The APEX Workshop for Corporations

APEX
Achieving Personal EXcellence
Business Program for Companies and Institutions

I found the APEX Course to be a true team building event. There was a real feeling of community and responsibility generated within all of us who took the training. It is the only course that I have taken where I left feeling inspired to improve my health and state of mind so I could become a better employee, husband and father. It was surprising how easy the breathing techniques were to learn and that the entire course is hands-on. I would recommend this course to any management team wanting to make significant improvements in their effectiveness. The ideas and principles taught are universal and valuable to any management organization.

Bharat Shenoy
Director of Sales – Tyco Electronics

We live in a world where executives and employees are under an ever-increasing amount of pressure to boost productivity while managing personal stress. For many, it’s a formidable challenge. Fortunately, a revolutionary technique addresses this challenge--and with startling and well-documented results.

The APEX Course is a practical training program that has been shown not only to reduce workplace stress and burnout but to increase mental clarity, creativity, awareness, and overall happiness.

Participants have reported that the techniques and processes of the APEX Course naturally improve work/life balance, foster greater ethics and integrity, boost morale and team building, and promote a positive attitude that supports change management.

Independent studies that have been done on the core APEX Course techniques found significant increases in health, energy, well-being, depression relief, and an increased ability to be both relaxed and focused.

The APEX Course - An Overview

I'm grateful to have actual physical techniques that really eliminate stress, as opposed to vague theoretical concepts. I continually use all the breathing techniques from the workshop and find them to be a great boon to my professional and personal life. I also enjoyed how the APEX Course helped bring our staff closer together to work stronger as a team. It has helped people deal with conflict on a more productive basis.

Yezdi Batliwala, Director,
Tata Finance Securities Ltd.

The APEX Course is a proven method for improving the quality of life. It is a practical and effective training program that can empower managers and employees to experience unshakable calmness and inner clarity in the midst of any challenge or crisis.

The APEX Course is based on innovative breathing techniques and processes that permanently reduce stress and heighten one's mental clarity and awareness. These powerful techniques, which are easily learned and practiced, improve concentration, enhance creativity and increase efficiency.

This course differs from most management and employee development programs because it is not based on quick-fix solutions, theoretical concepts or superficial success formulas - but rather on practical techniques that offer direct and tangible results. The course also incorporates basic principles for effective living; emphasizing essential human values that help individuals lead more fulfilling and productive lives.

The criminal defense and death penalty litigation work we do in our office is very high pressure and filled with stress. Because the stress level of the job affects our health and effectiveness at work, our office has sponsored several different stress management programs. The APEX Course has by far been the most useful, enjoyable, and best received. Our attorneys found the breathing techniques and processes in the Course to be extremely relaxing, and beneficial to their state of mind and their ability to work effectively.

David L McColgin
Supervising Appellate Attorney – US Federal Defenders

Features

• Easily learned tension-releasing physical stretches and exercises
• Natural principles of effective living which eliminate counter productive activity and enhance leadership ability
• Guided interactive processes
• Revitalizing breathing techniques that increase energy and deeply relax and recharge body and mind
• The Healing Breath Technique; powerful breathing technology that purifies and rejuvenates while balancing body and mind through the elimination of toxins at a deep cellular level
  

Seminar Format

The APEX Course can be designed to fit the requirements of any group or business. A minimum of sixteen hours is required. We highly recommend choosing an offsite location for the course. A typical course is divided into four morning or afternoon sessions and can be held over a weekend or during the week. Our traditional four-session format consists of one 3.5-hour session (morning, afternoon or evening), two successive 4.5-hour sessions (8:30 am - 1 pm) and an additional 3.5-hour session (morning, afternoon or evening).

Follow-up Sessions

The course package includes four follow-up sessions of approximately two hours each. Follow-up sessions include a review of the program, with emphasis on the practice of the Healing Breath Technique. Ongoing follow-up sessions are suggested and can be arranged

Number of Participants

The ideal number of course participants is between 25 and 30.

People are disturbed not by things, but by their perception of things….
- Epictetus

Stress on the Job

Consider the following statistics:

• 40% of job turnover is due to stress.
• Xerox estimated that it cost them $1 to $1.5 million to replace a top executive and that was two decades ago.
• Replacing an average employee today costs between $3,000 and $13,000.
• 60 to 80% of accidents on the job are stress related and some, like the Three Mile Island and Exxon Valdez disasters, can affect untold thousands many miles away.
• In California, the number of Workers' compensation claims for mental stress increased by almost 700 percent over eight years and ninety percent were successful with an average award of $15,000 compared to a national average of $3,420.
• In 1987, California shelled out almost $1,000,000,000 for medical and legal fees alone, which is more than most states spend on actual awards.
• Double digit increases in Workers' compensation premiums every year as a result of mental stress claims threaten to bankrupt the system in several states.
• A jury in New York awarded nearly $6 million in 1996 to three women for repetitive stress injury allegedly due to faulty computer keyboards.
• **Repetitive musculoskeletal injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome have become the nation's leading workplace health cost and account for almost a third of all Workers' compensation awards.

* * Studies show that keyboard entry operators who are under stress (because they are uncertain as to whether their activities are being monitored for performance evaluation), have a significantly higher incidence of such complaints and injuries.


Although we are often asked to construct lists of the "most" and "least" stressful occupations, such rankings have little importance for several reasons.

It is not the job but the person-environment fit that matters. Some individuals thrive in the time urgent pressure cooker of life in the fast lane, having to perform several duties at the same time and a list of things to do that would overwhelm most of us — provided they perceive that they are in control.

They would be severely stressed by dull, dead end assembly line work enjoyed by others who shun responsibility and simply want to perform a task that is well within their capabilities. The stresses that a policeman or high school teacher working in an inner city ghetto are subjected to are quite different than those experienced by their counterparts in rural Iowa. It is necessary to keep this in mind when sweeping statements are made about the degree of stress in teachers, police personnel, physicians and those in other occupations.

Stress is a highly personalized phenomenon and can vary widely even in identical situations for different reasons. One survey showed that having to complete paper work was more stressful for many police officers than the dangers associated with pursuing criminals. The severity of job stress depends on the magnitude of the demands that are being made and the individual's sense of control or decision-making latitude. Scientific studies based on this model confirm that workers who perceive they are subjected to high demands but have little control are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

This program brought about a lasting transformation in my life. It changed my perception and the way I deal with stress. Though the techniques are simple and natural, they are very powerful and effective. It is a combination of the best of ancient wisdom and modern science. Our officers found the APEX Course to be very practical and beneficial to their daily life. It was a huge success. Most of them are committed to practicing the techniques daily and are interested in attending the advanced programs that are offered.

Tony Garoppolo
Chief Deputy Officer – US Probation Office

Research on Sudarshan Kriya

Independent research studies have found that the Sudarshan Kriya breathing technique, the core technique taught in the APEX course has the following significant effects:

• Reduce levels of stress (reduces cortisol - the "stress hormone")
• Relieve depression and anxiety
• Restore normal sleep patterns
• Increase health, well-being and peace of mind (increases EEG alpha & prolactin, a "well-being" hormone)

This program brings about a lasting transformation in your life. It changed my life-style in many ways. Though the techniques are simple and natural, they take you beyond the surface of your thoughts and emotions. It is a combination of the best of ancient wisdom and modern science. It improves the health and well being and, most of all reduces stress and tension, which is part and parcel of any business executive's life.

S.B. Ganguly
Chairman & Managing Director, Exide Ltd.

Syllabus

The APEX Course can be designed to fit the requirements of any group or business. A minimum of sixteen hours is required. We highly recommend choosing an off-sight location for the course. A typical course is divided into four morning or afternoon sessions and can be held over a weekend or during the week. Our traditional four-session format consists of one 3.5-hour session (morning, afternoon or evening), two successive 4.5-hour sessions (8:30am-1pm) and an additional 3.5-hour session (morning, afternoon or evening).

Day 1

• Introduction & Welcome
• Discussions:
  • Understanding the Nature of Stress
  • The Essence of Creativity
  • The Tendencies of the Mind
  • Four Sources of Energy
  • The Science of Breath
• Practice:
  • Breath Work
• Discussions:
  • Increasing Perception, Observation, Expression
  • Awareness, Belongingness, Commitment
• Process:
  • Guided Meditation
  • Team Building
    

Day 2

• Practices
  • Light stretching & exercises
  • Breath Work
  • The Healing Breath Technique
• LUNCH BREAK
• Discussions:
  • Risk, Innovation & Imagination
  • Conflict Resolution
  • The Modes of Acceptance – Advantages/Disadvantages
    • People
    • Situations
  • The Inevitability of the Present Moment
  • Opinions, Inhibitions, and their Impact On Life
  • Ego and Naturalness
• Process:
  • Team Building
  • Guided Meditation
    

Day 3

• Practices
  • Light stretching & exercises
  • Breath Work
  • The Healing Breath Technique
• LUNCH BREAK
• Discussion:
  • The Role of Enthusiasm
  • Motivation & Inspiration
  • The Quality of Attention
    • Complete Responsibility
    • Giving 100%
  • Love as Our Nature
• Process:
  • Team Building
    

Day 4

• Discussion:
  • Review
  • Instructions for Home Practice
• Home Practices:
  • Breath Work
  • The Healing Breath Technique
• Discussion:
  • Sharing of Experiences & Closing
    

References for The APEX Course

Client List of participating Companies and Institutions:

Holland

ADAC
Tax Office Holland

Portugal

Portugal Telecom

USA

Capital One
IBM
Juniper Networks
NASA
NOVA University
Shell Oil
Tyco Electronics
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
US Federal Defenders
US Department of Probation
US Army National Guard
World Bank

Peru

NEXTEL
Sud-Chemie

Brazil

Prefeitura Da Cidade de Rio
(The government of Rio de Janaeiro)

Venezuela

Citibank Group

India

American Express
CitiBank
Exide Industries Ltd.
Hindustan Petroleum Co.
International Chemical Industries)
Indian Institute of Technology
Indian Oil
Millipore India Ltd.
National Thermal Power Corp.
Philips Carbon Black
TELCO
Texas Instruments
Tin Plate Co.
TISCO

Contacts for APEX

Norway

Marita Andreassen Denne e-postadressen er beskyttet mot programmer som samler e-postadresser, du må slå på Javascript for å kunne se den.
Phone: 959 15 351

The APEX Course is sponsored by the Internatinal Association for Human Values (IAHV), which is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and humanitarian organization. IAHV is an international NGO in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

The local branch of Art of Living Foundation, Art of Living Foundation - Norway is a government-approved charitable volunteer organization, registered by Skattedirektoratet.