Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

I signed up for part 2 after my friend encouraged me to do so. Additionally, with Gurudev visiting Houston, I was curious to find out who this person was that had such a significant influence on people’s lives. The Part 2 program in Houston in October 2008 was nothing short of amazing.  Gurudev came in three times, gave discourses, conducted meditation, and even led Sports Yoga! I was in silence, standing by, when he was walking out after the discourse. I wanted to see him up close and take a detailed look at him. As he passed by, he looked at me and asked, “What is your name?” I couldn’t explain what went through my mind. It was a great experience, and I was totally transfixed, but I thoroughly enjoyed his presence and blurted out my full name, forgetting that I was supposed to be in silence. That moment, that question from him, made so many changes in me. I was taken aback by his knowledge and his spontaneous responses to questions. I look forward to having more interactions with...

Walking up the interlocked concrete roads, uphill, from the parking lot and past the divine stores, I am out of breath when I finally reach this sacred place. Grateful for a spot to sit and close my eyes, I take a moment to catch my breath as the cool breeze offers comfort to my wet back and shoulders. It has been quite a while since I last made eye contact with Gurudev, and I wait patiently, sometimes meditating with my eyes closed before opening them in anticipation of his arrival.  And finally, Gurudev arrives, holding a lotus in his right hand and dressed in full white, his hair waving rhythmically in the breeze. I kneel and wait for him to approach. As he draws nearer, I look up to him and he acknowledges me with raised eyebrows, which then turn into a smile. He pats my head with the lotus and moves on, the white angavastram caressing my face. On another day, after playing cricket with my new bat that cost only Rs. 3, I take my bat proudly and head home. Running on the rough h...

I used to be an atheist and firmly believed that science alone created the world without the intervention of any god or guru. However, in April 1992, when my friends and I went to a nearby temple,  I stumbled upon a discourse by Sri Sri, without knowing who he was. I saw the bearded man on the stage distributing prasadam and everyone was happy. I too was drawn into the positive energy and decided to take his blessings before leaving. Years later, I found myself in the ashram doing the Part 1 course, followed by Part 2, DSN, and Sahaj. I couldn’t believe that Gurudev had transformed me from an atheist to a priest. I am still awed by the power that he exudes with just a glance. How did it all happen? Who knows? But I am grateful to have such a wonderful master, and it’s his grace that keeps me going. I love my master because he pulled me towards him when I knew nothing about him. Jai Guru Dev.  ~ Ravi  From Atheist to Priest: A Journey with Gurudev - Sri Sri Stories

Once in June 2014, as I walked from my room to the amphitheater for the evening Satang at the Art of Living Bangalore ashram, I stopped on the way as I noticed Gurudev’s car parked outside a hall which was under construction. Two people were waiting for him outside. I peeped in to take a look, there he was, small in height as compared to the tall men he was surrounded with, but towering above them all in demeanor. After a rather unhappy and emotionally turbulent day, I did not feel like going for Satsang. I just wanted to hide in my room and not bother anyone with the sadness and pain that I felt. But here I was, waiting for my Gurudev outside that hall. He was giving instructions for further construction of the hall. As he came out, a smile automatically came to my face and with folded hands, I just stood there looking at him. Once he was done with the inspection, he suddenly looked in my direction and gave a sweet smile and waved at me. I couldn’t utter a word. I continued to smile a...

I was attending a 7-day Advanced Meditation Program with Bhagavad Gita Live discourse by Gurudev at our Bangalore Ashram. As I made my way to Saraswathi Hall for the Gita session, my mind and heart were at war. It seemed like I might have to forego serving the vision of my Guru due to a family situation. As I reached the hall, I found two corner chairs vacant in the second row, which was a wonder considering the hall was already overfull. Overcome with stress,  I dozed off during the Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya chanting, missing the moment when Gurudev walked in and the discourse started. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my right shoulder, and when I turned to look, there was no one there. I was wide awake, and I felt Gurudev’s piercing eyes staring right at me, saying, “Arjuna, keep me with you and fight the war.” All my misery dissolved in that very instant, and I realized that He had heard my prayers. Although I may have to attend to family priorities for a short spell of time, my sev...

I first attended the Art of Living basic course (now called the Happiness Program) way back in January 1999 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Though I joined reluctantly, I gave my 100% to all the processes and continued the practice diligently. Doing the course turned out to be a great blessing. I used to suffer from migraine and sinusitis since my school days. It meant living in misery for at least a week as the seasons changed. To my great relief,  I realized after about a year of doing the basic course that I was completely free from migraine and sinusitis. Upon retirement and my return to Bangalore, I started doing seva in the city’s central jail, conducting courses for male inmates. I started earning their trust and love, and eventually crafted a rehabilitation program. It was one of the most fulfilling and satisfying acts of service. I could feel compassion for the inmates, and Gurudev’s words resonated in my heart: “Behind every culprit is a victim crying for help.” I am grateful to Gurud...

Words are not enough to express my gratitude and grace for our beloved Gurudev who has given us such wonderful courses for life. He is my precious love, my God, my everything. I have been helped in many ways, even when I was unaware of it.  I consider myself lucky and blessed to have such a great and wonderful master who has been my strength and support throughout. He chose me and led me to this path, taking care of me even before I knew him. Gurudev has been a constant presence in my life, guiding and shaping me into the person I am today. I am forever grateful for his unconditional love and support. Thank you, Gurudev, for everything. ~ Reshma Murthy Gratitude for Beloved Gurudev - Sri Sri Stories

My name is Uthama Shankar, and I am a teacher by profession and a proud mother of two lovely kids. In 2005, my brother introduced me to the Art of Living Program, which I enjoyed immensely. I was actively involved in Seva projects and Satsangs, but after getting married and having children, I couldn’t continue my practice actively. However, in 2017, I met AnupUnnikrishnan Ji, who helped me return to my path of meditation with his constant support and loving guidance. During the lockdown in 2020, I also completed the Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra Teachers’ Training Program, which helped me learn how to nurture children and inculcate Indian cultural values in them.  My own children attended the Sanskar Kendra classes, and I noticed a significant difference in their behavior. They now enjoy sitting and chanting for a few minutes every day, and they’re eager to hear stories from Indian scriptures. As a parent, I’ve learned to appreciate my children as individual divine souls and communicate m...

I was not mainly a devotee of Guruji, but on December 26, 2013, I lost my brother-in-law to mouth cancer. My sister was grieving, as was my entire family. Due to my sister’s unstable emotional state, she drove me out of her house. I was visiting her from the U.S., and at that time, I decided to go and stay at the Bangalore ashram. I went every evening to Vishalakshi Mantap, the main meditation hall (or the lotus hall, as I like to call it), and Guruji was there every day in January 2014. I enjoyed my Ayurvedic treatment and the Sudarshan Kriya. I had learned the kriya while in the US when I was forced by friends a couple of years earlier but was not practicing it. I felt different doing the kriya at the ashram. I felt as if I was happy for no reason. I had dreams of Guruji during my Ayurvedic treatments. In mid-January, I entered the hall with my mother, who had come to visit me at the ashram. Guruji asked if it was anyone’s birthday during that week. I celebrated my own birthday recen...

I'm associated with AOL since 2001 and have done all the possible courses many times and the recent one is Sanyam in April 2021. I was always aware that Guruji is taking care of me and my family but believed when this incident took place.  It was March 2020 when lockdown was announced and we all started working from home. I worked for a export company for 15 years as a Manager. Markets which were handled by me were badly affected by covid resulting delay in payments and 70-80% drop in business.  25th June 2020 I received a call from my stakeholder asking me to step down gracefully with 3 months notice period (I was entitled only for 30 days notice period) during my conversation with the stake holder I felt relived and happy that he asking me to quit . I don't know why but I felt. I could see hazy smiling picture of Gurudev for that moment and then vanished.  So then all the melo drama started in my mind. What will I do now, kids education, living is expensive etc etc. B...

In the summer of 2014, we were living in Boston. My husband got a new job offer from Amazon. We were not sure whether to accept it as the position was based in Seattle and would require us to relocate. We came to know that Gurudev was going to be at Boone Ashram during Guru Purnima and decided to seek His guidance.  My husband met Gurudev and told him about the job offer. Gurudev did not say anything . He just kept His hand on my husband’s head and walked away. After Guru Purnima celebrations, while driving to the Charlotte airport from Boone, we decided to accept the offer. Next step was to decide about relocation so I called up a friend of mine who I knew was looking to buy a house and told her that we may be selling our house. On Monday, my friend came, saw our house and made an offer! So, with our own house sold, we decided to look for a new house in Seattle. We spent a full day looking at various options. At the end of an extremely tiring and frustrating day, we decided to pla...

I was in the 9th standard when I first joined the ‘Yes’ course of the Art of Living. I felt immense positive energy and goodness all around me after doing this Course. I then started doing my Sadhna daily and really wanted to meet Guruji. Finally one day, during my board exams, Lalit bhaiya was going to Jaipur for attending an AOL function which Guruji was also going to attend. I somehow convinced my parents and got their permission to go to for the function so that I could get a chance to meet the Master. Once we reached there we came to know that Guruji was coming to an auditorium before the function.  I really wanted to go and meet Him there. In the end, bhaiya told me to go on stage to meet Guruji. So I went and nobody stopped me. I reached right in front of Gurudev. He was looking at me as though he knew me since years. I felt such happiness and bliss in that one moment that I cannot express that ecstatic feeling in words. Just one glance of your beloved Master is enough to br...

I was part of the core seva group that organized the Kathopnishad in Los Angeles in April 2010. At the same time, my mother was fighting blood cancer in India. When I briefly met Gurudev at the LA center, I informed him about my mother’s condition and asked him to take care of her. Gurudev showed me the Abhay mudra, and I felt relieved.  However, my mother’s condition continued to deteriorate, and I had to return to India within a month. She eventually passed away on May 15, and I was devastated that Gurudev had not kept his promise to take care of her. But then, on the day I performed my mother’s last rites, Gurudev visited me in a dream. In the dream, my mother was standing behind him, and Gurudev was smiling while showing me the same Abhay mudra he had shown me before. My mother was wearing the same silver bracelet that Gurudev had gifted to each volunteer during the Kathopnishad, which I had tied on her arm for safety. I realized that my mother was now in the presence of a real...

From the time we were married, my husband and I dreamt of building a beautiful, old fashioned house we call Thotti Mane’ (Courtyard House) in Kannada. Thotti mane has a square hollow space in the centre, with pillars on all four sides. Dreaming big uplifted our spirit and we also believed it would be possible someday. Eventually we did build a 36 square bunglow and rented it out as we lived outside India. Time Share concept was trending in 90s. We took membership of Sterling Holidays Time share and went to Goa in 1996. We were put up in a studio apartment that was very convenient to manage. It was the first revelation to me that a couple did not need a big house to live in. Our only daughter had moved to the US with no intention of returning to India.  I realized that the house was more of a liability than an asset that robbed our peace of mind due to various reasons. A seed was sown by the divine, ‘Let go’. We were not in the Art of Living yet, but in retrospect I can see how G...

It was in the year 2007 that a life changing event occurred with a boy named Sagnik, 4 years of age, who happened to take admission in my mother’s school “The Divine Grace”. In the initial days, he presented a condition in which he wasn’t able to speak at all. The only word that would come out of his mouth was “Ma” (Mother). He could not say anything else apart from this. It was very distressing for the child and equally agonizing for the parents. Even the doctors failed to make him speak. My heart would sink each time I’d see this little boy.  Miracles Happen For Those Who Believe But as Sri Sri says “Anything can change any time, in any manner”, the change did take place in Sagnik’s life. One fine morning, as the classes were going on, miraculously, he fell down and cut his tongue. There was slight bleeding but the teachers handled the situation. However, for the next 2 days, he was absent. We all prayed to Guruji, for taking care of Sagnik so that he could lead a normal life lik...

I would like to share my story with Guruji, right from the scratch. Well, the journey started in the year 2009. I got into Engineering College. I then did the Art of Living Basic course, but couldn’t continue doing Short Kriya on a regular basis. You know the engineering life. I would find it difficult to make time. But at the end, I knew I could if I really wanted to. As they say “Nothing is impossible!” Then in 2012, Guruji visited my home in Durgapur (West-Bengal). My parents are active volunteers serving AOL since years. Well, it was that day which changed my life completely. Guruji spoke with me for a while, and I showed my urge to study abroad. He just asked me one question “Kriya karte ho daily”? (Do you do your kriya daily?). Then, I replied “Haan Gurudev, kabhi kabhi” (Yes Guruji, sometimes). He saw my expression and gave me a smile and said “Har din kiya karo”(you must do it daily). He then asked me “Tumhe sach mein jaana hai USA padhne”? (Do you really want to go in the US a...

On 22 November, 2012, which was a very special day of my life, I entered into the magical world of the Art of Living. I did the Part1, Yes!+ and DSN courses. I heard a lot about the Advance Course, but did not get a chance to do the course because it was a full day course of four days and somehow I was not able to take leave for it. My craving for doing the course was increasing day by day. One day, Saleel Bhaiya, who was my Part1 and DSN Teacher happened to talk to me and suggested that I go to the Ashram for an Advance course with Guruji.  I liked the idea very much but my mom and dad refused to give permission to go alone so far. Later on, fortunately, they agreed to send me to Bangalore on Maha Shivaratri with my friends. I was happy in doing the course in Mumbai only, but Guruji always gives me the best, so He wanted me to do the course in the Ashram so that I could have the best experience of this course. In order to reach the Bangalore ashram, I needed to travel by bus for a...

Gurudev came to Delhi on 18th March, 2014 and his flight was supposed to land at 4:00PM. As I couldn't leave office before 5:00PM, I thought I would go to meet him after he reaches Vasant Vihar where he was supposed to be staying.  To my surprise and his wish the flight got delayed by 2 hours and by that time we could easily reach airport and meet him. So we reached at the airport but we did not have any conveyance to go from the airport to Vasant Vihar.  Before he landed he even fixed that and we got a car arranged. Guruji finally landed and we met him at the airport and went behind him to Vasant Vihar. We reached just in time when he was there and I again got a tap on the head with the bouquet of flowers he was holding.  Then he went inside and we waited in the hall amidst hundreds of people. He finally came out in the hall and took our hearts away. As he rightly says he is a "Chit Chor" (who steals the heart too).  On being asked to meet one to one, Gurudev replie...

Does a Guru know exactly what you need and when? Psychologist and senior Art of Living faculty member, DR PREMA SESHADRI’s travels got deepened with a copy of an ancient scripture Her Guru mysteriously guided her towards.  During the late 90s, Gurudev had asked us all to read Swami Venkateswarananda’s Yoga Vashistha. I couldn’t wait to get started. It was perhaps only half hour into the book I realized I had got stuck on page 7. I could not comprehend a single sentence! I felt stuck in a maze and put the book away. A few months later, I traveled to the German ashram. I went to the meeting room, sat at his feet. He looked at me with those smiling eyes and asked, “How was it?” For a few seconds, I didn’t quite understand what He was asking about. And then, I got it! And I just said, “I hated it. I couldn’t understand a single thing in that book.” Gurudev smiled and said, “I have a solution for your problem. Don’t read the book.” I was so relieved. But then, my Master is not ever just...

Celebrity Fashion Stylist, shares one of her sweet and special memory with her Guru. Many years ago when Gurudev used to be in Shakti Kutir, I was sitting there amongst other devotees and I had a thought, a wish. I really wanted to ask Gurudev to give me something that I could take back for all the volunteers in Mumbai. That would make them so happy if they get something from him. This thought kept playing on my mind but I didn’t say anything because I felt really shy to say that.  After a little while Gurudev got up and went into his room and came out with a brown paper bag and lowered the bag. There were some people sitting around me and all of them raised their hands to get the bag. But he dropped it in my lap and he just said, "Give it to them." I just looked at him and was stunned. “Oh my God,” I thought, "How has he read my thoughts! How does he do this?" Obviously he does this all the time but this time it became so evident that he could read my thoughts. Thi...