Take two people. One of them wins the lottery and the other has a horrible accident and becomes a cripple. Studies have shown that about a year after the life changing events, the two's daily moods are about the same as before the occurrences, suggesting a biologically determined emotional base point. Does this mean that we are stuck?

Cutting edge research in functional M.R.I. and advanced EEG analysis, has identified an index for the brain's set point for moods. Functional M.R.I. images reveal that when people are emotionally distressed (stressed, angry, unhappy) the right prefrontal cortex is very active. By contrast, when people are in positive moods, those sites are quiet, the left prefrontal cortex has heightened activity. Furthermore, the baseline ratio of activity in the right and left prefrontal areas predicts daily moods with surprising accuracy. The more the ratio tilts to the right, the more unhappy or distressed a person tends to be; while the more activity to the left, the more happy and enthusiastic.

Exciting research has shown that when ordinary people with stressful lives are taught mindfulness, meditation, and yoga techniques, their brain activity shifted to the left. They became happier, more energized people! In addition to the shift in their daily moods, the robustness of their immune systems seemed to improve.

NV Raghuram is a highly accomplished yogi. He has published several medical research papers on yoga and has taught extensively on yoga therapy and stress management. His session will focus on these exciting scientific discoveries and the methodology we can use to become happier, healthier people.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." The first step to changing the world for the better is to change ourselves for the better. We must recognize what needs to change within ourselves and then learn the tools to effect those changes.

One of the central tenets of Art of Living, a fast growing world movement, is that through caring for ourselves, we will care for the world. Nitin Limaye, considered second only to Art of Living founder Sri Ravishankar, will show us how to transform ourselves in a way that will better the world.

Exciting research has shown that when ordinary people with stressful lives are taught mindfulness, meditation, and yoga techniques, their brain activity shifted to the left. They became happier, more energized people! In addition to the shift in their daily moods, the robustness of their immune systems seemed to improve.

The cornerstone of Art of Living is a technique to release stress and rid the body of accumulated toxins. Yet, Art of Living is a committed education and service organization with projects in over 130 countries working in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. How can something as personal as breathing be related to social transformation?

What is consciousness? How do we think? Why do we think?

Dharma encompasses the natural order of the universe and universal principles and laws.

Quantum mechanics and cognitive science both explore the nature of reality and our place in that reality. There is a great deal of interaction these days between cognitive science and quantum physics which strive to explore the fundamental nature of consciousness and knowledge. Two eminent physicists, Dr. George Sudarshan and Dr. Subhash Kak, will explore these cutting edge insights into human consciousness and what these can tell us about our own dharma.

Two of Dr. Kak's most recent works include The Architecture of Knowledge: Quantum Mechanics, Neuroscience, Computers and Consciousness and The Gods Within: Mind, Consciousness and the Vedic Tradition. Dr. Sudarshan has been nominated for the Nobel Prize SIX times and studies elementary particle physics, quantum optics, quantum field theory, gauge field theories, fiber bundles, classical mechanics, and the foundations of physics.

Agonizing depression, overwhelming emptiness, total loneliness, all-encompassing fear, complete anxiety…these are all powerful emotions that we have all experienced at some time in our lives. Many will hide themselves from the world or stuff themselves with sweets…at least until the feelings pass. But how should we effectively deal with these hurtful emotions? And why do some people feel these more often than others?

Dr. Mahohar Shinde is a psychologist who has worked with the Eating Disorder Institute of California. As a Hindu scholar with extensive scientific knowledge on how people react to destructive emotions, Dr. Shinde is in a unique position to teach us how to handle our own negative feelings using conventional and spiritual wisdom.

With today's young people being bombarded with so many options and demands, it is often difficult to figure out the right path to follow. What should guide our choice: money, stature, service to society, or personal happiness? Do we follow the career-stabilizing path suggested by our parents and become doctors or engineers? Or do we do what we have always wanted to do, regardless of income? What if we have no idea what we want to do? In following our Dharma, as stated by Bhagwan Krishna in the Gita, is there but one path set for us to follow? How do we discover our inner passions? How do we find that path to a life utilizing our passions but that also balances practicalities and incorporates the various aspects of dharma?

The increasing speed of the world creates tremendous frictions on our mind. Our relationships, our jobs, and our studies become ever more complex. Professor Charles Fine of MIT coined the term "Clockspeed" to represent the speed of change in our world, in technology, in politics, and the effects of globalization. Increasing clockspeeds make it tougher for us to deal with this massive amount of information, increasing our stress levels and eventually leading to burnout. How can we deal with this stress? In this workshop, Nivedita Joshi will show practical ways of dealing with stress to create a calm mind and body. Joshi's own experience with near-paralysis will help each participant realize how to truly re-energize themselves.

Eastern v. Western Medicine. Connection between body and mind.

The practice of Ayurveda has enjoyed a recent renaissance in the West as an alternative to traditional medical science. Western medicine continues to learn from Ayurveda which treats both the body and the mind as a cohesive whole. Though evidence mounts as to its effectiveness, Ayurveda practice still has far to go to gain mass appeal.

In this panel, several leading practitioners of Ayurveda will discuss the benefits of Ayurveda and how the practice has developed roots and is growing both in the East and the West.