THE ART OF LIVING
 Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar is a spiritual master from Bangalore
who leads the well-known Art of Living (AOL) foundation.
He was born on 13th May 1956 to an eminent family in Papanasham
(Tamil Nadu). At the age of four he could recite the entire
Bhagavad Gita and by the age of 17 he had completed his traditional
studies, including an advanced degree in modern science. He
has been presented with the title "Yoga Shiromani"
(Supreme Teacher of Union with the Self) in 1986 from
the President of India. In 1995, he addressed the United Nations
to mark its 50th anniversary. His service organisation, the
"5H Programme" offers social and community development
projects with a focus on Health, Hygiene, Homes,
Harmony amidst Diversity and Human Values.
In 1982, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar established the Art of
Living foundation, as an educational organisation designed to
assist all individuals reach their full human potential. The
first AOL class was in Shimoga. The Art of Living is an internationally
acclaimed programme combining the best of the ancient wisdom
and modern science. The course is interactive and easy-to-practice
workshop at two levels - basic and advanced. There is also a
special course for the Professionals and Art Excel courses for
children.
 All
the courses are conducted by specially selected and trained
instructors who have years of experience in gauging your needs
and adapting the courses to suit you. The teachers are personally
trained by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar himself. While in the
ashram (residential course) one has to do all the work 'seva'
by oneself, and can attend the 'Satsang'
('sat' means 'truth' and 'sang' means 'company')
where every evening melodious bhajans are sung. The 60-acre
ashram is situated amidst five hills and a silent lake, with
the 'Sumeru Mantap', a beautifully sculpted
circular meditation hall atop the hill.
Central to AOL courses is the powerful breathing technique,
'Sudarshan Kriya', ('Su' for right, 'Darshan' for
vision and 'Kriya' for purifying action) which releases
deep stresses and toxins stored in the body and rejuvenates
the body on a cellular level. The resul t
is that we are more alert, energetic and centred. The Art of
Living workshop also includes several techniques for handling
everyday situations and helps us improve the quality of our
life.
Presently, Art of Living has come up with a 'Youth training
programme' wherein the youngsters of a particular place
are trained to assist in the '5H programme'. Keeping
this in mind, the organisation is in the process of adopting
3000 villages all over India. As their first step they have
succeeded in making 25 villages in Maharashtra and 12 villages
in Gujarat alcohol free and have set up a 'Community Kitchen'
in Gujarat.
Website: www.artofliving.org
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