Words fail when I sit down to write about my overwhelming gratitude towards my Guru, Poojya Gurudev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji, whom we lovingly call “Guruji” across the globe. Our Loving Guruji….
May HE live a long and healthy life, is our only prayer for HIM during this very difficult pandemic times. His unending unconditional love for Humanity IS our daily propellor…. for millions of ardent devotees and volunteers of Art of Living global family.

Guru is not a personality, but a presence … He is NOT a Vyakti but a Shakti. With every breath I take I thank Him for holding our hands and guiding us through our journey…for being our light of knowledge and wisdom.
It is said that the greatest blessing is to have a living Master, and we truly are so so fortunate! I feel immensely grateful that I am walking this planet with, Poojya Gurudev. I bow down to the lotus feet of my Guru, who has filled my life with the nectar of love, service, fulfilment and beauty! A mere remembrance of the enlightened one can dissolve any kind of uncertainty, fear or anxiety and fill our hearts and consciousness with that unconditional loving presence! Life’s greatest pursuit is to find a Guru and YES, the greatest blessing is to have One.

Even when it was a gloomy pandemic for the whole world,
It is ONLY His knowledge …
That has kept the light lit in our lives.
Thank you for making US yours
Thank you for being the ray of hope in the darkest of times
Thank you for being an epitome of service
Thank you for imparting values through your wisdom, humour, and love
Thank you for guiding us on the path of peace, health, and well-being
Thank you for gifting SUDARSHAN KRIYA to millions around the world
through the Art of Living.
I am often asked how I came into Art Of Living.
Well, I come from a family where everyone was a Ramkrishna Mission devotee. I tried that path…I was still thirsty. My grandmother was a Sanyasin who gave ‘Diksha Mantra’ to many. I guess I had it in my genes… I was searching… searching for my Guru. I had done quite an amount of Spiritual shopping…

I tried SRF by Paramahansa Yogananda, visited Putaparthi, met Sri Sathya Sai Baba…. Still something was missing. And then my husband fell ill with a rare kind of rheumatism. It crippled him with pain. And blew the light out of our lives, emotionally. He became bedridden. The year was 2000, and a dear friend of ours registered my husband’s name for this new “Workshop” that was happening in the neighbourhood for “wellbeing”. My husband refused to go claiming how can ‘breathing techniques’ take away my pain?
Since a payment was done, I went and sat in the “Course”.
And that was it.
There was no looking back after that.
The course rekindled my faith in the goodness of life. The anger and sarcasm born out of harsh experiences of life was replaced by faith that it is possible to live the values of love, sharing, compassion, honesty and selfless service. Something very deep in me was touched, filling me with a joy and bliss I had never experienced before. It was a fantastic experience. I felt my whole being was empowered with a newfound energy! In a month’s time my husband did the course unquestioningly. Within a month of this, I was sitting in an Advance Meditation Course and in three months I was visiting the Art of Living International Centre Bangalore to participate in the Advance Meditation course in the presence of Sri Sri Himself.

The day I arrived at the Ashram I knew I had reached home! And the minute my eyes saw Him from afar, a delicate looking person, clad in white with a radiant smile and an unusual simple personality, tears started rolling down my cheeks. I was not sad but I did not know the source of these tears. I met my Guru. The love that He radiated and the expression in His eyes was a completely new experience in my eyes and I knew I was perceiving the divine in a human form. Practicing Kriya everyday just changed our lives. My role as a professional Rabindrasangeet stage singer was totally replaced by one stage performance after another as a lead Art Of Living Satsang singer …. Singing for masses and in His presence.
My husband was totally healed, and being living evidence of that, we did not have to convince anyone about the benefits of the Art of Living Courses. We were soon organizing the biggest courses in no time. Almost miraculously we both got initiated by H.H. Sri Sri Ravishankar to become Art of Living teachers together and there began our journey with this most amazing organization called the Art of Living Foundation, with its luminous teachers & selfless volunteers, all spread across around the world in more than 156 countries. A true global family, it became a real-life experience for me with my Art of Living world family.

In an amazing turn of events, I continued to prosper and progress as an “Educator” from a schoolteacher to a lecturer and Head of the Humanities
Department, getting promoted from one role to the next and at the same time taking joyous strides along the path of spirituality. For the past two decade and a half of my association with The Art of Living, I have seen Poojya Gurudev work tirelessly day after day, to make this world a stress free & violence free place. I have seen him travel from town to town and country to country sharing his message of love and peace, teaching people how to live happy & healthy lives and giving hope of a better tomorrow to the world. And when the Pandemic hit the planet, Gurudev recognized that the fear and anxiety of the pandemic, the stress from the lockdown and isolation and how the uncertainty about the economy, jobs and future were affecting people’s mental health and well-being. He immediately launched the #WorldMeditates campaign. Millions around the world have been reached on social and broadcast media through these efforts. Relentlessly He conducted two guided meditations every single day online since March 22 nd , 2020 and statistics says that over 37 million people have viewed him online, since the lockdown.

In 2007 we moved countries, left India and settled in Canada, but settling down in a new country was not at all a challenge as we were wrapped in His Grace. One miracle after another followed and life continued to be a celebration. In the years that I have been with Art of Living, I have felt complete with a purpose in life. I feel everything I have ever wanted to know and needed in my life was present on this path. Service, Knowledge, Love, Celebration, Peace, and Happiness. I feel so blessed to have discovered the Art of Living and most importantly Poojya Gurudev.
Friends have often asked me how The Art of Living has impacted me.

I often fumble. Only because it is tough to express how the organization unites us to reach higher and unleash our innate talents, gifts, and skills.
Even though I moved countries, it really did not matter. I started teaching Art of Living Courses in Toronto. In my workplace at Humber College, I started the “I Meditate Humber” project, leading Satsangs, conducting ‘Breath and Meditation’ workshops for my colleagues who are professors, staff and students across College campuses prior to and during the pandemic and leading the chanting session for ‘Billion Chants to Heal the World’. Thus, responding to His clarion call to light the hearts and minds of people, as best as I could, spreading ways and means to combat mental health issues during this monstrous pandemic.

The Art of Living with Gurudev’s immense Blessings has brought out the best talents and qualities in me. It amazes me again and again how this global family has been able to unify the brightest, most brilliant volunteers (who are all Gurudev’s devotees) from around the globe in truly unparalleled projects. Being part of a supportive, like-minded community of volunteers who can help you more quickly and easily catalyse your dreams is worth far more than any of my life experiences. If there is one thing we get excited about at the Art of Living, it’s actually witnessing the brilliance of the global community of volunteers. Where each one’s personal lives have been impacted by “Sudarshan Kriya” and meditation, so, they are ready to share with others. And this is a secret we all carry in our hearts across the globe. What I truly marvel about Gurudev is that He does not keep us dependent on Him. It is not true that life has always been a cakewalk. Life kept throwing hurdles at us. But doing Sudarshan Kriya and becoming meditators empowered us to solve the riddles of life, untangling the knots of ‘samsara’ because our awareness was raised to a level where we could see the truth for ourselves.

Today, as part of His global initiative of ‘I Stand for Peace’ I see myself as
someone who has a role to play. If enough people say ‘I Stand for Peace’ then that collective energy and vision can create ripples of peace across the planet. To conclude all I want to say is that, life is terribly busy, it can be very tough to find time to do an Art Of Living course. Honestly, please make the time. Give it a shot, come learn the life-transforming breathing techniques and experience the unfathomable benefits of meditation. Remember you and only you are responsible for making your life beautiful, so that your presence becomes peaceful to all those around you, wherever you are, your home, with friends or at work.

Sanjukta Das
Happiness Course Teacher
Toronto, Canada

I visited Mumbai ( then called Bombay) for a wedding when I was 18. It was monsoon season and in the mornings about 20 of us would gather around a blazing pump kerosine stove waiting for hot tea to be served in cup and saucer. When the mother of the house poured tea directly from the big saucepan into individual cups, it invariably overflowed. 

I watched, wonder-eyed, for the first time that everyone drank from the saucer the tea that had overflowed from the cup. 

Recently I read a poem on social media comparing the overflowed tea to overflowing grace. It set my fire of gratitude too ablaze and here I let my heart speak…. 

1998 September was when You sent an indication that You will enter my humble life. 

Then I suddenly lost my younger brother in November 1998 and became distraught like a rudderless ship. 

Two months of wallowing in grief and ‘You happened’ through Eye-gazing process of the Basic Course. 

I saw my brother in every pair of eyes I gazed into and also realized he was in a much happier space. 

I was thrown into an ocean of love that is nothing but ‘ I am’! 

Ever since, I am drinking from my saucer b’coz my cup overflowed! 

All eleven kinds of love that You have explained to us so simply and lovingly in Narada Bhakti Sutras is experienced by me, moving from the scenery to the Seer, ‘ I am Love’! 

The sum total of all wordly love, the Divine Love could manifest in my life only because You chose me to walk the path. My throat chokes ‘ Why me?! ‘, then ‘ Why not me? ! ‘. 

Ever since, I am drinking from my saucer b’coz my cup overflowed! 

I have always been aware of a pair of unseen hands holding and protecting me, a divine power that would not let me down. 

You taught me to invest my 100 percent and surrender with ‘ Let Thy Will be done’. Such freedom and fearlessness in the realization that divine is my only security. 

Ever since, I am drinking from my saucer b’coz my cup overflowed! 

This Gurupurnima, I recognize for the umpteenth time, the grace that has showered my life with bliss. 

I recognize all the divine souls from the Art of Living family as well as ‘ Yet to enter the Art of Living family’ who have contributed for my growth and have loved and continue to love me unconditionally in their own unique way. 

They all make me drink from my saucer b’coz my cup has overflowed. 

Words fail to verbalize the mysterious ways in which You grant the trivial wishes my small mind indulges in at times into something so magnanimous that I feel blinded to take it all in. Awestruck, I continue to drink from my saucer b’coz my cup keeps overflowing! 

Jai Gurudev! 

Leela Ramesh

Bangalore

Jai Gurudev,

My wife and I met in Art Of Living, and it was always our dream to get married at the Art of Living International Center Bengaluru, in Gurudev’s presence. We met in 2011 and many many Guru Stories happened in our life, but fast forward to this specific one, we were planning our India wedding and were coordinating with the Ashram on what dates Gurudev will be there around end of year. We got guidance of early December, and potentially December 6. We were told it’s not a guarantee but Gurudev is scheduled to be in Ashram that day.

We started preparation for our wedding, booking the beautiful locations, arranging accommodation for our guests, confirming the food menus, the environment is so so Sattvic. We and our families were just thrilled that our guests, who don’t know as much about Art Of Living, will get to experience this and see Gurudev.

For me, in my life, my biggest wealth is Gurudev. He is my everything. In an Indian wedding, usually there’s a lot of show and tell, the best outfits, locations, etc. Folks love to show the world their wealth. For me, it’s always been Gurudev, so having Him at my wedding meant the world to me, because He is my biggest wealth 🙂

One week prior to the wedding we got to know Gurudev may be traveling on Dec 6 but not confirmed. We arrived in the Ashram 3 days before our wedding and got the news that Gurudev definitely can’t come as He had a last minute trip to Jammu on Dec 5 and from there He’s directly going to Chennai on Dec 6 for public programs and events. I felt a bit bad but also understood that He has so much important work in society and He is needed in many places. We requested if we could anyway take His blessings before the wedding and have our parents invite Him as a token of gratitude. We got an appointment on Dec 3, we go in there to meet Him, He blessed us and asked details about the wedding, and then I asked “Gurudev will you be there?” And He said “Yes! I will come”. We were shocked, the whole wedding and Ashram team too did not know what was going on.

On December 6 at 10am my Master, the Guru of this universe, walks into our wedding, gave us gifts, made us exchange garlands, clicked a family picture, met all our guests and showed His immense love. It was truly one of the most special moments of my life.

Later in the day someone shared that Gurudev left from Jammu at 10pm on the previous night and took a connecting flight via Delhi to get to the Ashram by 4am. All this only to come for the weddings happening on that day and then He left immediately around 12pm for Chennai. WOW! He literally gave up on a whole night of rest and changed His schedule to be there for my big day 🙂

Now, I am just a regular devotee, like millions others, and He literally goes out of His way to be there for me. He truly is special, His love and His care for us is unmatchable. He always says “I’m anyway with you”, and that is true. He is with us, helping us sail through life with a joy and love. He is our lucky charm, our biggest wealth.

Love,
Kunal

My name is Francis D’Souza. I did my Art Of Living course in August 2017. I’m now teaching Yoga full-time and serving society. I always had a dream to understand the source of Ganga and experience the spiritual source of the Self.

It was in Uttarakhand. I happened to plan a visit to Gangotri unaware of anything in the region, unaware about travel. I just took a local bus and reached Uttarkashi. Due to the ongoing pandemic, there were a lot of restrictions in place during that time. However, an Art of Living volunteer somehow came to my help and hosted me in Uttarkashi. I shared with him my desire to visit Gangotri.

He was of the opinion that it would be extremely difficult to reach Gangotri but my faith and longing to visit the very origin of the Holy Ganges was intense. I prayed to Gurudev expressing my intense desire. A few moments later, an Art of Living teacher reached out to me. He shared the contact of a priest in Gangotri while again reiterating that it would be incredibly difficult to reach Gangotri amidst the heavy border restrictions.

I still somehow managed to reach the border and prayed to Gurudev again. Suddenly, I got the contact of the district incharge and he agreed to let me in Gangotri district for doing Seva (service to humanity)

As I continued my journey, I realised that the cellular network was no longer available and the kind samaritan who had offered me a lift had to go the other way. I was left alone and still had a distance of more than 8 kms to reach the temple. I felt helpless as I would have to make that journey completely on foot and without any network coverage in case of emergencies.

But with prayers and faith, I continued walking ahead. Suddenly, an army officer approached me out of nowhere and joined me on the walk. He mentioned that there were tiger attacks happening in the area and it would be better to walk together as the sun was about to set. After walking for a kilometer, we got a lift from vehicle which was carrying vegetables for locals at Gangotri. I was shocked to receive all this help when just a few moments back, I had no hope of meeting anyone in the arduous journey.

As I finally reached Gangotri temple, the priests welcomed me. He told me that they were all waiting for Gurudev to visit the temple. The helpful priest offered me food and accommodation. He said that everything upto that point which helped me reach Gangotri was for a purpose. This purpose was to convey the intense desire of the local people to welcome Gurudev in Gangotri — where Ganga descended from Heaven.

Once Guruji was returning to the German Ashram from Caracas, Venezuela. However, due to unavailability of a direct flight to Frankfurt, he landed in Paris before going to the Ashram.

It was a surprise visit for all Parisians. It also happened to be Guruji’s birthday according to the Hindu calendar. So a surprise satsang with a cake was planned in the hotel where he was staying. At around 6 pm, about 150 people had gathered, who had about 1 hour notice to reach the venue. It was a beautiful, intimate satsang and birthday party. One of the volunteers asked Guruji, “How did this plan for Paris come up?”. It seemed like a very mundane question.

Here’s what Guruji said – “There are plans at many levels. There is a room plan, what colour to paint the walls, where to keep the flower vase? Then there is a house plan, street plan, city plan, country plan and so on at various levels of detail. The biggest plan is that we are all here at the same time, one in saudi arabia, one in Germany, one in Bangalore, but we are all here now. When and where we meet is the next level of planning. Often what we think is planned is not the real plan and what we don’t plan for, is the plan. Few months back, I went on an unplanned trip to Himachal Pradesh in India. I had gone to inaugurate a power plant and was supposed to return to Delhi by helicopter. Somehow, the helicopter had a problem, some valve was not ok. After trying three times to start it, the pilot said he did not want to take a risk anymore. So we decided to proceed by car. On the way, we stopped at a residence where there were close to 500 people waiting to meet me. There was an 80 year old lady in that house who shared that she really wanted to come and see me but could not because her health did not permit it. She was so grateful and happy that I came to her house. We then went to another house for lunch. There was a 3 year old child in that house who had been saying since 3 months back that Guruji is coming to our house in March. Nobody paid attention to her but I was there in that house on the 2nd of March. So, looks like perhaps this was the plan.”

At this point a lady in the satsang in Paris shared, “Guruji, Even I had a dream yesterday that I was sitting with you and sharing a meal”. Guruji had just given her a piece of cake to eat 

Few months ago while traveling in the local train in Mumbai, a lady who was seated next to me asked me to lend an extra pair of earrings to her, if I had any! She had to go for an interview. I didn’t have an extra pair and the ones that I wore were artificial but my favourite. However, I didn’t have any interview and could have gone to office without earrings too.

Almost instantly, I recalled an experience shared by Bhanu Didi in one of the books wherein Gurudev would distribute His belongings to the needy and come home with an empty bag. So I gave away the earrings that I wore as her interview seemed more important than my usual day at work.

In my heat, I knew that Gurudev would be aware of even this small incidence. With this earring gone, I could also now buy a pair of diamond earrings that I always wanted to have. However, the earrings that I gave away were really nice in terms of design and I couldn’t find them again. Today morning, I suddenly saw an old picture of mine with those earrings, and in my mind I asked Gurudev, “What About Me?”

I could faintly recall a story that Gurudev had shared during a knowledge talk wherein a mother would ask her child to distribute all the sweets among the needy. After everything was over, the child would come back to her mother and she would give him sweets that she must have kept aside for her child. This practice instills a sense of sharing in kids. I thought of this story and asked Gurudev, “Where Are My Earrings? I distributed them!”

And no prize for guessing. That very same day, in the evening, while I was on my way home, I found a vendor who was selling the same earrings (exactly same design and colour) and needless to say, I immediately bought the earrings :p

This might seem such a petty desire. But Gurudev takes care of such conversations, desires, questions too. If He takes care of such small issues, what makes us worry about any major issue in life! He is watching over!

Jai Gurudev 🙂

– Antewasi Krishna