Experts dwell on links of science, spirituality, mental health

They were speaking at symposium on "Science, Spirituality and Mental Health", organized here by the Art of Living (AoL) Foundation.

The symposium's objective was to highlight "significant scientific research that shows how spiritual practices from Vedic traditions can positively impact the mental health and wellness of an individual in meeting the challenges and increasing pressures of the modern day world", AoL said in a release.

Academics from India, Indonesia, Norway, Australia, Canada and US took part.

"Yoga is a science of mind - it begins with modulating the consciousness. And quantum theory also speaks of the fact that everything is made of one energy; field called mind and space that is called consciousness," AoL founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said inaugurating the symposium.

Matcheri Keshavan, professor at Harvard medical school, dwelt on how "the collaboration of Eastern wisdom and modern western science to achieve optimum results in mental and physical wellness."

Russell D'Souza, professor at Melbourne University, pointed out that "new idea of spiritual intelligence is gaining momentum which has more importance than emotional intelligence and physical intelligence".

Fahri Saatcioglu, professor at University of Oslo, spoke on socio-environmental factors that affect genes. "If there are too many stresses in our life, the immune system breaks down."