The Art of Living is a not-for-profit, educational and humanitarian NGO engaged in stress-management and service initiatives. Founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the organization has worked in 151 countries.
The organizational activities are guided by Sri Sri’s philosophy of peace: “Unless we have a stress-free mind and a violence-free society, we cannot achieve world peace.” To guide individuals to 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 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.
The Art of Living also has a special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
Sister Organizations
The Art of Living has several sister organizations which are dedicated to realize 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.
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
Organizational Structure
The Art of Living is a multifaceted organization with one of the largest volunteers bases in the world. The international headquarters of the Art of Living is located in Bangalore, India. Globally, the organization operates as the Art of Living Foundation, which began in 1989 in the United States of America and in Germany. Since then, local centers of the Art of Living have been established across the world. In the Art of Living organizational structure, there is a board of trustees with a term of two years. Two thirds of the trustees change every two years. All the Art of Living teachers and the previous trustees are allowed to nominate a new board. There is a provision for an advisory board that monitors, and guides the organization. All the accounts are regularly audited by an external auditor. Other than expenses, no trustee is entitled to benefits in terms of salary, etc.
The Art of Living’s wellness programs fund its humanitarian activities. The proceeds from the sales of the Art of Living publications and ayurveda products are also directed to our social initiatives.
