Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a great spiritual leader from India, who founded the
Art of Living Foundation. He was born in
Tamil Nadu on May 13, 1956.
Ravi Shankar started showing his spiritual inclination from his early childhood. He used to meditate and chant slokas of the Bhagavad Gita even at a very young age. He completed his degree in science and Vedic literature by the age of 17. Ravi Shankar was blessed with the opportunity to meet and interact with many prominent spiritual teachers and leading scholars. One of them was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation Movement. With the Maharishi, he spent several years in Rishikesh. His influence and spiritual researches made Ravi Shankar decide to embark on an ascetic path.
In 1982, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar started the Art of Living Foundation, a United Nations NGO and introduced to the world 'Sudarshan Kriya technique'. It is a unique breathing process, which removes stress and negative toxins from the body by rejuvenating each and every cell. The Foundation aims at fostering health at every conceivable human level, including mental, physical, emotional as well as spiritual. Various educational and humanitarian organizations for the service and upliftment of the society have been initiated by him. Besides the Art of Living Foundation, the Prison Smart Foundation, International Association of Human Values, Dollar-a-Day, Art Excel, and 5H Program are committed to the welfare of humanity.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has served on the advisory board of Yale University School of Divinity. He addressed the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, the International Conference on Buddhism in Japan, and the International Women’s Conference in Beijing. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar constantly tours the world, spreading the wonderful message of peace and love.
