MONTEGO BAY, St James - SCORES of health-conscious Jamaicans participated in an exercise course conducted by the international non-governmental organisation, Art of Living Foundation, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre last week.

The three-hour course included breathing exercises and meditation.

According to Art of Living Foundation's local contact, Vindu Ramchandani, the four-day course — which climaxed on Sunday — was considered a success.

The course instructor Dushyant Savadia will commence a similar four-day course starting today at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston before moving on to another Caribbean destination, St Martin.

Founded in 1981 by Sri Ravi Shankar in India, Art of Living Foundation is a volunteer-based, and educational organisation which has now been established in 151 countries across the globe. It has offered its programmes to more than 300 million persons, noted Savadia.

Last Wednesday, on the eve of the start of the four-day course — prior to the start of a health and happiness seminar held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre — Savadia in a tete- a-tete with reporters, underscored that the mission of the foundation is to bring a stress-free and a violence-free society across the world.

"A stress-free mind, a disease-free body, an inhibited intellect, a trauma-free memory, a confusion-free mind and a sorrow-free soul is the birthright of every single human being," argued Savadia, adding that he plans to return to Jamaica soon.