Ravi Shankar was born in Tamil Nadu, India, in 1956 and became a student of Hindu Vedic philosophy at a young age. After completing college, he became involved with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation movement, first travelling with the Maharishi and then setting out on his own to establish TM training centers.
In 1981, after separating from TM, Shankar established the first Art of Living Foundation center in India. One year later, he developed his own rhythmic breathing practice, which he called Sudarshan Kriya. He said that the practice came to him “like a poem, an inspiration,” after a 10-day period of silent meditation. His first Art of Living outside of India was held in Switzerland in 1983, and in 1986, he took Art of Living to California.
In 1989, the Art of Living Foundation established itself as an educational and humanitarian organization in the United States, with the mission of promoting inner peace, reducing stress, and encouraging spiritual development. Central to the Art of Living’s offerings are its stress-elimination and self-development programs, primarily based on the Sudarshan Kriya technique. As the Foundation grew, it began to get involved in humanitarian work including disaster relief and poverty alleviation. The Art of Living Foundation was accredited as a United Nations nongovernmental organization in 1996.
In 2007, the Art of Living Foundation launched an agricultural initiative rooted in organic and rainwater harvesting in India. The program was expanded in 2008, the same year that the Foundation launched the “Mission Green Earth Stand Up Take Action” campaign along with the UN Environment Programme, which aimed to plant 100 million trees worldwide to combat global warming.
In 2012, the Foundation launched a program aimed at improving life in India, organizing health camps and distributing medicines. The Foundation also launched a three-year program to revitalize the Kumudavathi River in Bangalore as part of the initiative.
The Foundation faced criticism in 2016 when it organized a World Culture Festival on the Yamuna Floodplains in India, with a government-appointed committee fining the Foundation for causing ecological damage. Shankar initially disputed the fine, stating that he would prefer imprisonment, but the Foundation later paid a reduced fine.
Shankar faced further controversy in 2016 when he criticized the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Malala Yousafzai and said that he himself had previously been offered the award but turned it down. Shankar had been nominated for the prize in 2006, in part because of his work in conflict resolution efforts in Colombia, Iraq, and elsewhere, but was not its recipient. He later said that his comments about Yousafzai had been misunderstood.
Some past members have accused the Art of Living Foundation of cult-like behavior, claiming that teachers utilized sleep deprivation, public humiliation, and other abusive tactics. Some have also reported being encouraged to bully each other and being forced to confess deep secrets, which were allegedly later used against them. Concerns have also been raised about alleged efforts to isolate members from the outside world and discouraging professional psychological help, with some suggesting this stems from fears of exposing alleged abuses. Ex-members have stated that the Foundation teaches that only Shankar is protecting the world from calamity and that non-members are lesser beings.
In 2010, the Art of Living Foundation initiated a lawsuit against two anonymous bloggers who had made such claims, accusing them of defamation, libel, copyright infringement, and disclosing trade secrets. The Foundation attempted to force Internet service providers to disclose the bloggers’ identities, which courts denied. In a 2012 settlement, the bloggers agreed to freeze their existing blogs, but were not prohibited from creating new blogs critical of the Art of Living Foundation.
Key Sources:
Agence France Presse. (2007, August 2). Indian New Age guru busts stress with breathing.
Bearak, M. (2016, May 16). Mired in controversy, a famous Indian guru tries to set the record straight. The Washington Post.
Bearak, M. (2016, May 3). Famous Indian guru says he rejected a Nobel, and Malala did nothing to deserve hers. The Washington Post.
Dasgupta, P. (28 February 2016). Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art Of Living Foundation Fined 120 Crore For Ecological Damage. Huffington Post India.
Kakkar, M. (2012, May 10). Court directs Google to take down blog against cult leader. ZDNet.
The Times of India (2013, March 13). Art of Living initiates Kumudvathi River rejuvenation program.
Wilkes, T. (2016, March 9). Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s festival on Delhi’s Yamuna floodplain riles greens, worries police. Reuters.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 