The Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) was founded in 1981 by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and operates in154 countries.
The Art of Living is one of the largest independent, humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the world. The AOLF holds a special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN), and is active in numerous other international bodies and committees in the areas of health, education and sustainable development. The priorities include aid projects in developing countries, trauma and stress management in crisis areas and rehabilitation programs for victims of violence and prison inmates. In addition, yoga and meditation classes are offered. A key component is the Sudarshan Kriya ™, a health-promoting breathing technique.
The organisation's programs are guided by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’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.
Sister Organizations
The Art of Living has a few sister organisations which are also dedicated to the vision of a stress-free, violence-free world. The International Association for Human Values (IAHV), Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth (VVMVP), Sri Sri RaviShankar Vidya Mandir (SSRVM) and Vyakti Vikas Kendra India (VVKI), among others, formulate and implement humanitarian projects of The Art of Living globally.
Organizational Structure
The Art of Living is a multi-faceted organisation with one of the largest volunteer bases in the world.
Globally, the organisation operates as The Art of Living Foundation formed in 1989 in the United States of America and in Germany. Since then, local centres have been established across the world.
Art of Living programs directly help to fund its humanitarian projects. The proceeds from the sales of The Art of Living Publications and Ayurveda products are also directed to our social initiatives.
Memberships
CONGO (Conference of NGOs in Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations), Geneva and New York
- International Alliance against Hunger
- UN Mental Health Committee and UN Committee on Aging, New York
- International Union for Health Promotion and Education, Paris
- NGO Forum for Health, Geneva
World Culture Festival: The Art of Living Foundation celebrates its 30th anniversary in Germany’s capital Berlin and spreads the message of global peace
From 2nd – 3th July 2012, The Art of Living celebrated their 30th anniversary at the Olympic stadium Berlin with an enthralling line-up of 117 acts from 50 countries
In a bid to promote peace, intercultural dialog and togetherness, senior governmental representatives, business leaders, academia, leaders of NGOs, religious and spiritual leaders, peacemakers and renowned personalities from across the globe shared their views and spread the message of peace, unity and intercultural harmony.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living, said on this occasion: “30 years of the Art of Living: A big milestone with many achievements, inspiring us to move forward with greater speed and enthusiasm. The dream to make life a celebration and the world a family has materialised and become a reality. I am happy to be here in Berlin where the walls came down between people. This time the walls should come down between cultures, between civilizations.
I congratulate all those who have been working around the world to make this idea a reality; taking up a number of service projects in 151 countries. There are many more countries which we have to reach, and I am sure with the help of all the volunteers we will bring to reality a stress-free, violence-free world, and give a society for our children much better than what we have inherited.
The 30th Anniversary is a celebration of achievement and a vision to do more service.”
