Ved Vignan Maha Vidhya Peeth
The Art of Living is a multi-faceted, not-for-profit educational and humanitarian NGO with a presence in over 151 countries. Founded in 1982 by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the Art of Living, today, is one of the largest voluntary organisations in the world.
Inspired by its founder’s vision of making the world a violence-free, stress-free global family, the organisation is engaged in various initiatives that uplift humanity and enhance the quality of life. The goal of the organisation is to bring peace at the level of the individual, society, nation and the world as a whole. Its areas of work covers conflict resolution, disaster and trauma relief, poverty alleviation, empowerment of women, prisoner rehabilitation, education for all, campaigns against female foeticide and child labour and environment sustainability.
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,” the Art of Living offers several stress-elimination and self-development programs based mainly on breathing techniques, meditation and yoga. These programmes have helped thousands around the world to overcome depression and violent and suicidal tendencies.
The Art of Living has several sister organisations which are dedicated to realising its vision. International Association for Human Values (IAHV), Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth, (VVMVP) Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir (SSRVM), Vyakti Vikas Kendra India, (VVKI) among others, formulate and implement social projects of the Art of Living.
The Art of Living works in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations participating in a variety of committees and activities relating to health, education, sustainable development and conflict resolution. It also carries our several joint initiatives with UN organizations such as United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), etc.
Founder
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a world-renowned spiritual master and humanitarian. It is Sri Sri’s mission to make life a celebration. He is the inspiration behind numerous educational and charitable organizations focused on spiritual upliftment, service and promotion of human values. The programme, conducted under the aegis of International Association of Human Values, the Art of Living Foundation and Prison SMART are a few of the service initiatives undertaken by Him.
Born in 1956 in Papasanam, a small town in rural southern India, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar studied with many renowned spiritual masters and became a scholar of Vedic Literature at a very young age. By the age of seventeen, he had obtained and advanced degree in modern Physics and later received an honorary doctorate from Kuvempu University, Karnataka, India.
In 1982 Sri Sri founded the Art Of Living Foundation, which is now one of the world’s largest volunteer NGOs, active in over 144 countries. In 1997 Sri Sri founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), which to date has conducted development projects in over 25,300 villages bringing self-reliance and sustenance to millions of people.
Sri Sri has been traveling all over the globe spreading His message of universal love and peace. As Sri Sri says: “When you make service your sole purpose in life, it eliminates fear, focuses your mind and gives a new meaning to your life.”
Courses
The ashram is the focal point for the Art of Living Foundations’ many courses and events held here. People from different faiths, cultures and traditions from around the world visit the ashram regularly to benefit from various workshops and seminars. The quiet, serenely peaceful surroundings of the ashram offer an ideal setting for practicing the techniques learnt in the Art of Living Courses.
Programs are offered for youth and youngsters, as well as adults. Besides the introductory programs, there is a range of advanced programs that is also offered in the Ashram. We also have a range of non-course activities, such as Children’s Camps, and the facilities to book special Poojas, Weddings and Corporate Workshops.
All Round Training in Excellence – ART Excel
The ART Excel course improves children’s overall health, memory and concentration, inspires them to be more joyful, creative and have a sense of belonging, and inculcates compassion, friendliness and altruism towards others.
This course, while covering every aspect of their development, provides children with practical tools to deal with stress associated with modern life. It nurtures human values, helps them overcome their fears and inhibitions and builds self-confidence, leading to a self discovery of latent talents and development of their natural aptitude. The ART Excel course is a four or five day residential course in the Ashram, for children from 8 to 14 years of age.
Youth Empowerment Seminar – YES!
The YES! program is an interactive workshop with powerful processes which will give direction and focus to the students. The program will give a competitive edge to all successful participants over others who have not undergone the training. The Sudarshan Kriya®, a process unique to the Art of Living, eliminates toxins from the system and clears the mind of stress, negative emotions and mental blocks.
Participants will not only play a lot of interesting games, they will also learn special breathing techniques, as well as tools to increase their awareness, focus and creativity. The YES! course is offered as a four or five day residential course in the Ashram, and is open to all those from 14 to 18 years of age.
YES! Advanced Course – YES! 2
The YES! 2 course is the advanced course for the youth. It is a powerful, vibrant and dynamic residential program that takes youth to a new level of responsibility and understanding of their mind. They will experience different levels of Energy, Confidence and Self-Believe. The progam also includes an introduction to silence, to give participants a taste of the charm and calmness of their Self.
The YES! 2 Course is offered as a four day residential program in the Ashram. All YES! Course graduates are eligible to register for this Course.
Youth Empowerment and Skills Workshop – YES!+
“Just information is not education. It is culturing our behavior, culturing our attitude and the ability to perceive things better. Perception, Observation and
Expression – the three aspects of education have to be improved.” – Sri Sri
YES!+ provides young adults between the ages of 18-30 with tools to achieve their ideal life. This program empowers young people with tools to eliminate stress, rid the system of negative emotions, develop strong social and leadership skills, heighten awareness and increase mental focus. It challenges young people to reach their highest potential and has already made a difference to thousands across the world.
YES!+ Advanced Course – YES!++The YES!++ is a special Advanced Course for those that have completed the YES!+ course. It combines the serene silence and depth of the Art of Living Part II Course with the dynamism and fun that are so much present in the YES!+ Course.
Through powerful processes and deep meditation the participants are able to dive deeper into their Self and discover new dimensions of the points discussed in the YES!+ Course. Anybody that has completed the YES!+ course is eligible to register for this four or five day residential course in the Ashram.
Art of Living Part I Course
The ‘Art of Living Course – Part I’ is a three day residential workshop, for everyone above 21 yrs of age. You may be an overworked employee, a mother and a housewife trying to give your best for your family or the CEO of a company trying to reach your targets, you will learn a revolutionary series of techniques that will help you over- come the day–to-day challenges at work, home or wherever you are. The revitalizing breathing techniques which you will learn, restore the natural rhythms of body and mind, helping you to realize your full potential.
Sri Sri Yoga Course & Sri Sri Yoga Weekend Retreat
The Term ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit word Yuj, meaning union of individual and universal consciousness. Yoga is not merely a form of exercise for the body alone, as popularly believed, but a path to attaining total harmony of the body, mind and spirit. Sri Sri Yoga is the complete system of yoga devised by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The program enables one to learn Yoga in a naturally joyful yet thorough and precise manner. For information on attending this course go to the Sri Sri Yoga web site www.srisriyoga.in.
Youth Leadership Training Program – YLTP
It aims at empowering, transforming the youth with a view to exploit their full potential and channel their talents and energies towards creating a divine society. The course provides them with a wide spectrum of in-depth training that enables them to attain all round physical, mental, emotional and spiritual development making them physically and mentally strong enough to deal with life’s challenges head on. Graduates of the program who show exceptional leadership qualities and commitment are designated as Yuvacharyas (Youth Leaders). These youth undertake the responsibility of implementing various developmental projects in villages. The YLTP began in India in August 1999 and has spread across the globe countries as far as USA, Germany, Croatia, Bosnia, Mexico, South Africa, Kenya, Cameroon, Morocco, Indonesia, Mauritius and Nepal training the youth of these countries and helping them to imbibe various aspects of personality development, communications skills, leadership qualities, determination, confidence initiative and a sense of responsibility towards their society.
Vaastu Shastra Course
Vaastu – literally means the energy of a building or an open space. Shastra – Science.
Thus, Vaastu Shastra is the science of harnessing the energy of buildings such as residential houses, temples, schools, places of business, open spaces, pieces of land or even entire towns. An ancient science with a tradition dating back 6000 years, its fundamental postulates were developed by eighteen divine Maharishis (sages/wise men of ancient India, who had attained the highest knowledge in various fields) like Bhrigu, Atri and Vasishtha. This science has been employed for the past millennia during the construction of any man made structure – be it palaces for kings to schools to housing for common people.
Vaastu Shastra helps in reading the characteristics of houses/plots and explains the effects of the same to the owners/occupants. Since this science is based on the laws of nature, its theories offer us a way of understanding the relationship between humans and their natural environment. It is about how everything is inter-connected and affects our well-being. Vaastu Shastra is essentially the art of harmonising and balancing the changes wrought by man to his environment and his natural surroundings.
Vedic Mathematics
Vedic Mathematics was reconstructed from ancient Vedic texts by Sri Bharati Krishna Tirthaji. It offers a new and entirely different approach to mathematics. It helps to overcome “Math Anxiety” being faced in the world today. Through its amazingly easy methods, often complex problems can be solved with relative ease by ordinary people with little mathematical skills . The benefits of using Vedic mathematics include- making Mathematics more enjoyable to a wider audience, increased flexibility, creativity and confidence, improved memory, and greater mental agility for all individuals This deep rooted ancient Indian science can be mastered by all with just a little practice.
Advantages of learning Vedic-mathematics:-
Calculations can be done at a very rapid pace, irrespective of age.
It does not involve hard-core formulae; only 16 sutras will cover the entire mathematics.
Anyone can learn this mathematics with utmost ease and fun
Vedic-mathematics takes very less amount of time and efforts to learn when compared to other mathematical systems.
Contact
Art of Living International Center
Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth
21st Km, Kanakapura Road, Udayapura
Bangalore, Karnataka 560 082, India
Phone: +91 80 28432273 / 74. e-mail: [email protected]