Sri Sri Stories
I started my Art of Living (AOL) journey about 10-11 years ago. Before AOL, I had tried yoga and basic reiki but couldn’t find the depth I was looking for. A friend suggested the AOL Part I course, but I initially struggled with the cost. During the course, the teacher told us we were free to leave if we didn’t find it beneficial, but I decided to stay. I had a strong desire for Indian Tandoori food during the long kriya and felt angry on the third or fourth day. The teacher helped me release my anger through breathing exercises.
After the course, I practiced the kriya regularly for a few days but fell back into my routine life for 9-10 years. Occasionally, I visited the AOL website and read Gurudev’s essays and quotes. I even attended a Satsang with Gurudev but didn’t bow down as a Muslim. Over time, I felt stuck in a rut and lacked energy despite having a great life.
In 2008, I repeated the AOL Part I course with excellent teachers and then took the Part II course in New Jersey. I felt my grandmother’s presence, who had passed away two years earlier, teaching me the course on the last day. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I e-mailed my teacher and started doing seva at the NY and NJ AOL chapters. I met Guruji when he came to Connecticut, and he encouraged me to share my experience. Despite procrastinating for months, I hope sharing my story inspires someone.
With lots of love, Jai Gurudev
Murtaza
I recently completed my first Advanced Course at the Bangalore Ashram, and it was also my first time visiting the ashram. For years, I had heard about various experiences from a mentor, and I always hoped that I would witness them myself one day.
Fortunately, Gurudev designed the course in such a way that it gave us plenty of time for nature walks, which is something most participants cannot experience in the concrete jungles they come from.
I was completely mesmerized by the beauty of the ashram. The fact that it is so well managed without a manager in sight is something that no one back home will believe me when I tell them about how neat, clean, and well-organized everything is. I often wondered who was managing all of this, how come there were hardly any flies, how come it was so big, green, and clean? Of course, there is an admin team working behind the scenes, but it appears everything is happening on auto mode.
During one of our breaks, I went to the waterfall behind the Panchakarma center and wanted to sit on the bench below the tree. To my surprise, even this bench did not have a hint of dust on it. I wondered who cleaned it.
The Advanced Program designed by Gurudev himself was no less than an experience of a lifetime. I am at a loss for words to explain it, but I would use the word addictive, and I feel that I have to come back here at least once every year.
I am filled with gratitude to Gurudev for all the special guided meditations. I have yet to determine what I will make of this deep cleansing experience, but I know that since this experience was not planned by me, there is no point in feeling anxious about another thought of “what next.” As Gurudev suggested, I will surrender.
Jai Gurudev! Rajat Khanna
In November 2003, I was busy preparing for the GRE and planning to apply for universities in the USA. When I learned about Gurudev’s visit to Calcutta, I hesitated to attend the event as I didn’t want to lose valuable study time. Nevertheless, I decided to go and reached the school where the event was being held. As I waited outside, I saw Gurudev walking gracefully in his white robes, surrounded by volunteers.
Despite the presence of volunteers forming a wall to prevent devotees from rushing towards him, one person prayed for Gurudev to look at her, and he turned towards her with a smile. After only five minutes, Gurudev left, and I assumed that was the end of my brief encounter with him.
However, as I saw other devotees rushing outside the school towards an open ground, I decided to join them. I was surprised to see a huge crowd gathered in the open ground with Gurudev standing on a stage. It was a serendipitous meeting, and I felt grateful for the unexpected opportunity to see Gurudev again and experience his presence.
When I first saw Gurudev in 1994, I had already been practicing Sudarshan Kriya for a few years. I was then following the guidance of another guru. While I greatly benefited from the techniques taught by my previous guru, he was very distant and did not form personal relationships.
I saw that many of my previous guru’s former teachers were with Gurudev, and I knew there had to be something very special about him. However, I was shocked when I experienced nothing in his presence during my first encounter. But I continued to do my yoga and Sudarshan Kriya every day.
Two years later, Gurudev came back and I went into a room where he was sitting on a yellow silk shawl. It’s difficult to describe, but as soon as I saw him, I was overwhelmed and saw him as “Infinity,” radiating sweet bliss and profound knowledge.
In awe, I laughed and wondered how the universe could be contained in one man. As if hearing my thoughts, Gurudev laughed and looked right at me. At that moment, Infinity expanded even more. Some people may not understand, but I know that Gurudev is Brahman, the totality of consciousness. This is not just a thought, but a direct experience. I am grateful for the grace he has brought to my life.
On August 15th, 2012, I joined The Art of Living in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The six-day YES!+ course changed my life entirely, and I credit my success and personal growth to the organization. Since my childhood, I had been a brilliant student who was passionate about serving society. In my first year of college, I had the opportunity to participate in the YES!+ course, which opened my eyes to new possibilities.
After completing the course, I became involved in a seva project called “Say YES to life and NO to suicide,” which was a much-needed service for youth struggling with their emotions. At first, I hesitated to interact with strangers, but I eventually opened up and enjoyed the seva. I attended follow-ups, interacted with volunteers and teachers, and participated in Satsang’s and intro talks, learning from others’ mistakes and my own.
Over time, I became more involved in the organization. I gave intro talks, organized courses, took care of expenses, courses, and teachers’ needs, and managed everything in the Ranchi chapter. However, I became emotionally attached to someone and put my studies and health on the back burner, which caused me to suffer. After flunking out of school and experiencing health issues, I took a year off to recover. During that time, my family cared for me and gave me the opportunity to return to Ranchi to complete my studies.
My recovery was a result of both medical treatment and the spiritual support I received from my Master. I had complete faith in my Master and meditated every day, and I was surprised at how quickly I recovered. In 2015, I returned to Ranchi with a renewed commitment to my studies and earned my B.Sc. from St. Xavier’s College with first division honors. I was proud of myself and gained confidence in my abilities.
After completing my B.Sc., I cracked an All-India level CUCET entrance exam and earned a master’s degree from the Central University of Jharkhand. During my M.Sc., I conducted youth courses both in my college and the Ranchi city, learning how to balance my material and spiritual life, as Gurudev says, “like cycling.” In 2022, I became an Art of Living teacher and continue to inspire others to grow spiritually.
Jai Gurudev, Asha Kumari
Since childhood, I had always dreamt of getting into IIM Ahmedabad, but my attempts to clear the entrance exam had been unsuccessful. Over time, I let go of that desire and moved on with my life.
However, 10 years later, Gurudev remembered that dream and provided me with hope and a chance to pursue it. With Gurudev’s grace, I was able to achieve a good GMAT score, which allowed me to apply to the top 5 business schools in India.
Although all of my interviews went well, the one at IIMA was particularly challenging. I left the interview feeling hopeless after the interviewer criticized my ability to argue. I thought that perhaps Gurudev had something else in mind for me.
A few months later, the results were released and I had been accepted into all of the business schools, including IIM Ahmedabad. This experience taught me that when Gurudev chooses something for us, it will happen despite what the world may think or say. Gurudev remembers our smallest desires and has the power to make them a reality
I was at a crossroads in my career. Despite my best efforts, I wasn’t making any progress, with no promotions or prospects on the horizon. Feeling lost and stuck, I reached out to Gurudev for guidance and support.
Soon after, a friend from AOL messaged me on Facebook to share that she was pursuing the GMAT. This sparked an idea in my mind, and I decided to start preparing for the exam with the aim of attending one of the world’s top business schools.
Although I gave it my all, my GMAT score was disappointing, and I felt my hopes were dashed. But then, out of nowhere, the same friend messaged me again, sharing her own experience of passing the GMAT on the second attempt. This gave me hope and renewed determination.
In my second attempt, I achieved a score that exceeded my expectations and qualified me to apply to the top 10 business schools in the world. This was nothing short of a miracle, and I knew it was all thanks to Gurudev’s grace. As he says, grace is when you receive what you cannot even imagine achieving through your own efforts.
I am forever grateful to Gurudev for guiding me through this challenging time and opening up new possibilities for my career. Thanks to his blessings, I was later admitted to the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, marking the start of a whole new chapter in my professional journey.
It was my first Guru Purnima course, held in Lake Tahoe in 1999, where I experienced 8 days of silence and deep meditations in Gurudev’s presence. As a new and innocent participant, I went very deep into the experience and the seva aspect. During one of the seva activities, we were silently chopping red peppers and showing each other that they were “hollow & empty.” As a joke, we put one in a paper bag with a note asking to look inside and placed it on Gurudev’s seat.
To our surprise, Gurudev opened the bag in front of the Satsang, looked inside the pepper, and exclaimed, “Huh? What is this? Oh, hollow & empty.” I was amazed at how he knew what we had silently communicated to each other. The course was so much fun, and it completely changed my life from then on. I was so elated that I felt like I didn’t touch the ground for at least six months after that experience.
Hi, I am Shreya, an HR professional. I did the Sudarshan Kriya workshop in 2010, and it has been a profound experience for me. I often wonder how my perspective on life would have been if I hadn’t done Sudarshan Kriya. For anyone on this path, it’s impossible to share everything in one story. It’s a blessing to be here, learning, falling, doing good and bad, whatever life throws our way. The only thing I know is that I don’t want to miss this path; I don’t want to lose it.
I have had white patches since I was eight years old. My family thought the workshop might cure it, but it gave me something far more valuable – the confidence to accept myself as I am. I transformed from an introvert to someone who can speak in front of people naturally. It’s most effective when surrounded by such beautiful people, ready to encourage, lift, and help meditate. After taking medication for many years, which started affecting my kidney and brain, I stopped taking it (not recommended). I began to see changes when I did my advanced course, and it reduced automatically. Even if I am full white, I am fine; I just want to be on this path.
I vividly remember my first interaction with Gurudev, four years after my workshop. I met him in Bangalore Ashram, and when I saw him, tears started rolling down my face. I was unable to express my feelings and thoughts; I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude. He came through his car, and I was so shy to see him that I went back hiding, peeping from behind, tears rolling down, and my heart beating loudly.
