and has taught Vedanta to a number of students.

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