November 21, 1981. I woke up more serene and relaxed. It generally happens that after a night of graet tension I am more serene, but I had reached a new calm certitude. My heart was in peace, as if it felt that something had changed. I was more surrendered.

I decided to go to visit Rome. I did it oftern, when I didn't have anything urgent to do. I would visit bookstores. I wandered about in the city centre and I was about to walk into a bookstore close to Montecitorio, in via dei Prefetti, when a poster taped to the door caught my eye.

I was stopped in my tracks by the photo of a woman's face. It announced a public program that night, in that very bookstore. It was the presentation of a Yoga class. I didn't have plans for that evening – and even if I did I would have cancelled them and gone anyway.

I arrived early , so I sat in the front row. The room was small and filled with chairs. I waited quietly while the room slowly filled up, with curious people. An elegantly dressed man started to introduce this new practice: Sahaja Yoga. He didn't look like the Yoga teacher I expected. He spoke Italian with a foreign accent.

I later found out that his name was Gregoire and that he wa working for the Swiss embassy. What he explained made sense and I was particularly touched when he told us not to believe his words, but to personally experience and verify the validity of his hypothesis. While I listened intently, I felt something happen behind me, the public stood up, I turned around and was impressed by the person entering the hall.