Not so long ago I used to be very skeptical about Indian rituals like Homas and Pujas since I thought those rituals to be religious until I witnessed one with all my heart in Bangalore Ashram. The story begins on this past new year’s eve when I receive a phone call from my family in Buenos Aires telling me that my 3-months’ old niece has been hospitalized due to frequent seizures.

I felt heart-broken when I heard the news and being so far away from home I felt there was nothing I could do but pray for the best for her. I still remember every single day she was in the hospital as I experience deep grief that seemed to be timeless.

Without much hope I embarked myself into a trip to India, more particularly to the Art of Living ashram in Bangalore in which a deep transformation happened in me. During my stay there, my girlfriend sought for advice to the Ayurvedic doctor who suggested to perform 3 Homas to protect the baby and thus, arranged the Homas to be offered on her name and well-being. It was a Sunday morning, very early at 5 am when we woke up to witness a very special ritual. During the performance I felt something was unblocking deep inside me, I felt humongous relief and confidence. My mind changed completely, it opened up like a flower bud and the homa became an ecstasy for my eyes.

Only a few hours later, I called my brother to check how the baby was doing and he told me that the seizures had stopped and my niece was smiling again. After those Homas the amount of seizures reduced significantly to only three until today. Even though she is taking some medication, my life changed completely after that day, my whole perception of the Homas changed and my faith has multiplied enormously. I feel really grateful for the priests that conducted the Homas, for my girlfriend to have encouraged us to perform those and specially to my master Sri Sri Ravi Shankar whom I’ll be forever grateful.

This blogpost was written by Nicolas Cocaro.