My guest post is up on Authentic Journeys Cross-Cultural & Expat Coaching Blog! I definitely urge you to check out Jennifer’s sites if you’re interested in learning more about immigration and living abroad.

I just moved back to the US after nearly five years in India. I am surprised to admit that I am experiencing a slight degree of culture shock, despite having been born in the US myself. However, it is nothing compared to what I went through when arriving in India in 2006.

The first time I visited India was in the summer of 2005, for my wedding. Although I was pretty determined never to live in India–or even to return back–I found myself joining my husband there the following year. I had found a job at an NGO in Bangalore, which I had heard was progressive and women-friendly. Nonetheless, I severely struggled with many aspects of life and work there, which even moving to the smaller, calmer city of Jaipur could not cure.

It was not until I took the Inner Engineering program in September 2008 that I began to learn how to cope with, and even enjoy, life in India. After attending this program, my perspective on life hugely shifted; the small things that used to bother me simply did not get to me in the same way. I became much calmer, happier and balanced.

Have you experienced culture shock? How did you deal with it?

Anger, resentment, desolation—they followed me like stowaways, surfacing during my darkest moments. My health suffered as a result, and I knew that unless I tried something drastic, I’d never recover. So I quit my job and began searching for solutions to my self-inflicted problems. I turned to creative writing in the hopes that one day I could share my story. I never imagined I’d actually have an inspiring story to share.

Now that I’ve unloaded all this garbage out there, I’ll take a pause in the story. We have come to the juncture between the “before” and “after” of the makeover. For me, the turnaround point came through a program aptly named “Inner Engineering.” It was challenging, but fun. It enabled me to look at life anew, with a clarity I’d never known before. By the end, I was bursting with so much energy that I couldn’t recognize myself. It was so powerful, so positive, that I needed to explore further; it couldn’t be ignored.

Interested in discovering more? You can get a discount on Inner Engineering Online, 7 online classes for self-empowerment, and learn a free meditation.

Please take a few minutes to view this video on “Conquering Negative Emotions and Anger”

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Volunteering for this program that touched so many people was such a fulfilling experience that I cannot do it justice in words. My birthday was on the 19th, the first day of the program, and I can say without a doubt that it was the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten to be able to spend it in Sadhguru’s presence. I simply feel re-born, fresh as on that day I first arrived here. When I told my sister I’d be volunteering on my birthday, she said I should also try to do something for myself. But I replied honestly that this was for myself. In the deepest possible way, this was unquestionably the best thing I could’ve done for myself. Rather than pamper myself in some transient way, serving others on the same day that my existence began gave me an invaluable perspective as to the nature of my life and purpose.

One other volunteer also shared the birthday with me and shared those sentiments. He happened to be blind, and asked a question about teacher training. Sadhguru replied that it would quite wonderful if he could become a teacher and help show people how to see.

In the face of difficult situations and troubling conditions, what makes the difference is how a person is wired to respond, says Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, the no-nonsense spiritual guru who is scheduled to address the World Economic Forum at Davos for the fourth year running in January 2009.

“You can’t change the world, but at least you can make yourself the way you want to be,” he says. The individual is Sadhguru’s sole and untiring focus, as he spreads the word about the relevance of inner engineering. “You can’t outsource joy,” he says, and emphasizes that only joyful persons can help humanity.

This Guru’s Cool

Delhi, spiritual? Well, the city definitely seemed to like a Saturday evening out with a spiritual twist, going by the crowd one saw at Siri Fort on Saturday evening, where Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev was to give a talk on Inner Engineering.