“Don't settle for happy-ish … live with joy, confidence and freedom.” That’s the message that has drawn hundreds of people to the Happiness Program at the nonprofit Art of Living Foundation, where they experience a blend of yoga, breathing exercises, meditation and practical wisdom to help them unlock the freedom within.

The Happiness Program is one of the foundation’s several self-development courses incorporating tools, techniques and knowledge to help people change their lives—not just in terms of money and health, but also in terms of contentment, connection and kindness, says Dr. Sarita Patel, a Happiness Program teacher.

The program is designed to help people temper the mental tendency to vacillate between regretting yesterday and worrying about tomorrow, at the risk of missing happiness in the present moment, Patel says. The program’s centerpiece is a simple but unique breathing technique known as Sudarshan Kriya. By the end of the three-day course, participants know techniques they can practice every day and have lifetime access to weekly Sudarshan Kriya practice groups, which take place all over the world.

The Art of Living Foundation is an educational and humanitarian organization founded in 1981 by humanitarian and spiritual teacher Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Its programs are guided by the philosophies “Stress-free mind and violence-free society is the basis of world peace,” and “Love and wisdom can prevail over hatred and violence.”

The Art of Living Foundation is located at 171 Lawrence Ave., Eastchester, NY. For more info, call 914.656.4596, email [email protected] or visit ArtOfLiving.org/us-en/Westchester.