Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founded The Art of Living as an international, non-profit, educational, and humanitarian organization.
The educational and self-development programs of the Art of Living provide powerful tools to eliminate stress and improve well-being. These programs include breathing techniques, meditation, yoga, and practical wisdom for daily living which have helped millions around the world to transform their lives.
In 1997, he founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) to coordinate sustainable development projects, nurture human values and coordinate conflict resolution in association with The Art of Living. In India, Africa and South America, the two partner organizations’ volunteers are spearheading sustainable growth in rural communities, and have already reached out to 40,212 villages
Inspiring Service and Globalizing Wisdom
Sri Sri is a noted humanitarian leader who has developed and led programs that provide assistance to people from a wide range of backgrounds—victims of natural disasters, survivors of terror attacks and war, children from marginalized populations, communities in conflict, among others.
Sri Sri has rekindled the traditions of yoga and meditation and has offered them in a form that works in the 21st century. By reviving ancient wisdom, Sri Sri has created new techniques for personal and social transformation. These include a powerful technique called Sudarshan Kriya® which has helped millions of people to find relief from stress and discover inner reservoirs of energy and peace in daily life. In only three decades, his programs and initiatives have touched the lives of over 370 million people in 152 countries.
A Figure of Peace
Sri Sri is an ambassador of peace. He plays a key role in conflict resolution, spreading his vision of non-violence at public forums and gatherings worldwide.
He is regarded as a neutral figure with peace as his sole agenda, representing hope to people in conflict. He is credited with bringing hostile parties to the negotiating table in Iraq, the Ivory Coast, Kashmir, and Bihar.
His work has touched the lives of millions of people around the world, going beyond the barriers of race, nationality, and religion with the message of a “one-world family.” He has shown that inner and outer peace are possible and that a stress-free, violence-free society can be created through service and by reawakening human values.