About Us

Founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar,The Art of Living Foundation is a not-for-profit, educational and humanitarian NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) engaged in stress-management and service initiatives. The organisation operates globally in 152 countries.

The organisation’s programs are guided by Sri Sri’s philosophy of peace: “Unless we have a stress-free mind and a violence-free society, we cannot achieve world Peace.” To help individuals get rid of stress and experience inner peace, The Art of Living offers stress-elimination programs which include breathing techniques,meditation and yoga. These programs have helped millions around the world to overcome stress, depression and violent tendencies.

The Art of Living Foundation has spread peace across communities through diverse humanitarian projects, including conflict resolution, disaster relief, sustainable rural development, empowerment of women, prisoner rehabilitation, education for all, and environmental sustainability.

Founder

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living Foundation, inspires thousands of people across the world. He plays many roles for many people – as a humanitarian ambassador, spiritual leader or a meditation teacher, as well as a peace advocate.

For three decades, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been engaged in:

Promoting human values
Fostering interfaith harmony
Building communal unity
Encouraging social responsibility
Spearheading humanitarian causes

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has designed special courses which teach effective and practical techniques for emotional and physical wellbeing. He has rekindled the traditions of yoga and meditation and offered them in a form that is relevant to the 21st century. Beyond reviving ancient wisdom, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has also created new techniques for personal and social transformation. These include the Sudarshan Kriya® which has helped millions of people to find relief from stress and discover inner reservoirs of energy and peace in daily life. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar travels the world teaching people these techniques, and Art of Living courses have already touched the lives of millions of people.

Sri Sri‘s work sees him addressing audiences of diverse nationalities and backgrounds, including the United Nations, prison inmates, corporate management teams, ailing farmers and school children. It is also not an uncommon sight to see people from warring nations sitting side-by-side in one of Sri Sri’s programmes or addresses.

People say that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar leads through example, whether it is travelling through floodwaters to inspect rehabilitation efforts in Bihar,; urging misguided youth to join mainstream society and work for social development; or meeting people at satsangs (music and meditation gatherings) every evening and answering queries on overcoming life’s challenges. His focus is always on fostering human values and building communal unity through his philosophy and ideal of a one world family.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s life is a story of dedicated efforts towards making this ideal a reality.