The Art of Living Foundation offers programs to uncover the 
strength, peace, and joy that lie at the core of every human 
being. By nurturing the spirit and compassion of every 
individual, the Foundation seeks to help build a global society 
that is free of stress, violence, and misery - and full of 
service, wisdom, and celebration. 

The Art of Living Foundation was inspired by the programs of 
spiritual leader and humanitarian His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi 
Shankar that began in 1982. It has been a nonprofit 501(c)(3) 
educational and humanitarian organization in the U.S. since 
1989. Accredited as a United Nations Non-Governmental 
organization in 1996, it is now one of the UN's largest 
volunteer-based NGOs. It works in special consultative status 
with the UN's Economic and Social Council, participating in a 
variety of committees and activities relating to health, 
education, sustainable development, conflict resolution, and 
disaster relief. 

Our Mission 

To strengthen the individual and society by offering programs 
inspired by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar that eliminate 
stress, create a sense of belonging, restore human values, 
develop life to its full potential, and encourage people from 
all backgrounds to come together in celebration, wisdom, and 
service.

 

The Foundation engages in a wide array of educational and 
humanitarian programs that uplift individuals, make a 
difference in local communities, and foster global change. 
Often working in association with its sister organization, the 
International Association for Human Values, Foundation 
volunteers have brought both physical and trauma relief to 
several regions of conflict and natural disaster around the 
world, and, in one region, contributed to the cessation of 
decades-long violence. 

The Foundation also offers programs for youth and teens, 
business, law and government, prison inmates and staff, trauma 
survivors, people with depression, and programs for people 
living with cancer, HIV, and other life-threatening diseases. 

The Foundation celebrated its 25th year of service to the world 
in 2006/2007, with a program in India attended by heads of 
state, cultural leaders, and more than 2.5 million others. In 
the U.S., this Silver Jubilee has inspired a renewed commitment 
to a Stress-Free, Violence-Free America. 

Even in the worst of circumstances -- New Orleans after 
Hurrican 
Katrina, New York after 9/11, the Southeast Asia tsunami, the 
killing fields of Kashmir and central Bihar, the aftermath of 
Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Pakistan/Kashmir and Guajarat 
Earthquakes, and other areas of trauma -- the Foundation's 
programs and volunteers have demonstrated again and again that 
both regional and personal transformation can happen rapidly 
and be sustained. So far, the Art of Living Foundation's 
service projects, trauma relief, and stress-reduction and self-
development programs have benefited more than 25 million people 
on six continents, in more than 140 countries around the world.