Art of Living

Foods to avoid during Navratri Fasting

2018-09-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

Navratri is celebrated for 9 days. Devotees fast during during tose nine days to seek the Goddess blessing's. Here are some foods to avoid during their fasting.

1. Rice, Rice flour, Besan, Wheat flour should avoid.

2. Onion and garlic should not consume in any form.

3. Grain, Pulses, Table salt are not allowed

4. Spices like coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric are not allowed

5. Avoid consumption of Alcohol during this period

6. Do not eat bitter food.

7. Avoid using mustard oil in any food

8. Avoid drinking aerated drings during fasting

Read more for tips on navratri fasting.

6 Tips to becoming a Happiest Person

2018-05-07T23:42:00.002-07:00

Looking for easy ways to become happier? Read this article to learn 6 simple ways on how to be happy and give them a try today.

1. Enjoy what you do:-

Doing things that you enjoy allows you to reconnect to who you are and have something positive to look forward to every single day.

2. Schedule earlier:-

It’s important to schedule at least an hour a day – and more if you can – of you time into your calendar to take care of yourself.

3. Exercise everyday:-

Exercise to boost energy. Exercise is one of the most dependable mood-boosters. Even a 10-minute walk can brighten my outlook.

4. Get clarity:-

To become happier, try to gain clarity on your emotions, find out what you're feeling and what caused those feelings.

5. Practice Meditation:-

Meditation helps you to gain more clarity of the mind and regulates the mood. Meditation also improves your focus, attention, and ability to work under stress. Mindfulness meditation training is useful in decreasing feelings of loneliness.

6. Find your purpose:-

Explore exactly what gives you a sense of purpose and how you want to pursue this purpose to give your life a greater sense of meaning.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Quotes

2018-04-16T23:57:00.006-07:00

Quotes on Happiness by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

For more quotes check here

Read more for How to be happy

Why Shiva did not recognize his own son Ganesha ?

2018-01-28T22:41:00.001-08:00

The stories in the Puranas contain many incredible and hard-to-believe occurences. But they should not be interpreted as a nursery rhyme. Their language is Shakespearean and laden with great depth and meaning. We need to interpret these stories with a very refined state of mind.

The story goes that Parvati created a boy out of dirt from her body and appointed him to guard the doorstep. The first question that comes is how could Parvati, the Goddess Herself, have so much dirt? Parvati symbolizes the triguna - sattva, rajas and tamas. The entire creation is made up of trigunas. The dosha or imperfections that originate out of the triguna is an obstruction for the functioning of Prakriti. That was the boy that Parvati created to stand guard at the door.

Shiva is Shuddha Chaitanya, pure consciousness. Like the sun does not recognize darkness and cuts through it, Shiva does not recognize dosha and slays the impurity. But Prakriti cannot stay without impurity. So Shiva replaces the dosha with the head of an elephant, which symbolizes knowledge. Through knowledge, all the doshas or obstructions of Prakriti can be taken care of. This is the spiritual and metaphysical meaning of Ganpati being slain. So worshipping Ganpati as the remover of obstacles and the giver of gyana, knowledge is the most amazing depiction of the nature of consciousness.

Going a step further, even this difference between Prakriti and Purusha is done away with. That is why, the Ganpati Upanishad says,

ajam nirvikalpam niraakaaram-ekam

niraanandam aanandam advaita poornam

param nirgunam nirvishesham nireeham

para brahma roopam ganesham bhajema

Ganesha is the only One unborn unmanifest Reality. He is nirvikalpa and advaita - the formless, undivided One. This is the play and display of consciousness within itself.

While Ganpati is certainly the nirakara Parabrahman, he is invoked and worshipped in the mud idol for a period of time for the joy of the devotees. Then the Ganpati is asked to merge back into our heart and the idol is immersed in water. This ritual is observed for the sake of devotees, not for the sake of Ganpati. He who is without form is invoked in a form and then his spirit is invoked back into one's heart as the idol is immersed.

Shivaratri Special Bhajan

2018-01-28T22:29:00.000-08:00

Lord Krishna : the embodiment of love and wisdom

2017-08-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

Krishna means the most attractive . . . It is the divinity that is the most attractive; the energy that pulls everything to it. Krishna is the formless center which is everywhere. Any attraction from anywhere is coming only from Krishna. Often people fail to see the spirit behind the attraction and merely hold on to the outer shell. And the moment you try to possess the shell, you will see Krishna has played a trick and you will be left with an empty shell in your hands and tears in your eyes.
Krishna says, ‘I am beyond fire, air, ether but people think I am a human being but I am the consciousness. I am the manifest consciousness’. That’s what Krishna says He is. The ‘chaitanya shakti’ or the consciousness is Krishna. That’s why in Vibhuti yoga Krishna says wherever you find something beautiful know that it is Me there. Because of Me there is strength in the strong, because of Me there is intelligence in the intelligent, because of Me there is beauty in the beautiful. So I am the cause of everything. That consciousness is Krishna. Among the Rudras I am Shankara, I am Skanda, I am Karthikeya, I am everybody and among Pandavas I am Arjuna also. Krishna Tattva is in everything, in everybody. That’s why who is an intelligent person? One who sees Me in everybody and everyone in Me is really an intelligent person. I will always be available for him.
This Krishna janmashtami let us celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna which signifies bliss. It is the day when divine joy became manifest.

Vijayadashami last day of navratri

2014-09-18T03:16:00.000-07:00

Vijayadashami Or Dussehra:
The 10th day is celebrated as Vijayadashami,one of the most important Indian festival. Vijayadashami or Dussehra is celebrated on the marks of victory of Goddess Durga over demons Shumbh and Nishumbh and the victory of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravana. Effigy of 10-headed demon Ravana is burnt on Vijayadashami to celebrate triumph over evil.

9 Attractions of nine nights festival of navratri:
The Great Navratri festival of India is one of the major tourist attraction not across the country but in the world too. Navratri is festival of nine nights dedicated to Hindu deity Shakti and its nine incarnation and the 10th day is referred as Vijayadashami. Navratri is one of the biggest Hindu festival and celebrated by every state in different forms and names.

Idols of Maa Durga: The Nine Nights and 10 days the big idols of Mata Durga and Kali are placed in pandals along the roadside. These Durga Puja pandals are well decorated with artistically depicted idols of Goddess Durga up to 50 feet in height and 40 feet wide. Kolkata durga puja is well famous for its unique celebration of Navratri and its the best place to see Durga Idol and pandals.

Decorated Temples: During the Navratri festival, each and every temple to Goddess Durga are are beautifully decorated with flowers, leaves and petals and Idols of Goddess Durga are highly ornated. There are many famous Durga temples situated at different parts of India and celebrate Navratri to honor the Mother Goddess. Whole market and street along with the Durga temples are highly decorated till the next most famous festival, Diwali.

Durga Puja: Durga Puja is start with Navgrah puja and Jyoti Kalash Sthapna, a representation of Goddess Durga. The Jyoti Kalash are placed on earthen pots in every Durga Devi temples and in house for 9 days and the light of Jyoti Kalash is burns continuously for nine days and nights of Navaratri. During these nine nights and ten days nine incarnation of Maa Durga are worshipped with different rituals and traditions. The 9 forms of Goddess Durga are Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri.

Aarti Dance: The Aarti dance in Durga puja is one of the main ritual of worship and part of Durga puja. During the Durga Puja in Bengal, ritual drummers,dhakis, carrying large leather-strung dhak, show off their skills during ritual dance worships called Aarati or Dhoop dance.

Navratri Cuisines: Navratri is a special occassion and during the Navratri special and traditional dishes are prepared and offer to Maa Durga. The Navratri special recipes like Sada Aloo,Sabudana Kheer and Singhare Ka Halwa are healthy, traditional and very delicious Navratri dishes.

Kanya Puja: The girl child represents the forms of Goddess Durga and worship on the eighth and ninth day of Navaratri as Kanya Puja. Nine young girls representing the nine forms of Goddess are worshiped and offers bhoj and new clothes as gifts as a mark of respect for the Goddess.

Ayudha Pooja: Ayudha pooja or Astra Puja celebrated on the ninth day as a part of the Navratri 2014 and Dasara. The books, vehicles, weapons, Bommala Koluvu,tools along with various types of all equipment are worshiped on this day.

Garba and Dandiya: The Dandiya Raas and Garba Dance are two most famous traditional folk dance of Gujarat and Vrindavan. Dandiya Raas is performed along with Garba during the Navratri evenings at every place in the country, Specially in Gujarat.

Durga Idol Immersion: On the final day of the Durga Puja Festival idol of Goddess Durga to immerse in water bodies. The thousands of devotees bid tearful farewell to Mother Durga which marks the end of the Nine day Durga puja festival and marking the beginning of Vijayadashami.

Durga Puja :
Devotees of Goddess Durga observe fast on the occasion of nine-day-long Durga Puja celebrations every year with full faith and sincerity. The purpose of observing fast is to propitiate Durga Ma and seek her divine blessings. Having been religiously carried out since ages during the festival of

Navratri or Durga Puja, the fast has become an intrinsic part of the festival. Hindus have high regards for Goddess Durga whom they look upon as Ma or Mother of all. Fast to them is a denial of the physical needs of the body and a means to attain spiritual gains besides blessings of the Mother Goddess. Hindus sincerely believe that fasting helps in establishing a harmonious coordination between body and soul. Besides, fasting is also considered to be good for the body. It helps to keep body healthy by giving digestive organs some rest and cleansing the body of toxic materials.

The custom of observing Durga Puja Fast is particularly prevalent in Northern India. In the state of Punjab people observe fast for seven days of the nine-day-long Durga Puja Festival. The fast is broken only on the ashtami or navmi day. Some devotees of Durga Ma consume only milk during the fasting days while some only live on fruits. Some devotees observe ‘Ekana’ which means that they take one complete meal during the day. Non-vegetarian food, intoxicating substances and other forms of entertainment are completely avoided during the fasting days. Men observing fast are not supposed to shave. Some also believe in sleeping on the ground and thereby deny themselves all luxuries and comforts.

Dance To Your Tune

2014-04-22T05:19:00.002-07:00

There was this person, who was so fed up with life, trying to be a perfect parent, perfect friend, perfect everything. Making it a first person account – The problem was in trying to live my life on someone else’s terms and making a mess of what I was, masking my strengths and gradually forgetting my true self.

Why live life on terms as defined by others. Other’s perception of perfection should not and does not indicate true perfection. Perfection is a very personal characteristic based on our own abilities and thoughts – so why lose sleep over our inability to match to standards prescribed and set by others. It is better to dance to our own tunes and not to other’s. Concept beautifully demonstrated with the following story and read on…

The little rabbit stood alone, watching the other rabbits around hop and skip in the forest. They were playing her favourite rabbit game. Try as she might, each time she attempted to join in, she tripped about awkwardly. When this happened, the other rabbits laughed at her and called her “Riya” (Graceful inSanskrit).

Soon even she forgot her real name. In moments when Riya was alone, she danced around the trees with ease. She was as smooth and graceful as any ballerina. An old owl sat high above one night, watching her intently. The moonlight streamed through the treetops like a soft spotlight and he sat and watched as little Riya moved in and out of the moonbeans.

Finally he said, “Riya, you are more graceful than any creature I’ve ever seen.” Riya was startled that someone had been watching her; but listened carefully to the wise owl’s words as he continued. “You have carried this beauty within you all this time, but locked it inside when you tried too hard.”

Often we are too intent on proving ourselves and pleasing others. The harder we try the more impossible the task becomes. We begin to lose our identity and all sense of who we really are and what we can do.

Then comes the power of robbers who through negative talk, remarks and jibes would rather have us believe that we cannot. Some of us may be fortunate to run into those like the old owl, the power enablers and facilitators, who bring back to us a sense of who we really are and what we are really meant to be. They help us see the beauty that is locked away inside, the potential that we all have. Others finally realize that they have two who can always be counted on. The first themselves and the second-nature, which never call us names or whispers behind our backs. We come to a point when we begin to be honest with ourselves.

We see the truth that we are all creatures of our times, that imperfections and faults are part of every being’s life tapestry and that all elements are woven into our lives, some frozen in time and others still open to inside work and shaping out. Then in a moment of great discovery we embrace all that is part of ourselves.

Like Riya we learn to dance and celebrate our wholeness. We become less obessed with the scorn that can be heaped on us by others. The negative is drowned by positive images. We realize like Riya that nature is our friend. Nature waits patiently. There is no pressure to be anyone else than who we already are. We relearn the dance of life. All the while we have just tried too hard.

Grace is not some sophisticated word used only for artists or models on a catwalk. It is the ability to live life on one’s own terms, the ability to kindle true life in others, the strength and courage to overcome those who would control and manipulate us. Sometimes grace in living comes after repeated failures. The rabbit Riya picked herself up when she came to a sense of her true self.

Many walk through your life, but few leave footprints on your heart. Take long spells of rest in nature. Become like Riya the rabbit who found that she had an identity of her own, so precious, that she had to first discover it by herself. And then when you discover your true identity and your own voice, become a power broker in this world, for gentleness and understanding.

Yes this is what His Holiness Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar and The Art of Living did to me – transform me into Riya, the ever graceful.

Q n A by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

2014-03-28T05:51:00.000-07:00

Q: How can I convince people who take drugs to let go of them?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Bring them to a Sudarshan Kriya class. When they do the breathing and when they find the inner joy coming into them, they will give up. Many people have given up; in thousands.

Q: What is the purpose of life?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: One who knows will not tell you and someone who tells you does not know.

This very question is useful. The question itself uplifts your spirit and creates a journey for you. So keep the question, it is very precious. One day you will discover it.

Spend a few minutes in meditation and do some good work in society. Help those who are in need. Then everything will open up.

Q: What to do if I cannot let go of a very painful relationship? I just cannot let go.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Okay, what can you do? Hold on to it!

How much can you hold on? Sooner or later you have to let go and the faster you do it, the better it is. And what can help you to do it faster is wisdom. Wake up and see everything is changing. Meditation will definitely help. I usually say that we repair the broken hearts here. It gets back to the very same position it was in the beginning. No scars and no pain.

Q: Dearest Guruji, you said that anything that changes is not true, but the universe is changing every moment. Is this also not true?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you talk to a quantum physicist that is what he will say.

Professor D’Hoore from Germany is one of the greatest scientists of our time and he said something interesting. He said, ‘I studied matter for forty years only to know it doesn’t exist.’

I said, ‘this is what we say in the Vedantic philosophy, the same thing.’

Q: How can I find the true love in me?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you relax you find that you are love. You are made up of a substance called love. Love is not just an emotion; it is your very existence. It also gets expressed in emotion but in reality our consciousness, our mind and our spirit is made up of love.

Q: Is it possible as a normal human being to love unconditionally?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, as a child you were doing it. As a child you were expressing such a love.

It is possible.

Q: Is complete freedom possible?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes!

Q: Dear Guruji, please advise me how to cope with a loss of a very dear one? It has been very traumatic. Doing the Sudarshan Kriya and sadhana for the past sixty days has helped me a lot but still I am unable to get over the loss.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Just be with it; don’t try to get over it. Time will take care.

Q: Guruji, is worrying about the future something totally wrong?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No, worry about the future of the whole planet and worry about the destiny of humanity. Worry about human values, worry about the increasing corruption, worry about all these big things. I also worry about the planet.

But worry should not take away your smile, your enthusiasm and your energy to do things now.

Q: How can we know that we are following and fulfilling our destiny?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Something in your gut feeling will tell you.

How do you know if you have eaten enough? How do you know you slept enough? In the same way when you are doing the right thing your heart will tell you, ‘yes, I am doing the right thing.’

Q: How to overcome sadness, depression and negative thoughts?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sudarshan Kriya, meditation and knowledge will help.

Q: Why do you wear a beard?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I am too lazy to shave every day. I thought I can spend that time doing something else.

In India, people who are in the spiritual field, either they shave everything or keep everything. This is the uniform, so I prefer to keep everything.

But it is not a big deal, tomorrow I can take everything off, but I won’t change. I will be the same.

Don’t go by one’s external appearance and dress, this is secondary. What is primary is what is inside. How pure the heart is and how clear the head is; clarity and purity. And remember we are all born with such pure hearts. I have maintained it that is all the difference. Many have not maintained what they were born with, but I maintained it somehow. I refuse to grow up!

Q: Dear Guruji, could you please talk about abortion.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Well, I have no opinion about it.

Q: What is the difference between sleep and meditation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sleep is dullness, meditation is awareness. Both give rest but a different quality of rest. After meditation when you come out, you feel very soft and very nice in your whole body and mind. After sleep you could feel a little heavy and a little dull. Could be, not necessary.

What is Upanishad? - By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

2014-03-04T00:31:00.000-08:00

Sitting close and listening is Upanishad. Upanishad is a collection of discourses of high knowledge, and the manner it was transmitted from a Master to students is very interesting.
One of the Upanishads beautifully brings this out well. Once a boy went to his father who was also his Guru and asked, 'What is God?' To which the father replied, ‘Food is God’, for everything grows from food, everything is sustained by food and when there is a lack of it, everything dissolves and everything again becomes food.
So the boy went and thought about it for several months, understood all about food and came back to his father, and again asked ‘What is God?’ The father said, ‘Parana is God’. The boy went, thought and understands all about prang, how it is going in and out of body, how many types of prana there are and read all experiments about prana. He again came back to his father and asked, ‘What is God?’ The father looked at the child’s face, so glowing and so vibrant. The father said, 'Ok, the mind is Brahman, mind is God'. The boy went and thought till he found the ultimate bliss.

Notice, that the student didn't complain to the teacher that he was earlier told ‘Food is God’ but later something else. He simply came and again asked the question. So this is an ancient way of teaching, step by step – food, then prana, then the mind, then the inner spirit, then the universal spirit, Bliss. Bliss is Divinity, the space. You are like the space. Then he said, 'There is no difference between you, me and the infinite self. We all are one. The Self, Guru and the universal energy are not different. All are made up of one substance.'
Today if you talk to scientists who study the string theory, who study quantum physics, they will say the same thing that is said in Upanishads. In the Upanishads, it was said thousands of years ago that 'God is not a person, sitting somewhere up in heaven but God is present everywhere. He is omnipresent and omnipotent, the energy of which you are also made of, everything is made up of.' Don’t confuse God to be a person, somewhere sitting up in heaven. Godliness is your own nature.
God is Vibration. God is Love. God is Truth, Existence. God is Beauty.

Check out other talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at Art of Living shop.

The Power of Intuition

2014-01-22T22:40:00.001-08:00

Intuition

There are three type of knowledge or information you get.

One is through the five senses. You see and you get some knowledge, you listen and you get knowledge, you smell and you get information, through taste you get information, and through touch. The five senses bring you some knowledge. Most of our knowledge is gained by these five senses. Now this is one type of knowledge.

The second is through the intellect. The knowledge gained through intellect is superior to knowledge gained through the senses. Science is knowledge gained through intellect. See, what all you see from your eyes is the sun is setting, but what you learn through science is sun doesn’t set. It is the earth which revolves. You have not seen the earth revolving through any of the five senses, but through intellect you understand that the earth is revolving and that it is revolving around the sun. This is the intellectual knowledge through intellect which is superior to the senses. Like in a beaker of water you keep a pen, what do you see? The pen is bent. That is the perception, but the intellect says “No!” It is not bent it is an optical illusion. This is the knowledge through the intellect.

Now these two levels of knowledge are much more inferior to a third level of knowledge. That is intuitive knowledge. That is knowledge from the spirit that comes from silence. It cannot be verified by the senses or the intellect. Knowledge which comes beyond these two is another level of knowledge. So life begins when you tap into that level of knowledge. Till that time it is existence.

Now, how would you tap into this level of knowledge? The level of knowledge which is not through the senses, nor through the intellect, is the question. For that you have to let go of the knowledge of the senses and the intellect and relax. The moment you let go then what you gain through senses, cravings and aversions they stop. All your cravings and aversions are about the five sensory perceptions. It cannot be anything beyond that.

For some time you say, ‘Now I don’t want to see anything, I don’t want to hear anything, I don’t want to smell anything, I don’t want to taste anything, I don’t want to touch or know anything; I’m just going To Be.’ Then intellectual concepts, judgments, decisions, to all that you say, ‘I don’t even need to know anything, I don’t care for anything.’

Letting go of concepts is the second step. How should this be? How that should not be? Things should be like this and things should be like that... all these intellectual perceptions. Or,”Am I doing the right thing? Am I on the right path? Am I on the right track? Should I go on?”... All these things, drop them and only then silence begins. And when silence begins then the knowledge from the third level dawns and that knowledge is called Ritambhara knowledge. The true knowledge that comes from beyond the intellect is the intuitive knowledge.

Everyone has got this ability and you have experienced in your life this gut feeling, knowledge from somewhere, which you cannot really make out what it is. Somewhere, you feel this is the right thing to do and something happens in your tummy. And that knowledge comes up at that time but then you don’t honor it. Many times we stick onto the intellect or sensory perceptions.

Sometimes, your intellect says, “This is wrong, what I am doing?” But, you don’t listen to the intellect you keep doing the wrong things. How many of you have this experience? What you do? You stick on to the sensory and ignore the intellectual knowledge. And then what happens? You sometimes go beyond your intellect. Your intellect is saying something but your inner gut feeling is saying something else. And you’re feeling says, No!, there is something different, something more”. We ignore that and we stick onto the intellect. That’s how many times your judgments have found to be a failure.

How many of you feel your judgments have been wrong? But sometimes, beyond your judgments you have seen and you have taken a step and have been happy about it. In spite of your intellect saying ‘No’, something says ‘Yes’. Something else triggers and that is what happens when there is faith and that’s when the faith comes up. Sometimes, your mind says, “No!, I want to quit doing all this spiritual practices, I don’t care for that, I don’t care for hopes”. Many people do this, try to quit but something deep inside, the impressions, samskaras, some good karmas just make you keep going and then you are back on track. And then you are happy. You feel, ‘Good thing I didn’t do it, I didn’t walk on my impulse.’ How many of you have had this experience? Those are the moments when something beyond your intellect has taken over and worked.

When we started Art of Living, in the very beginning I could see that there are millions of people who were going to come on this path. I was just 22 or 23, something like that; just out of my teens. I said, ‘No I don’t want to start’. My intellect would say ‘No, so what? Someone else will come and do all this and take care of everybody’. I had no ambition, no desire to start any movement at all. I was happy, I’m happy now also, but I thought why would I take on some headache, I don’t want to. I was a little shy also but my intellect was always saying ‘Oh, no!’. But then everything kept happening because when the TM movement was there and they wanted me to be there. They were all very friendly with me. So it was difficult for me to say ‘No’ to my friends, and then all the elders were there and I was sort of attached. I said, ‘No!’, I don’t want to start the Art of Living; I fought and fought.

had everything, I didn’t need anything. I had no lack. I was flying around in helicopters even in those days. I had seen all the wealth I could see those days. And, if I have to start something from scratch, the intellect was saying ‘no’. But something beyond that was saying ‘yes’.

Start on Personality Development

2013-12-23T22:34:00.001-08:00

It can be hard to start on personality development. There are many different things you need to consider. Personality development that make a difference run the gamut from improving your manners to improving your sleeping, eating and/or exercise habits. You can develop yourself in many different ways, depending to what you wish to improve. Identifying things that you want to improve and making progress on them will give you self confidence, especially when others notice the changes.

Avoiding decisions means missing opportunities in the arena of self improvement. You should not fear making decisions even if you do not feel as sure about it as you would like to be. When you make the right decisions, you will increase personality development. Even decisions with less favorable outcomes are useful because they allow the decision-maker to learn from the mistake. If you make a wrong choice at one point, then you will ensure that your next one will be better.

Read good articles about self improvement. You could well derive some great, life-changing ideas from the right books in the field. It is always best to check the reviews for a book. Self improvement books can be very poorly written.

Know the obstacles you face before you hit them. This is very hard for many people to do. Even so, identifying personal weak points is a critical initial step in order for them to be dealt with. It’s easier to move forward if you take care of what is standing in your way.

There are things you can do throughout the day to accomplish more work while at your job. One thing that you should do is to take frequent breaks from your tasks. Taking breaks is not a waste of time. It will help you stay relaxed and focused on what you need to accomplish.

You must be able to lead if you want to develop personality. Leadership has many definitions, but many people think of it as “influence.” Examine the events in your life related to leadership. Are there events that have had major impacts on your life? How did those experiences change you? What attributes make you a good team player? By carefully evaluating these questions, you can increase your awareness of your ability to function well in a team setting.

If you take care of your health you will be able to get the most out of your self improvement. You can do this by getting a sufficient amount of sleep, exercising frequently, and maintaining a healthy diet. You will have more energy if you are in shape, and therefore will be more successful in your self improvement efforts. It may seem simple, but sometimes the simplest things in life are actually the most difficult.

You cannot provide care for others unless you care for yourself. No matter how far along you are in your personality development journey, you need to relax and reflect every once in a while.

Art of Living campaign to protect girl child

2013-12-10T02:20:00.000-08:00

Art of Living, a humanitarian organisation founded by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, has launched a month-long nationwide campaign to protect the girl child through awareness and commitment.

"The campaign focuses on female feticide, malnutrition, abuse and violence against girls, lack of access to education and child marriage," Art of Living said
in a statement here Saturday.

Designed to inspire people to pledge support to the girl child and influence decision-makers who can impact policy related to girls and women, the campaign will be conducted in cities identified as gender-critical such as Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, Ranchi in Jharkhand, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Jaipur in Rajasthan and Bongaigaon in Assam.

"In our culturally and traditionally rich society, when crime against girls and women is rising, it is our duty to put an end to violence and discrimination against them," Sri Sri Ravi Shankar told a gathering of 1,000 people who took pledge in the Art of Living ashram here.

Unicef India's communication specialist Manisha Mishra was present on the occasion.

A cross section of society spanning schools, colleges, universities, state governments, corporate houses and non-government organisations (NGOs) are participating in the campaign to end discrimination against, and abuse of, girls and women.

"Girls are often seen as a burden. Let us pledge to commit to treat them with dignity and respect, to teach our sons, brothers and nephews the value of girls," Mishra said at the event.

Being at the forefront of social transformation, Art of Living has initiated a number of projects over the past eight years for the girl child's welfare, including 383 free schools in 18 states across the country, covering 33,590 children, with half of them being girls.

"The campaign is about changing mindsets and we are hopeful that faith as an important influencer will bring about this change," said Vandana Khurana, a participant.

As the rising incidences of violence and crime against girls and women are causing concern to all, the Art of Living's "Celebrate the Girl Child" pledge and campaign are designed to convert the concern into a socially-relevant action.

Read More for Art of Living on firstpost

Learn to be in Bliss from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

2013-10-04T01:15:00.000-07:00

Gurudev, Buddhists say they do not believe in God. Even Lord Buddha said that we must not worship idols. Now He too was an enlightened being, so what did he mean by that?

Sri Sri: Lord Buddha never talked about God. He never really entertained any discussion on God. What He said was – the first thing is to realize that there is misery. People keep denying there is misery, many don’t even recognize it. Many a time if you talk to a sick person, he will say “I’m perfectly healthy and fine”. The more egoistic the person, the greater is the denial.

Many times people are very miserable from within, but they wear a mask of cheerfulness or even act confident and dominating on the outside. They will keep pretending as if everything is fine, yet you can see the misery drip from their faces. Every part of their body reflects anger, bitterness, hatred and misery. This is what Lord Buddha has said – that there is misery. Recognize it, and then there are remedies for it. If someone says being miserable is my nature, then nobody can do anything about it, not even God Himself. So misery is not our nature, it comes because of samskaras (past life impressions) or karma. And this can be removed by other samskaras. One remedy for this is Pratyahara (one of the eight limbs of Yoga which means to exercise control or restraint over the senses and withdraw them inwards). Another remedy to this is meditation. So through meditation, pranayama, and Satsang we can be liberated from the miseries. It is then that we come to realize that our nature is happiness, bliss. Just as light dispels darkness, our powerful soul as consciousness within called Atma-shakti removes misery. On the path of Sadhana, all negativity and distortions such as fear, anger etc. fall away. The goal of Sadhana is get immersed in that indescribable bliss which is part of our very nature.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar sharing one line : Lord Buddha said the same things that are said in the Upanishads. There is a verse:

Na karmana na prajaya dhanena tyagenaike amrta tvamanasuh |
Parena nakam nihitam guhayam vibhrajate yadyatayo visanti ||
(- Sanyasa Sukta, Maha Narayano Upanishad, 4.12)

It means: Neither through one’s actions (Karma), nor by begetting noble progeny (referred to by ‘Praja’ in the verse above), nor through wealth (Dhana) can one attain the Supreme Lord. Only through sacrifice and renunciation (Tyaga) can one attain immortality (Amruta). This is what Lord Buddha has said as well. If you read the Upanishads carefully and then read that Lord Buddha has said, you will find they are the same. There is no difference at all.

That is why Shri Adi Shankaracharya is often called Prachanna Baudha (a hidden or unproclaimed Buddha, meaning an enlightened one), because whatever he said seemed to be so similar to what is mentioned in Buddhism. So there is no difference between the Sanatana Dharma (another name for Hinduism) and Buddhism. The principles are nearly the same. I won’t say that they are exactly the same, but they are very close indeed. Buddhism advocates Shoonyavaad (the realization that “everything is nothing”; Shunya meaning Zero or nothing in Sanskrit), while Vedanta advocates Poornavaad (the central belief that “Everything is One and whole”). In Buddhism the first important step is the realization of misery, while in Vedanta they say that there is no misery. They say – ‘Wake up and see! You are full of joy (the Self as bliss)’.

So in Buddhism when misery disappears, joy is seen and in Vedanta when joy (of the Self) is realized, misery disappears automatically. So going from bottom to top and top to bottom, these are two different approaches. But the goal is the same. Even in Vedanta, it is not said that one should necessarily worship idols. It is said that worshipping the Atma-deva (referring to the Self as the Divine deity housed within the temple of the physical body) is the highest form of worship. But to begin with, one needs an environment, an atmosphere for reaching that stage of worship. This is why there is Puja. Ultimately at one point you see everything as the expansion of yourself, everything appears as a manifestation of that one Self. When one realizes that there is no difference between the world and the Self (Brahman) - which is present everywhere, in the trees, in the idols, in the earth, in water, in the blue sky; then one can worship anything and anywhere (meaning: to reach a stage where one sees everything as the manifestation of the one divine Self).

Even in the Rudra Puja, there is a rule that ‘Na Rudram Rudram Archayeti’’ which means until you become Lord Shiva yourself (realize your own true divine nature), you cannot worship the Lord. So you should first become God and then worship Him. It means to be firmly established in the Self. So it is said to worship God after becoming God, being established in your Self. Puja is just a play, it is a leela (a game), a way of expressing this deep feeling of worship.

Rashim Pulekar on Art of Living & Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

2013-05-29T23:00:00.001-07:00

Rashmin Pulekar is an Art of Livng Foundation faculty who travel across the world to bring about the tranformation among the youth with the help of YES+ courses of the Art of Living.
Here is what Rashmin Pulekar feels as a part of Art of Living foundation.

When you have a Guru Like Sri Sri Ravishankar life is always happening; full of exciting stories and thrilling experiences. Its like living in a fantasy world of almost complete uncertainty. Every new thing that starts happening in life almost always has to take you through a maddening roller coaster and then miraculously culminates into the most incredibly happy ending you ever imagined. Sometimes it just takes time to realise that the way it ended was the best for you. By now i am quite used to the happy endings and have really started enjoying the roller coasters.

Its amazing. Guruji speaks on something as profound as the Bhagvad Gita and after a few minutes in the same satsang dances on “Jiya Dhadak dhadak”!

The following two questions illustrate the real essence of Gurudev! Playfulness and depth. He can instigate roars of laughter with his amazing sense of humour and in the next few moments say something that makes your heart go wow! And you get it right “in” because that’s exactly what you needed at that point of time.

Just read this and you will know what I mean..

Q : Would you please encourage our husbands wash utensils and cut vegetables even at home just as they did here during the advance course? (Followed by loud cheering from all the women in the course).

Guruji : yes yes definitely. But then it would be nice if you too maintained silence at home just the way you did in the advance course. (Followed by loud cheering by all the men in the course)

Q : I miss you very much. Do you miss me?

Guruji : When I am in your mind its only me who exist. But when I am not in your mind “I” miss you very much. I long for you.

Tips for Women By Bhanu didi

2013-05-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Bhanunathi Narasimhan has played a key role in The Art of Living Foundation, since its inception. In 1997, Bhanu was one of the founding members of VISTA India (Value Integrated Services to All), an initiative that aims to provide economic and social self-sufficiency for disadvantaged women. The project was launched under the aegis of the Art of Living Foundation, and it has provided vocational training, entrepreneurship, and self-development workshops to more than 8,000 women in India. As part of their training, women are also introduced to programs that promote hygiene and women’s health in rural areas.Sri Sri Women’s Empowerment Program is another initiative on similar lines of VISTA and caters to underprivileged women in rural areas.

Following id the article by Bhanumathi Narasimhan fondly called Bhanu didi on Women.

1. H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says: “Women can glue the differences and bring people of diverse nature together.” According to me, this quality is inherent in her and makes it easier for her to create and maintain team spirit.
This strength of a woman needs to be recognized. The moral values she imparts to her children, the support that she provides to the family, all these really matter. They say women are emotional. However, this is the aspect which makes her gentle, soft and feminine. The delicate nature of a woman allows her to create an environment of peace and harmony wherever she goes.
The balance of delicate nature and a practical approach can happen only in a stress-free mind. In order to be stress-free, one adopts spirituality, which is the foundation for the complete blossoming of the individual potential.

2. Women love team spirit. They love to gossip – so instead of gossiping about people, gossip on nature. Ask each other, why are there such few leaves on the tree, why are the clouds so small, how is this flower so big? Don’t focus on individuals.

3. Women are normally more emotional while men have a greater ego. The woman is emotionally attached to her family, her brother, sisters, parents etc. The husband should never criticize the wife’s family. The wife, on the other hand, should always praise the husband, especially in front of others, even if what he does may not be so intelligent. When the wife takes care of the husband’s ego and the husband takes care of the wife’s emotions, then the relationship can be a more pleasant one.

4. Marriage is a commitment. It is a commitment for caring and sharing – sharing one’s life and caring for the other. It is the union of two hearts towards one goal. When the husband and wife are focusing only on each other, then very soon there are arguments and disagreements. When our goals are high, when we are focused on something bigger, towards serving society, towards wisdom, then the husband and wife can move together, supporting each other, in this beautiful journey of life.

5.Whenever you feel pressurised, don’t talk about it too much. Keep quiet for ten minutes and be with yourself. In busy moment, keep maunam. If people at home know you are in silence, then the demands on you will lessen. Otherwise, in a fit of anger, you will speak anything. I would say, this is especially important for a mother/wife/sister - be silent and work. Talk less, smile more. Every night, before sleeping, go through the day for ten minutes. Think what were the good events? What did you learn today? Surrender everything to the divine. Say everything is because of you and go to sleep with a smile. Smile more – it is our nature.

6. Praise at least five people every day. Praising is a divine quality. Praising enhances us. It uplifts the consciousness of the one who is being praised and also of the one who is praising. When we see a beautiful painting and we praise it, whom does the praise go to? The painter, isn’t it? So when we praise each other, who does the praise go to? Of course, it goes to the divine who created us! Keeping this in mind, let us appreciate the divinity in all aspects of creation and we will find that our mind is also pleasant and uplifted.

7. Help at least two people every day – either by talking to them and doing something for them. Help people physically, mentally by listening to them or even monetarily. Helping people will uplift you. Choose people whom you don’t know so that you can reach out to more and more people and extend your family. When each woman can extend her sense of belongingness, include a few more members in her family, then we move closer to our ancient ideal of a one world family, “vasudhaiva kutumbakam.”

8. We normally think that women empowerment is for the monetarily less fortunate. I would say, this is not the case. They are equally less fortunate who are impoverished emotionally, who are spiritually poor.
There are many educated and monetarily independent women facing emotional challenges, who cannot handle their life or stressful situations. Often, suicides are a result of these emotional imbalances. This is common especially among the educated and affluent society.
When we are emotionally weak, we catch on to negativity more easily. So, to nourish one’s soul, one needs to turn to Spirituality. Meditation alone can put you in a space that is unshakable and you can view life from a balanced angle.

9. When you talk about spirituality, we should remember one thing – that the spirit has no gender - male or female. When you raise above all this – caste, creed, religion and other small identities, only then can the true spirit blossom in you.
We work as one unit. Man is equally important as a woman. When we say women empowerment it doesn’t mean we exclude men. We are only highlighting women as that area needs attention. Today women can equal men by just being assertive, not aggressive. Women can make a difference – in politics, business, education, spirituality' and at home.
I would say: Don’t ask what others can do for you. Instead think what you can do for others. This is called the spiritual shift – believe me, it is simply beautiful, it is unalloyed joy itself!

10. Gurudev poojya Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji often says that a woman is a born leader.
A leader must have certain qualities.
A leader must have trust and also be trustworthy. Only then can she delegate successfully and also get the work done on time.
A leader must have foresight. The lady of the house plans everything from the daily needs of the house to saving money for the daughter’s wedding. (Budgeting and managing finances is in her blood.)
A leader must have equanimous - unbiased vision. As a mother, a woman places the needs of every member of the family before her own and she cares for all with equal love.
A leader must seek the truth in every situation. Her impact ranges from the family to the whole society. Her decisions must be a combination of intelligence and her intuition. A woman naturally relates to the heart level which is realm of intuition. A calm state of mind can contribute to the intuitive factor while it can be strengthened by spiritual practices like meditation and yoga.
A leader must also have faith in the universal intelligence that nourishes the whole creation. Faith is a very powerful quality and can connect to the heart of the people.
We can see that all these qualities are innate in us as women. However as a teacher of meditation, I can say for sure that these qualities blossom to their full potential when you meditate. Spirituality really makes the difference in your quality of consciousness, quality of enjoyment and quality of appreciation of life.

11. What is the true wealth/ornament for a woman? What is her true beauty? How can she beautify existence with them?
There are three aspects to beauty: Saundarya, Madhurya and Aishwarya.
Aishwarya is wealth and lordship. One may seem to have lordship through fear or power due to position but they are not pleasant. Lordship that comes out of love and respect has a different dimension to it. It is a true wealth in any relationship.
Madhurya is sweetness - sweetness in thought, word and action. It is our nature to be madhur, in a pleasant state of mind. When we are stress-free and centered that sweetness comes to us.
Saundarya is the beauty that comes from inner strength. This inner strength is brought out through spirituality and meditation.

Positive Thinking: Sacrifice Brings Strength

2013-05-08T23:10:00.001-07:00

All the scriptures of the world glorify sacrifice. Sacrifice is giving up something that you value. You can only sacrifice that which you would like to keep for yourself, in other words, that which gives you pleasure and joy.

All the scriptures of the world glorify sacrifice. Sacrifice is giving up something that you value. You can only sacrifice that which you would like to keep for yourself, in other words, that which gives you pleasure and joy.

You cannot sacrifice something that you dislike or disown. Sacrifice is always related to a higher cause for a greater good. At the same time, when your love for the greater good is strong, nothing else assumes any value. Sacrifice here becomes irrelevant, because love alone is your strongest driving force. So when there is so much love there cannot be sacrifice. At the same time when there is no love, there is no sacrifice. For example, if a mother has made plans to see a movie and she realises that her child is sick, she does not say that she has sacrificed the movie to nurse her child, because she simply did not want to go. Nothing else seems to charm the mother besides being with her child.

You do not sacrifice something for someone you are in love with. Sacrifice indicates that your pleasure has more value than the cause for which you are sacrificing. When the love is lukewarm, then sacrifice assumes meaning. Yet sacrifice purifies the human mind and reins in selfish tendencies. It can also bring pride, arrogance, self-pity and sometimes even depression.

For a wise man, nothing is more valuable than truth, values and the divine, and he will never sacrifice those. God is the greatest, and if he values the greatest then how can he sacrifice God? This is the paradox of sacrifice. Sacrifice brings strength in life. Life without sacrifice is stagnant. Sacrifice gives you the quantum leap. It takes you to a higher pedestal. The amount of sacrifice in your life brings out your magnanimity and helps you move out of misery. Zeal, enthusiasm, strength and joy are all connected to sacrifice. Sacrifice never goes unrewarded. There can be no love, no wisdom and no true joy without sacrifice. Sacrifice makes you sacred. Become sacred.

by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

I Did Not Pay Bribe

2013-05-03T01:37:00.000-07:00

When the India Against Corruption movement started with blessings from Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji, and we all took an oath not to give bribe, little did I realize that very soon my noble resolve would be put to test.

The place was the property registration office, Mylapore, Chennai. The occasion was to formalize a gift deed of my flat to offer it to an NGO for their work. The registrar did not accept any of the certification we provided, though they were clear and valid. She would ask for some papers and the moment we arrived with them, she would change her mind and ask for something else.

After months of our documents pending with the registration office, I received a legal notice of our documents impounded for further action.

This is when our Anti Corruption team turned out to be a great help. Jahir Hussain, the in charge of Art of Living anti-corruption movement in Chennai, immediately swung into action. He along with another volunteer met with the IT Commissioner who happened to have done the Art of Living program.

The three of them together met with the Inspector General of the registrar office, who was the only one who could revert the legal notice. The meeting with the IT commissioner had a tremendous impact. The IG admitted the mistake on their part and reverted the legal notice, requesting his office to verify from the IT office themselves!

Such a ‘quick’ decision is unheard of in normal circumstances, when Government officials stick to their guns come what may.. But the sincerity and commitment of Art of Living volunteers prevailed.

The five Cs that Gurudev mentions – as antidotes to corruption were ably evident: the IT Commissioner had more sense of belongingness (read Connectedness) to Jahir Hussain than with the Inspector General!!!

The other C was Commitment: belongingness brought forth commitment to a higher cause – here against false implication and legal notice served unwarrantedly
Care and Courage were an integral part once commitment was made, and the common link in relating to the cosmos was Sudharshan Kriya.

No doubt, the time taken was lengthy. But finally we made it! Our power of attorney Subhas, was continuously on cell phone with the very registrar, pushing him to verify from the concerned office. After nearly two years of dilly dallying, the Gift Deed was procured without giving in to a corrupt system where the smallest of work cannot be done without paying a bribe.

My resolve not to give bribe has become stronger, thanks to the inspiration from the Art of Living. Just having anti-corruption laws will not root out corruption. Let us all resolve that we will not pay a bribe in any situation for any reason. Jai Gurudev!

Sudarshan Kriya : The Spiritual Journey

2013-04-19T03:13:00.001-07:00

Have you ever had this experience that you were doing what you always do, following your daily routine, and suddenly you become aware and wonder what the purpose is of all this? It is like you suddenly ‘wake up’. Most people might never question their existence, but once this happens in your life, it becomes difficult to just continue living the way you were doing before. You want to know more, find out what the purpose of your life is, of this existence. The more aware you become, the more this ‘thirst’ keeps growing…

In The Matrix, Neo has the same question. “Have you ever had this feeling where you are not sure whether you are awake or still dreaming?” His urge to know the Truth about existence is very strong, and just like any sincere seeker, when the thirst is strong enough, the Master, or Guru, appears in one’s life. Morpheus and his team keep scanning The Matrix for people that are ‘ready to be woken up’ or ‘to be unplugged’. Those people are like spiritual seekers, who have reached that level of maturity that will allow their intellect to be open enough to consider the possibility of the Truth: that all this is Maya, an illusion, created by the mind itself. If you watch the movie from this point of view, and if you have some experience with Sudarshan Kriya, meditation and spiritual practices, you will find many interesting dialogues and details.

Trinity tells Neo: “It is the question that drives us. It is the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did: “What is The Matrix?” And the answer is out there. And it will find you, if you want it to.”

When Neo gets a glimpse of The Matrix, he is not sure whether he wants to go through with it. Trinity tells him: “Neo, you have to trust me. Why? Because you have been down there, Neo, you know that road, you know exactly where it ends. And I know that’s not where you want to be.” Neo then realizes that his thirst to know the Truth will only get quenched if he takes this leap of faith.

When they finally meet, Morpheus tells Neo: “Let me tell you why you are here. You are here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You felt it your entire life. You don’t know what it is, but it is there, like a splinter in your mind. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about? The Matrix. Do you want to know what it is? The Matrix is everywhere, all around us, even now in this very room. Unfortunately no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. After this there is no turning back. Remember: all I’m offering is the Truth, nothing more.”

And a little later, Morpheus tells Neo: “Have you ever had a dream Neo, that you were so sure it was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?”

“I’m trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You are the one who has to walk through. You have to let it all go Neo – fear, doubt and disbelief. Free your mind, “ Morpheus tells him.

And my favorite part is when Neo meets a small monk boy when visiting the Oracle. The boy is bending a spoon with his mind, and then tells Neo: “Do not try and bend the spoon – that is impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth. What truth? That there is no spoon. Then you’ll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.”

Finally Neo realizes the Truth, or reaches self-realization. He is now able to do things nobody even thought possible – he is able to bend, or even break, the rules of The Matrix. It reminds me of the amazing things a fully enlightened Guru, like His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar does. The Sudarshan Kriya taught in The Art of Living Course is like the red pill that has already unplugged millions of people – and that without the pain, slime and nasty plug points all along the spine!

Those who have read the ‘Yoga Vasistha’, the crown jewel of ancient Vedantic scriptures, can recognize instantly how the knowledge in the book has been tweaked intelligently to create The Matrix. According to Sage Vasistha, “Creation is what one sees and is aware of, and this is within oneself.” The Yoga Vasistha provides delightful insights into the ancient Vedanta wisdom, the nature of existence, reality, governance and dissolution.

It seems fitting that the theme song at the end of the Matrix Trilogy is the ancient Vedic mantra ‘Asato Ma Sad Gamaya, Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya’ (which means ‘lead us from untruth to Reality, from darkness to Light, from death to Immortality’).

Stress an Epidemic

2013-01-23T22:42:00.001-08:00

Today’s deadliest epidemic is stress. It is eating our society in a subtle manner. Stress of moving ahead of time. There is stress not only among adults but in young children too. No one could escape from its viscous circle. So what has been the real cause of it .Everybody has their own personal reason but one of the common causes could be exposure to too much of negative media, improper food habits, lack of human values and so on.

Its so apt to say that“ A healthy body is a healthy mind”. Over the years our food habits have changed so much that a quick snack today would mean potato wafers and some aerated drink. We need to be aware of what we eat because it effects not only our physical body but mental and emotional health also.As very rightly said you are what you eat.Also an improper time of having food, healthy food replaced with junk food, imbalanced diet etc is creating many physical problems among people today.

Gone are the days of doing good to others, lending our hands to help, who has the time for it. One main source of stress in the society is lack of good human values. We have become so self-centered. Our targets in our respective fields matter the most. The meaning of staying happy has changed .We need to get back to our source .We need to inculcate good human values to give true sense to this beautiful gift of god called life.

Another reasons for stress and violence in the society is media. Media is a major culprit in creating stress in society today. Its not that the people want to see stress and violence. People are viewing what media is showing. In a subtle way the lives of people is governed by the media. It is creating a certain negative opinion because there is exposure to much stress and violence. People have started finding short cuts in life by indulging in crime and violence. A film becomes a super hit if it has extra ordinary fight scenes in it. A hero in a film is the one who has knocked down at least forty to fifty people. Where are we heading to.

The irony is that no one teaches how to cope with stress. How to manage anger, how to let out pent up feelings. Weak one falls prey to their own minds and land up committing heinous crimes others fall victims to their own needs and commit suicide.

RSVP for the Google+ Hangout with +Sri SriRavi Shankar on 26th January at 8.30pm IST, 10.00am GST, 3.00pm GMT

Theme : What can we do for a Violence-free, Stress-free society ?

Post your questions here with Hashtag #SriSriHangout

Login and say ' Yes ' to this invite and get a reminder on your Google+, Calendar and Gmail to catch the live-stream else just click to http://youtube.com/ArtofLivingTV

This event will also include an ' online guided meditation ' by +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Add +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to your circles and join the " Art of Living Community " to always stay connected .

Art of Living Projects

2012-10-30T05:28:00.000-07:00

Art of Living Projects

Disaster Relief

The Art of Living Foundation,along with its sister organisations, The International Association for Human Values (IAHV) and Vyakti Vikas Kendra India (VVKI) work on disaster relief by providing food,shelter. It also tried to relieve victims from traumatic effect through Stress relieving workshops.

Education

Sister concern of Art of Living - Ved Vignan Maha Vidhya Peeth(VVMVP) is running about 175 free schools for poor children. Most of the schools offer free food, conveyance, cloths, books and education.

Rural Development

Art of Living's 5H program reached 40,212 villages. 5H stands for the homeless, Healthcare, Hygiene, Human Values and Harmony in diversity. 5H program offers healthy living in poor rural area by offering free homes, toilets, conducting free courses and Satsang.

Youth leadership Training Program

The Youth leadership training program focused on empowering youths to take more responsibility and making a positive environment around them. 110,000 youths trained under this program.

Prison Program

The Prison SMART Programme aimed to give right direction to prisoners by conducting specially designed courses results into spiritual and moral upliftment.

Women Empowerment

Program for empowering women.

Environment Care

Organization is involved in large scale tree plantations through Mission Green Earth, water conservation, chemical free farming and cleaning rivers.

Peace

Art of Living is establishing peace through its various programs, multicultural events and promoting human values with the believe that we all are humans first.