Influence Of Vipassana Meditation On Social Work Practitioners In Maharashtra

Abstract

The study explores the influence of Vipassana Meditation on Social Work newline Practitioners in their physical, mental, emotional, social status and enhancement in newline life skills. Social Work Profession is one of the professions that contributing in social newline change through individual, group, community and social intervention. The Social newline Work Education makes effort to impart knowledge, skills and experience among newline Social Work trainees that reflects in their Social Work intervention but still several newline studies found stress among Social Work Practitioners and felt need of resolve the newline issue. Selective studies, especially of Acker (1986), Egan (1993), Gilbar (1998), Sze newline and Ivker (1999), Um and Harrison (1998) shown that, whenever Social Work newline Practitioners faces work related physical and mental stress it affects the functioning of newline the professional Social Work and the social life. It leads the question as if, the Social newline Work Practitioner inefficient in resolving one s own problem then, how one will newline considered to be efficient in resolving problems of other in this profession of helping newline people to help themselves. Hence, self-awareness and self-management of the Social newline Worker is essential to work for social-welfare and social change. newline Several strategies, since ancient times have been instrumented for enhancing self- newline awareness and self-management in the forms of various types of mediations and other newline techniques. Vipassana Meditation is also one of the techniques for enhancing Self- newline awareness, Self-management and Social awareness and Social management. newline Vipassana is not only useful for stress management but also enhancing physical, newline mental, emotional and social status through the training of meditation and morality. newline The research study emphasized the objectives of the study with the chronological flow newline of understanding subjective reality with its laid objectives first, to understand the newline influence of Vipassana Course on physical, mental, emotional and social status of newline Social Work Practitioners during the course; second, to understand the influence of newline Vipassana Course on physical, mental, emotional and social status of Social Work newline Practitioners after the course. The third objective was to understand the influence of newline Vipassana Course in enhancing life skills of the practitioners. newline The research study used qualitative research methodology with its exploratory nature newline and interpretive method and narrative approach to derive data with context-sensitivity. newline xxviiiThe universe of the study was considered as the state of Maharashtra due its relevant newline characteristics of a large number of Social Work institutions and the existence of newline central international Vipassana Centre and large number of Vipassana Centers. newline Snowball sampling data collection method, semi-structured interview was used to newline collect data and further thematic narrative analysis was done. newline The results of the study reflected in forms of improvement in Physical, Mental, newline Emotional and Social Status based on the efforts of participants in understanding and newline practice of Vipassana. The various aspect of Vipassana Course, including Noble newline Silence, Anapana, Sensations, Impermanence, Equanimity, Moral Precepts and Metta newline observed influence in improving relaxation, concentration, mindfulness, selflessness, newline commitment with right efforts, moral and loving and kindness as well as enhancement newline in life skills at various level among participants. Vipassana Meditation was found newline useful in physical improvement in forms of improvement in sleep, being energetic, newline coping with respiratory stress, reduction in headache, body pain, back-pain and knee newline as well as usefulness for reproductive health of women. Improvement was seen in newline mental relaxation, concentration, positivity, decision-making, and problem solving newline ability in life. It has also observed improvement in emotional coping ability with newline anger, aggression, hatredness and blaming. Vipassana found useful in social newline enhancement in skills of social sensitivity, acceptance, compassion, respectful newline communication and relationship with staff and clients, cooperating, networking and newline focused on loving kindness in society. newline Differentiation in performance and practice noted among participants that, the newline participants who have greater efforts in awareness and practice of Vipassana and newline attending more courses have comparably observed greater performance and influence newline in their life than other participants. Vipassana Meditation was observed to be a useful newline technique in personal and professional life of the Social Work Practitioners that most newline of them have emphasized to establish it as either optional or compulsory part of Social newline Work Education and Practice. newline Keynotes: Social Work Practitioners, Vipassana Meditation, Self-awareness, Stress newline Management, Moral Precepts, Metta and Life Skills. newline