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With the consent of head of Parliament, Colombia will bestow its highest declaration award ‘Orden de la Democracia Simon Boliviar en el grado de cruz Caballero’ on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Spiritual leader, humanitarian & Founder, Art of Living on June 24, 2015. In a written letter the President of the Honourable Congress of the Republic of Colombia, Fabio Raul Amin Saleme, lauded the important work done by the spiritual guru on peace issues, conflict resolution, and rehabilitation work in war ridden areas. It also highlighted the notable work done by Art of living in Colombia for the past 8 years and invited him to help, “in the construction of a more inclusive and less violent society, where we can accept one and other.”

Sri Sri has earlier been bestowed Numerous honours by India and countries across the globe including the Order of the Pole Star (the highest state honour in Mongolia), Highest civilian award ‘National Order of Merito de Comuneros’ in Paraguay. Sri Sri has addressed several international forums, including the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit (2000), the World Economic Forum (2001, 2003) and several parliaments across the globe.

A multi-faceted social activist, Sri Sri’s initiatives include conflict resolution, disaster and trauma relief, poverty alleviation, empowerment of women, prisoner rehabilitation, education for all and campaigns against female foeticide and child labour. He is engaged in peace negotiations and counselling in conflict zones around the world. His expertise in bringing opposing parties to the negotiating table in areas such as Sri Lanka, Iraq, the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Kashmir and Bihar is widely acknowledged.

Source: AOL India Website

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Interview with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is an internationally known spiritual teacher whose Art of Living programs and humanitarian efforts have affected millions of lives. I had the opportunity to interview him during his recent visit to Los Angeles. Here are excerpts from that interview. (The photo was taken on a previous occasion.)

Q: The International Day of Yoga is June 21. Where will you be?
Sri Sri: New York. I'll be speaking at Lincoln Center. I think it's very much in the DNA of America to do yoga. It can bring health, sharpness of intellect, creativity, emotional stability and a broad vision, which America has always stood for. The U.S. is a very progressive country, very dynamic, very forward thinking.

Q: What would you like people to know about Yoga?
Sri Sri: Yoga is like a vast ocean. You can just go for a breeze, or you can go with an oil rig and drill for oil. Yoga offers many things to different people at many different levels - whatever they aspire for: union with the cosmic consciousness, or physical health, mental clarity, emotional stability, spiritual ecstasy - all this is part of yoga.

Q: Does it concern you that people think of Yoga only as asana [the familiar physical postures]?
Sri Sri: Not really, because at that moment that's what they understand. But once they start doing asana they start seeing there is something beyond that. If interest for meditation gets kindled, then they are on the right track. But if it stops at exercise it's not bad, but they will not reach the goal.

Q: When people think of the classic eight limbs of Yoga?
Sri Sri: I knew you would ask about that. Unfortunately, people think the eight limbs are eight steps, one after another. You know, when a baby is born it's not that one limb develops after another. All the limbs develop simultaneously. The eight limbs of Yoga are so interconnected, if you pull one all the others will come along with it.

Q: Some people think you have to master the yamas and niyamas before you can do the others. [The yamas and niyamas - five behaviors to avoid and five to engage - constitute the first two limbs.]
Sri Sri: The limbs are not sequential, they are all together. The practice of the others contributes to the ability to observe the yamas and niyamas. When we teach meditation in prisons, we see that the moment they have a taste of meditation, their whole thought process and behavior pattern changes. They start on the path of non-violence. They become very truthful, and the tendencies to cheat disappear. So the yamas and niyamas start happening in people's life just when they begin meditation.

Q: How do your Art of Living programs fit into the eight limbs of classical Yoga?
Sri Sri: Yoga would be incomplete if even one limb is absent from it. All the eight limbs coexist. Our program is the same way. We do some asana, and some pranayama-breathing exercises-and meditation that leads to samadhi [the 8th limb; not a practice but a state of consciousness transcending thought].

Q: Dharana and dyana are the sixth and seventh limbs. How do you explain the subtle distinction between the two?
Sri Sri: One leads into the other. Dharana is having the attention on a particular thing, and dyana is how the mind from there dissolves into samadhi.

Q: A lot of people translate dharana as concentration.
Sri Sri: Absolutely not. Concentration is an outcome of meditation. Dharana is attention - not tension; in concentration there is tension [laughs].

Q: Have you run into opposition or resistance in the U.S.?
Sri Sri: In the beginning we had a lot of resistance, and prejudice. But it's much better now. Yoga is much more accepted. Today, car companies use meditation and yoga postures to sell their products.

Q: How is the acceptance of India's spiritual traditions in India itself, as the country modernizes?
Sri Sri: The younger generation is taking to it now. One generation previous was a little skeptical. The media also played a role. Now it's different. People see the practical benefit.

Q: There is a lot of concern in the press about the protection of religious minorities in India.
Sri Sri: I think the fear is unfounded. Minorities have always been in good favor in India. For centuries they have been protected. The people-to-people connection is very good. There is a certain amount of polarization for sure, but not to the extent that minorities should be afraid of anything.

Q: What about the conversion issue?
Sri Sri: I think conversion should be from head to heart, not from one religion to another religion. I feel people should become more spiritual - rise above the religious differences and come together in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: The world is one family.

Source: Huffington Post

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Webcast - Birthday Satsang with Sri Sri: 13 May, 6:30 PM IST

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Dear ones,

You are invited to be part of the Birthday Satsang with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Participate via LIVE Webcast on 13 May, 6:30 PM IST!

Link: www.artofliving.org/webcast

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The Art of Busting Stress: Have Faith That the Best Will Happen, Says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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It's an organisation that people often turn to when life gets too much for them. Since it was started in 1981, the Art of Living Foundation has been helping an anxious and over-worked generation find peace through courses in yoga and meditation.

In an exclusive interview with CD, founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar talks about the Hindu approach to stress, introspection and health:

Q: How can faith help reduce stress and restore a sense of balance to people's lives?
Sri Sri: Faith is of three types. One is faith in oneself, another is faith in the goodness of people around you, third is the faith in a power which is higher than us. All these three types of faith are interconnected. Lack of faith in the higher power will weaken the faith in oneself as well, and it also causes fear and anxiety.

What do the Hindu scriptures say about maintaining a balance between family and work?
Sri Sri: They say to exhibit brilliance in life one has to be doing yoga. Yoga brings yogyata, meaning skills and abilities. Again, yoga is not just physical exercises, it is a state of mind and personality. Our scriptures always advocated balance in everything — in rest and activity, in eating. A lot of emphasis is given on balance in Bhagwad Gita — Samatvam Yoga Ucyate, balance is yoga.

Have Indian executives become workaholics, in their quest to be successful?
Sri Sri: You cannot classify all of them like that. India is a very peculiar country. Unlike Germany and Japan, in India you have all types of people. There are people who are very slack in their delivery, there are people who are time conscious and there are those who do not keep up any time at all. Because India is a country of mixed cultures, it has diverse mindsets.

How does a person know when he's over doing his passion for his work, when he needs to take a break and rest?
Sri Sri: It's like asking how a person knows when he feels sleepy or hungry. Like sleep and hunger, exhaustion also takes a toll on the body. Often instead of attending to stress, if they go into intoxicants they seem to get a relief temporarily, but in the long run it damages their whole health, especially the nervous system. It is a good idea to meditate daily rather than drive yourself towards a breakdown.

Is the Hindu approach to this different from other faiths?
Sri Sri: Hinduism is more a way of life and its approach has always been to connect the individual with the universal and strike a balance between them. It is inclusive. In the Occident, they always ask you to believe first and then say, "One day you get an experience." In the Orient, we have always said "Experience first, believe later." We start with experience and then translate it into a belief system.
Hinduism is more scientific among the faiths in the world because it does not force you to believe first. It gives you the freedom of thinking, of believing and of worshiping. This makes Hinduism unique and acceptable to the current way of life, which is full of diversity. The flexibility of Hinduism to adjust to time and space is remarkable. The scripture says Desha Kalana Anusrutya — you have to be sensitive to time and place.

How can people best organise their lives so that there is a balance?
Sri Sri: Have faith that the best will happen to you. Put your hundred per cent in whatever you are doing. Thirdly, sincerity in action and clarity in mind comes when you introspect and do some yoga and meditation.

Source: Economic Times

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Anandotsav - Happiness Program by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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The coming year, we celebrate the 35th founding anniversary of the Art of Living.
The curtain raiser to this is Anandotsav, the Festival of Happiness on 15 - 17 May 2015 at the Art of Living International Centre, Bangalore.

The highlight of Anandotsav is a special Happiness Program that will be led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar himself.

Register today: http://aolu.co/Anandotsav-HP | Once in a lifetime opportunity for all!

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Breathe Right For a Better Life

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All the problems in the world are caused by love! Jealousy is because of love. Greed is because you love objects too much. Anger is because you love perfection and you are angry at imperfections. Pride and arrogance come because you love yourself too much.

So, every distortion of love causes problems not only for us, but for everybody. Even though this is the case, without love what else is there in life? Does life have any meaning, any purpose without love?

It appears absolutely depressing, boring, uninteresting. But how do we get to that point of love where it is free from distortions and we are able to be at ease with ourselves?

This is where a little knowledge about us, about our mind, our consciousness, and the root of distortion will help. Every individual is bestowed with all the virtues in the world. They simply get covered by lack of understanding. All that is needed is to just to uncover the virtues that are already there.

Learning something about our breath is very important. Our breath has a great lesson to teach us, which we have forgotten. For every rhythm in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath and for every rhythm in the breath there is a corresponding emotion in the mind. So, you may not be able to handle your mind directly, but through breath you can handle it.

Neither at school nor at home does anybody teach you what to do when you are upset or angry or depressed. The first thing we did when we came to this planet is that we took a deep breath in and then we started to cry. The last thing we’ll be doing is breathe out and make others cry. In between these two, our whole life, we are breathing in and out, but, we have learnt very little about our breath.

No breath, no life... know breath, know life! The rhythm in breath can help us get in touch with the depth of ourselves, our soul, our consciousness, our being and we feel connected with everybody, with everything in the world. Deep within, every one of us feels that we have not grown, we have not changed. This indicates that the spirit in you doesn’t change, doesn’t grow old. The body is aging but something in you is not aging. Getting in touch with that something that doesn’t age brings beauty in life. That is meditation.

What I would suggest is to take one week off every year for yourself, like you take your car for servicing. During that time, align yourself with nature — wake up with the sun, do some exercise, eat proper food, just as much as necessary, practise a few minutes of singing and keeping silence. Aligning ourselves with nature, our whole system gets recharged and makes us feel vibrant and enthusiastic.

To me, a successful person is someone who has no fear, who feels at home with everybody and has a smile which no one can take away. We do not have to go anywhere in search of success. The road to success begins from our very own breath.

No breath, No life | Know breath, Know life.

The Happiness Program with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on May 15, 16 and 17 at the Art of Living Ashram, Bengaluru.

Morning batch: 6 AM to 9 AM | Evening batch: 6 PM to 9 PM.

Register now: +91 7894078930 | www.artofliving.org/srisrihappiness

Source: New Indian Express

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Kicks off Yoga Series in the US with a Talk at the Indian Embassy

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The Embassy of India in Washington, DC, organized a talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on ‘Nurturing peace through Yoga and Meditation’ at its premises on April 29. The talk is the beginning of a series of curtain-raiser yoga events to welcome the First International Day of Yoga, to be celebrated on June 21 this year.

Shankar emphasized the relevance of yoga in today’s world, saying yoga is not only about flexibility in body but also about flexibility in mind and thinking. He mentioned that wars in the world begin when communication breaks down. Yoga creates skills in communication and relating to people. The purpose of yoga and meditation is to unite hearts and minds of people and to unite religions and cultures of the world, he added. The United Nations General Assembly has declared June 21st as the International Day of Yoga.

The Charge d’Affaires at the embassy, Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, highlighted the words of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the United Nations: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change”.

The Government of India is planning to celebrate the International Day of Yoga in countries around the world, including the United States.

The Embassy of India in Washington DC is organizing a series of events on yoga which will culminate on June 21. On that day, it would collaborate with yoga and community organizations for a day-long event at the Mall, in Washington, DC.

Source: American Bazaar

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Download the Sri Sri Calendar for April 2015

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Dear ones,

Download April 2015 Calendar with beautiful picture of Sri Sri, by visiting the Art of Living Universe website: www.aoluniverse.org/SriSriCalendars

PS: Send us a blank email to calendars@artoflivinguniverse.org and get notified as soon as the new calendars are uploaded.

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US Lawmakers Attend Meditation Session by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has held a rare meditation session at the Capitol Hill here, attended by several US lawmakers many of whom described it as a self-empowering experience.

"We now know as a matter of science that (meditation) produces empirical benefits to our society, to our country, to the world," Congressman Steve Israel said yesterday, adding that there is no better spokesperson than Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for it.

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky termed it a "beautiful and self-empowering experience".

Congressman Tim Ryan, a long time meditator, commended the effectiveness of Ravi Shankar's techniques and his commitment to social causes.

"Sri Sri (Ravi Shankar) has an approach that can solve a lot of problems. He is very much an inspiration," he said.

"It is just wonderful to have Sri Sri come to Congress and remind us of the power and beauty within us," said Congresswoman Katherine Clark.

"The secret of meditation is in letting go," Ravi Shankar said in the presence of war veterans and policy leaders.

"Stress arises when we have too much to do, and not enough energy or time to do it. We can neither change time nor the number of things we need to do. So, the only option is to increase energy levels. And this can be accomplished through breathing techniques and meditation," he added.

Source: Zee News

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End War, Make Peace with Yoga

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Saying that wars in the world begin when communication breaks down, Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has emphasized the relevance of yoga which creates skills in communication and relating to people.

Yoga is not only about flexibility in body but also about flexibility in mind and thinking, he said in a talk on 'Nurturing Peace Through Yoga and Meditation' at the Indian embassy in Washington.

The purpose of yoga and meditation is to unite hearts and minds of people and to unite religions and cultures of the world, Shankar said. The talk marked the first of a series of curtain-raiser yoga events to welcome the first International Day of Yoga on June 21.

The UN General Assembly has declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga at the suggestion of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition," said Charge d'Affaires Taranjit Singh Sandhu recalling Modi's speech at the United Nations.

"It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being," he said.

"It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature," Sandhu said. "By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change."

Government of India is planning to celebrate the International Day of Yoga in all the countries around the world, including US. Wednesday's talk would be followed by curtain raiser Yoga events at the University of Maryland, Chinmaya Mission and other places over the next two months.

On the First International Day of Yoga, June 21, 2015, Embassy of India would be collaborating with Yoga organizations, practitioners, and Community Organizations for a day-long event at the Mall in Washington.

Source: Yahoo News

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