Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Convinces Guerrilla Movement FARC to Adopt Gandhian Principles

Posted on: Tuesday, June 30, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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Leaders of Colombia's guerrilla movement FARC have agreed to follow Gandhian principle of non-violence to attain its political objectives, Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said.

On his three-day-visit to Cuba, Sri Sri had several rounds of discussions with leaders of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) in an exercise of confidence-building for the peace process in Colombia, which faced many hurdles in the past three years.

FARC leaders were holding peace talks with the Columbian government in Cuba and Sri Sri was invited by FARC to mediate in the peace talks.

Sri Sri said, "In this conflict everyone should be considered as victims. And inside every culprit, there is a victim crying for help."

Karthik Krishna, a spokesperson for Art of Living told PTI that after a lot of discussions, the FARC has finally agreed to embrace the Gandhian principle of non-violence.

At a press conference, FARC Commander Ivan Marquez said they would adopt non-violent means for attaining their political goals.

Marquez said, "We will work for peace and justice for all the people of Colombia."

Earlier on June 24, Sri Sri had an hour long meeting with the president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos in Bogota.

FARC is a left-wing guerrilla movement involved in the Colombian armed conflict since 1964 and has been designated a terrorist organistaion by the UN and USA.

It has been hammering out peace terms with government negotiators since November 2012 to bring an end to five decades of war and conflict, which has killed more than 2,00,000 people and uprooted more than six million people.

Source: Economic Times

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LIVE Webcast from Peru

Posted on: Monday, June 29, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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You are invited to watch the LIVE Webcast of The Art of Living Conference with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar from Peru.

Date: 1st July 2015 | Time: 5:30 AM IST!

Link: www.artofliving.org/webcast or Sri Sri App (Android or iPhone)

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Colombia Confers Sri Sri with It's Highest Award

Posted on: Thursday, June 25, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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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: Asian Life

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Make Life a Celebration - Satsang with Sri Sri | Join Us LIVE via Webcast


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You are invited to watch the LIVE Webcast of an event - Making Life a Celebration in presence of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Date: 26 June 2015 | Time: 5:30 AM IST!

Link: www.artofliving.org/webcast or Sri Sri App (Android or iPhone)

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Colombia to Bestow It's Highest Civilian Honor on Sri Sri

Posted on: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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The government of Colombia will bestow their highest honor on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bogota on June 24.

It is in recognition of Sri Sri’s peace work around the world, with special reference to his work in Colombia through his foundation, The Art of Living.

“Your commitment in Colombia for more than eight years, compels us to recognize your achievements in peace matters in our overwhelmed nation, and to thank you for the undeniable presence of The Art of Living in our country,” says Hon. Fabio Raul Amin Saleme, the Hon. President of the House of Representatives.

“We invite you to keep helping us in the construction of a more inclusive and less violent society, where we can accept one and other.”

The Hon. President has made a special mention of Sri Sri’s programs which have taught meditation and the Sudarshan Kriya to thousands of people in Colombia, and to millions around the world. “Through this institution (The Art of Living), many have found an antidote to the stress they are undergoing daily, by practicing yoga and breathing techniques,” continues Mr. Saleme.

The Art of Living has been working in Colombia since 2006. Around 25.000 people have benefitted from The Art of Living’s programs including social projects, guided meditations, health and happiness and public events such as The Planet Meditates.

In 2012, Sri Sri was also given the highest civilian award of Paraguay and Argentina.

Source: PRLOG

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Desktop Yoga and Doga

Posted on: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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As He directed about 2,600 people with their arms outstretched at New York’s Lincoln Center to exhale in unison on Sunday, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar brought the crowd back down to Earth.

“This is called desktop yoga,” he said to laughs from the gathering. “You can practice it in your office—just make sure to warn your co-workers first.”

Sri Sri is the founder of the Art of Living Foundation, a Bangalore-headquartered nonprofit tackling stress through a series of what it calls Happiness Programs.

In Manhattan, Sri Sri was the face of the first International Yoga Day, celebrated at venues across the world on Sunday and initiated by the Indian government.

To mark the occasion, Sri Sri delivered a talk titled “Yoga: A New Dimension” in which he set out how the ancient philosophy embedded in the discipline applies to 21st-century life.

The 59-year-old’s foundation has centers in 152 countries teaching a blend of breathing techniques, meditation, everyday wisdom, and of course, yoga.

“In the early days, people would come secretly to practice yoga, worried about what others would think of them,” said Sri Sri.

“But fortunately today that prejudice is gone, the paradigms have changed. And with the United Nations declaring International Yoga Day, it is encouraging those who are a bit apprehensive to come forward,” he added.

Around 20.4 million Americans practice yoga and spend $10.3 billion on it annually, suggesting it is one of India’s most-successful cultural exports.

Even so, some of the new twists on yoga stateside, including “Doga” and “Snowga”, leave Sri Sri uneasy.

“If someone just cuts yoga into bits and pieces, it is not complete or authentic, that’s stretching it too far,” he said.

“The eight limbs of yoga have to be kept intact,” he said, referring to the steps that make up the discipline as conceived in Hindu texts compiled by Patanjali, who is often considered the father of yoga, circa 400 B.C.

Body posture and breathing are just two of the limbs required for yoga practice, according to Patanjali. The others include control of the senses and devotion and meditation on the divine.

“It’s not aerobics,” added Mr. Shankar. “It’s something that transforms your attitude towards people and yourself—a technology.”

So, is it religious? Mr. Shankar insists the movement is secular and dismisses the idea that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party are using yoga to push a Hindu nationalist agenda.

“Yoga, Ayurveda, mathematics, the names of some English months. They all originate from Vedic traditions,” he told The Wall Street Journal ahead of Sunday’s event.

“But there is no belief system attached to all of this; it does not bar you from believing in a specific form of god or even impose that you must believe in god,” he added. “Newton founded the law of gravitation,” he said. “But that’s not considered a Christian law.”

The Art of Living Foundation is synonymous with sudarshan kriya, a rhythmic breathing exercise that Mr. Shankar says was revealed to him after a 10-day period of silence on the banks of the Bhadra river in Karnataka over three decades ago.

It “suits today’s busy, busy world because we don’t have time to do much practice but we want the best results,” Mr. Shankar explained.

“It resets the rhythm within us so it enables us to have some of the deepest meditative experiences.”

Source: Wall Street Journal

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Happiness Program & Art of Silence with Sri Sri in Dallas


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Happiness Program with Sri Sri
Date: 2nd - 5th July 2015
Venue: InterContinental Dallas, 15201 Dallas Pkwy, Addison, TX 75001, Addison, Texas, United States
Click Here to Register

Art of Silence Program with Sri Sri
Date: 1st - 5th July 2015
Venue: InterContinental Dallas, 15201 Dallas Pkwy, Addison, TX 75001, Addison, Texas, United States
Click Here to Register

For details contact: dallas@us.artofliving.org

Click Here to Know more upcoming mega events in presence of Sri Sri across the globe

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Exclusive Interview with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on International Yoga Day 2015

Posted on: Sunday, June 21, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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On International Yoga Day, India Today brings you an exclusive interview with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder Art of Living to understand yoga and its unexplored secrets which can benefit you in everyday life.

Lets start the journey of Yoga with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Q: What is Yoga? How can Yoga transform people's lives?
Sri Sri:
Yoga is being natural and spontaneous. It is a state of harmony in every aspect of life whether it is physical, mental, emotional or spiritual and this brings a transformation from stress to happiness, not just at an individual level but at the level of society as well.

Q: How is International Yoga Day benefiting the world?
Sri Sri:
The buzz around Yoga for the International Yoga Day will certainly bring more awareness on keeping the body and mind healthy all over the world. Yoga is not just limited to one religion or one country; it is a treasure of knowledge for all of humanity. The International Yoga Day will help make this treasure accessible to people across the world and will also remove the misconceptions and prejudice about yoga.

Q: Yoga has been interpreted in various ways; spiritual bliss, exercise for healthy body and for some it is mastering the asanas. What is it?
Sri Sri:
Yoga means uniting, uniting with your own center. There are eight limbs to yoga and asanas is one of them. Most people think yoga is just a set of body postures but there is a lot more to it. Pranayama and meditation are also limbs of yoga and they bring harmony to deeper levels of existence beyond the physical.

Q: What made you take Yoga as the sole goal in your life?
Sri Sri:
Yoga is so holistic that it includes everything. It is not a separate theoretical subject you study in life like the others, it enriches your very experience of living.

Q: How can Yoga benefit students' lifestyle? Share some tips from which students can benefit.
Sri Sri:
Pranayama and meditation improve concentration and memory that students can really benefit from. Daily practice of meditation helps develop a keen insight into things and students develop strong receptivity. It can also enhance intuition for students and take away most of the mental fatigue as well as anxiety during exams. Yoga also helps to free them from inhibitions while interacting with people or performing. It also develops a strong and palatable personality. As teenagers, students go through a lot of inner turmoil. Yoga helps to ease them out.

Q: Stress, tension, frustrations, depressions are key things identified in youth life. How can one get rid of such symptoms through Yoga?
Sri Sri:
They go away automatically with the practice of yoga. All these symptoms are due to low life force energy. Yoga raises our prana or life force energy and all these problems vanish without much effort.

Q: A lot of people's lives go by sitting at office desks. Tell us how people can improve their lifestyle and make the most out of their life.
Sri Sri:
For people who spend most of their day sitting at desks, having some physical exercise or stretches as a part of their daily routine is essential. Pranayama and meditation keep the energy levels up through the day. High energy levels keep the mind clear and sharp. Offices can also have a group meditation before having meals together. This is also very helpful in promoting teamwork at the workplace. It is also a good idea to spend some time daily with Nature and do things that are not 'important'. This brings up creativity in us.

Q: How technical is Yoga? How can one become a pro in it?
Sri Sri:
It is not something we have spend a lot of effort in learning. In fact, we have all done yoga as babies - all babies in the world are yogis. The way they stretch themselves in different postures, the way they smile, they way they breathe is all yoga. If you can observe a baby, you do not need a yoga teacher.

Q: What is your goal in life?
Sri Sri:
To help people find the goal in their life.

Source: India Today

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Sri Sri Thanks Teachers for Making Yoga Popular around World


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Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has thanked teachers for making yoga popular around the world, adding that the discipline can unite people and 'do wonders'.

"Our Prime Minister has initiated this initiative and also thousands of yoga teachers, who have worked so hard in all these years to make yoga popular in many countries. Yoga can unite people, can help them resolve conflicts and can do wonders in the world," the spiritual leader told ANI.

"Yoga can definitely improve communication and people-to-people connection," he added.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is in New York to participate in the International Yoga Day event, which has been organised by the Indian Mission at the United Nations.

Earlier, He met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and UN secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the city.

The United Nations declared June 21 as International Day of Yoga after adopting a measure proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Modi had in his speech at the UN General Assembly in September 2014 called for recognition of such a day.

Source: Business Standard

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Celebrate the Spirit of Yoga With Sri Sri

Posted on: Saturday, June 20, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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You are invited to be part of the Celebrations for International Day of Yoga with Sri Sri via LIVE Webcast!

UN Celebrations of the International Day of Yoga | 21 June - 7:30 PM IST

Yoga: A New Dimension | 22 June - 4:30 AM IST

Link: www.artofliving.org/webcast or Sri Sri App (Android or iPhone)

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The Truth about Yoga

Posted on: Friday, June 19, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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Yoga is that which gives you pleasure and comfort.

The definition for 'asana' is a posture that is stable and pleasant. You should feel comfortable when doing yoga asanas. What is the definition of comfort? When you don't feel the body. If you are sitting in some odd positions then you feel those parts of the body, painfully. Your focus is more on the discomfort there. When you do any asana, what you feel first is discomfort. But if you take your mind through it, you will find that in just a few minutes the discomfort has disappeared and you don't feel the body. You feel an expansion or infinity in the postures.

How should a posture be done? Get into a position and let go of the effort. What happens then? Infinity abides in you. So each asana should be done keeping in mind that the goal of this is not just the correctness of the posture, but to feel an expansion within. This is the most important thing in yoga asanas. The purpose of yoga is not only to keep a good physical shape but also to experience infinity and timeless expansion within. And that starts happening to you with some practice.

The other definition for yoga is to get back from the scenery to the seer. Slowly take your attention from outside to inside. First, from the environment, bring your attention to the physical body. Then go one step further because even the body is the scenery and take your attention to the mind. Now when you witness the thoughts that are coming in the mind, even that becomes the scenery. Go deeper. So movement from the scenery to the seer, to the one who is seeing everything is another definition of yoga.

Whenever you experience joy, ecstasy, bliss and happiness in life, knowingly or unknowingly you are abiding in the nature of the seer. Otherwise, at other times, you are with different activities of the mind, you are lost in them.

The Modulations of the Mind

What are these different activities of the mind? The modulations of the mind are of five forms; some are problematic and some are not. These are:
  1. Pramana: when the mind is engaged in wanting proof
  2. Viparyaya: means wrong understanding
  3. Vikalpa: means an imaginary notion, not conforming to reality
  4. Nidra: which means sleep
  5. Smruti: living in memory
These five vrittis or modulations of the mind drain the potential of a human being. Having control over these modulations of the mind is what yoga is all about. They are like horses. If the reins of the horses are in your hands, then you can give them direction, but if you are at the mercy of the horse then it takes you wherever it goes. So it is said, 'Yogah chitta vritti nirodaha' - Yoga is that which arrests the modulations of the mind.

When you practice an asana, the goal is to feel comfortable and then feel the expansion; not by wanting to feel, but by letting go; by not 'doing' something. So the first step in yoga is to let go, to relax and the last step in yoga is also to let go and relax.

Source: Huffington Post

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Message of Spirituality, Happiness Comes to Tampa


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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Program, believes peace and yoga will heal the world. In an exclusive interview with FOX 13's Hetal Gandhi, he said his goal is to "Make as many people happy as possible."

Sri Sri traveled from India to the United States, where he will address the United Nations on Sunday to declare the first "International Yoga Day".

However, his first stop is in Tampa, where he will lead a group of about a 1,000 people through a guided meditation at an event called "Explore Happiness" at the A La Cart Pavilion.

The city proclaimed it a "Day of Happiness" in his honor.

"Spirituality, or yoga, meditation, these are common things, service to humankind, this is where everyone can find the common ground to unite and make this world a beautiful place to be in," he said.

Sri Sri's message of peace comes during a particularly violent time, following the apparent hate crime that claimed the lives of nine people at the historic Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina Wednesday night.

He offered his condolences to the American people. "You know, people commit such heinous crime because they were never taught how to handle the rage that comes within them."

One of his main goals is to teach people how to cope with stress.

"Through breathing and through meditation, if we are able to manage our negative feelings, jealousy, anger, frustration, prejudice, our behavior pattern changes, our health becomes better, our mind gets clarity."

Sri Sri connects with people, not just through wisdom, but also humor.

"How do you slow down? I said, just drive behind a bicycle," he laughed.

Many of the world's leaders have turned to Sri Sri for guidance, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who faces the ongoing challenge of conflicts between Hindus and Muslims.

"They are fringe elements in almost every religion, fanatics in almost everywhere and they need to be reined in and it's a big challenge. I think Prime Minister is doing a good job in trying to reign in them."

Sri Sri is very clear that what he teaches is spirituality, not a religion.

"Spirituality is something different. So spirituality is like an exercise, like an attitude. It's like a feeling that arises from within you, and spirituality is common to all human beings and it unites people of all different religions and devoid of spirituality, religion becomes like a banana skin without a banana," he explained.

Yet his followers around the world and even outside his hotel room during his stay in Florida gather in crowds and anxiously await his presence, much like a rock star.

"If anyone honors me, I tell them, you honor yourself and everyone like you honor me," he said.

The Art of Living Classes can host hundreds of dollars each.

"If there are people that can't afford, we never stop them from doing the course, anyone can do, we're doing in the inner cities, we are doing in prisons, we are doing in hospitals," he said.

He also explained that any money that is not spent to help cover the travel and costs of the program is used towards the Art of Living's charitable projects which include building schools for children and cleaning up polluted waters.

It's just all part of Sri Sri's mission for world peace.

Source: My Fox Tampa Bay

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Though Born in India, Yoga Belongs to Entire Humanity Says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Posted on: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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Renowned Spiritual Leader, Humanitarian and Founder, Art of Living Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will lead Yoga celebrations with thousands of New Yorkers at the Lincoln Centre. A prominent voice of Yoga, he has taken this ancient Indian science to 152 countries. Sri Sri has also been invited by the United Nations to address world representatives at the celebrations of the first-ever International Day of Yoga. In an interview, the spiritual leader highlights the deeper and infinite potential of this science, dispels doubts about it being anti-religion and speaks on the various benefits of yoga.

Q: The word yoga means different things to different people. Some say it is asanas, some believe it is the spiritual path and some talk about the health benefits. So what according to you is yoga?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yoga is not just a physical exercise or asanas. Yoga is a complete science. It unites the body, mind , spirit and the universe. Yoga brings that much needed peace in every individual. It also makes a big difference in one’s behaviour, thought pattern and attitude. I would say yoga is almost indispensible. If you want to be sane, sensitive, sensible, strong and intuitive you have to follow yoga.

Q: Sometimes people talk about the mystic element of yoga? What is that mystic element?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If mysticism is explained it no longer remains mysticism. It is something to be experienced. Mysticism is something that keeps life alive and fills you with love and energy which lasts for lifetimes.

Q: Is meditation a part of yoga?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Meditation is definitely a part of yoga. Yoga has to be meditative, else it will just become an exercise, gymnastics.

Q: In the Bhagwad Geeta, Lord Krishna has said ‘Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam’. What does that mean?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This means ‘yoga is skill in action’. Yoga and skill are synonymous; if you are skillful it means somewhere you have followed the principle of yoga. And if you are doing yoga, pranayama, meditation, and following all the yama niyamas you will definitely acquire skill in your action.

Q: What is that skill that makes a person a yogi?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The skill is to see how you keep your spirit uplifted, your energy not drained and yet your job gets done. This comes only by yoga. Usually when you do some work you tend to drain yourself. And by the time the fruit of action comes you are so exhausted that you are unable to enjoy it. So yoga is that skill which keeps your spirit alive, your energy high and yet brings you achievement.

Q: How does one detach oneself from the result of an action?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you have lot of enthusiasm and energy you are in the present moment. You take things as they come. You are not expecting something. Your action is an expression of joy rather than expecting joy out of a result.

Q: You say yoga is not about exercise. This is a contrasting picture of yoga as the world knows it. So what is it all about?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No doubt, postures and exercises are part of yoga. But it should not be limited or misunderstood as just exercise. It is a holistic development, expression and connection of human life. Every baby is a yogi. A baby exhibits all the qualities of a yogi - its postures, breathing pattern, perceptual ability, sharpness and the ability to stay in the present moment.

Q: You say every child is a yogi. So what is it that we lose when we grow up that stops us from being a yogi?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
We lose our naturalness and intuitive ability. Animals and children have more intuition than adults. This is because we make things so complicated in our mind when in reality it may not be so. There is a tendency of the mind to latch onto something negative. If ten compliments are given to you and one insult what does the mind latch on to? The insult! This tendency of latching on to the negative is not there in a baby. Somehow we acquire this tendency as we grow up. With yoga we get back to our original nature where we look at the positive aspects in life and see how the things can be done. This is needed in every field of activity. When things appear gloomy everywhere, it is yoga that brings the much needed enthusiasm, energy and intuitive ability.

Q: Yoga also talks about an element of wonder, what is that?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Wonder is a preface to yoga. The ancient rishis have said 'vismaya yoga bhumika' which means ‘a sense of wonder is the preface for yoga’. When your observation of yourself and of nature creates a wonder within, then a mysticism dawns in your life. That connection to something ethereal, something so beautiful, concrete yet very abstract, comes up in our life. If you don't wonder then you are not a yogi.

Q: Yoga seems to be more of a mind skill. Then what about hath yoga?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Hath yoga is stretching your boundaries a little bit. We all define our boundaries and stay there. Boundaries limit our ability. Hath yoga says, “ok stretch a little bit, extend your boundary little by little.” This expands our physical ability as well as our mental and emotional stability. When the body is stable the mind also becomes stable. Emotions become refined and the spirit feels elevated. So hath yoga is essential in the sense that it stretches your boundaries.

Q: Is meditation enough? Do we really need asanas? If yes, why?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If one is aged or sick or not used to exercising, then one doesn’t need to do physical postures. They can do some breathing exercises and meditation. Meditation is the real substance. It is like a soul and everything is else is like dressing on it. You can’t have a body without a soul and you can’t have a soul without a body. Patanjali has spoken about the eight limbs of yoga. And limbs develop simultaneously, not one after another. In a womb a baby does not develop the legs first and then develop the arms or head. All the limbs get developed simultaneously. So all the 8 limbs of yoga go together.

Q: What is needed to free yoga from its dogmatic baggage the way people perceive it to be?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You cannot avoid dogmatism. It has entered Science and social structures, politics and various fields of life. All that you can do is make people aware of dogmatism. It has to go by itself through sheer awareness. That is why I say that a violence free society, disease free body, confusion free mind, inhibition free intellect, trauma free memory and sorrow free soul are all an ideal situation for human life and evolution. Education should lead people to this direction where they can get out of dogmas and prejudices. Or if they become a good yogi they will see life and the world in it in totally different angle. The whole vision of life and universe changes.

Q: There seems to be a fear among some sections that yogic practices will lead them away from their religion and faith. Is yoga against religion?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Is technology against any religion? Yoga is a technology, a technique which will enable you to be more energetic, happier, and more compassionate. Which religion says you should not be compassionate? Which religion says you should not be happy? Which religion says you should not be friendly and your behaviour should not be loving? Yoga is a technology which removes stress, anger, greed, and all negative emotions. How can someone think this as anti-religion or against their faith? If they think so, it is their ignorance. Because yoga gives freedom to think about people. Is freedom to think against religion? Does not religion bring you freedom? If a religion does not advocate freedom of thinking and freedom of spirit, then it is doing injustice to humanity and its own followers. The purpose and goal of all faith is to bring peace, love, freedom and a sense of belongingness, brotherhood and sisterhood to the whole planet. And Yoga is the technology to achieve these goals of faiths. Though yoga was conceived in the ancient Sanathana Dharma tradition (ancient Hindu Vedic culture), it doesn’t limit itself to a set of ideology or theories. It opens its avenues to every person in the world for betterment of life.

Q: Can yoga become a tool for building a diplomatic relationship for India?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yoga, though born in India, belongs to entire humanity. You cannot limit any knowledge on this planet to geography. If you limit the knowledge to a geographical condition then it is not universal, it loses its magnanimity and dignity. I would say yoga belongs to the people of the planet. Definitely, since it is born in India, the country should take pride in yoga and in bringing out these invaluable streams of knowledge. At the same time I would say people everywhere in the world should own it as their own. The ancient thought is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumabakam’ which means ‘The whole world is one family’. So when we consider the whole world as one family then anything that belongs to any one member of the family belongs to the whole family. So, although Yoga is a very integral part of Indian culture tradition and history, it belongs to the whole planet.

Q: What is the difference between a yogi and a yoga teacher? Can a yogi be a yoga teacher too?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If you are not a yogi you cannot be a yoga teacher. A yogi is not someone who has to have long hair, beard or being weird. A yogi is someone who is skillful, calm and serene, happy, content and like a child. Every baby is a yogi and every yogi is a baby. Otherwise he/she is not a yogi. This does not mean being childish or not growing up. It means feeling that freshness of a child, simplicity, sincerity, a mind without any fear, inhibition or arrogance. It is someone whose consciousness is developed. That is what signifies or qualifies a yogi.

Source: IBN LIVE

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Yoga: A New Dimension | Join Us LIVE via Webcast

Posted on: Tuesday, June 16, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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Celebrate the first-ever International Day of Yoga - 21 June and explore the deeper mysteries of this ancient path, with world-renowned spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Yoga is more than just stretches, poses and an elastic body. Yoga is more than a calm, peaceful state of mind. The ancient secrets of Yoga hold the key to unveil a new dimension of life, one beyond body and mind. Hosted by the Art of Living Foundation, Global Citizen Forum and Consulate General of India NY, the evening will honor the rich heritage of yoga through dance, music & meditation.

Join the event LIVE via Webcast:
21 June: 7 PM EST | 22 June: 4:30 AM IST

Link: www.artofliving.org/webcast

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Surya Namaskar Is for the Individual, Not for Sun: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Posted on: Friday, June 12, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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‘Art of Living’ founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says that He is against yoga being forced on anyone. He claimed that surya namaskar is not performed for the sun, but is for the well being of the individual. “You don’t have to consider the sun as god. Asanas you do is not for the sun, but for you. All 5 systems are rejuvenated,” he said. He told that Yoga doesn’t belong to any particular religion, just as breath doesn’t have any religion. Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani are ways to lead a healthy life. He also said that those who chose the path of violence don’t give peace to their souls and revealed that he had invited IS leaders for talks, but with little response.

Source: Mathrubhumi News

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Yoga: A New Dimension with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Posted on: Saturday, June 6, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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Celebrate the first-ever International Day of Yoga and explore the deeper mysteries of this ancient path, with world-renowned spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Yoga is more than just stretches, poses and an elastic body. Yoga is more than a calm, peaceful state of mind. The ancient secrets of Yoga hold the key to unveil a new dimension of life, one beyond body and mind. Hosted by the Art of Living Foundation and Consulate General of India NY, the evening will honor the rich heritage of yoga through dance, music & meditation.

Join 5,500 New Yorkers and be a part of history at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on June 21st, 7 PM | Book your tickets today: www.aolu.co/SriSriInNY15

You can even join the event LIVE via Webcast: 22nd June - 4 AM IST | Link: www.artofliving.org/webcast

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Download Sri Sri Calendar for JUNE 2015

Posted on: Thursday, June 4, 2015 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe


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Dear ones,

Download JUNE 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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