Ashram

"The art of living is to gain this ability in life. It's very simple. Just a skill: the ability to free your mind of the past, to free your mind of the future fears, and to be able to play with every situation that is in front of you".

His Holiness Pujya Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

The Art of Living is a not-for-profit, educational and humanitarian NGO engaged in stress-management and service initiatives. Founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the organization has worked in 151 countries.

The organizational activities are 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.” To guide individuals to inner peace, the Art of Living offers stress-elimination programs, which include breathing techniques, meditation and yoga. These programs have helped millions around the world to overcome stress, depression and violent tendencies.

Bangalore Art of Living Ashram is a place which is so peaceful. It is magnificently beautiful and majestic. It feels like reaching home. The whole garbage of the mind is cleansed there and you come back totally recharged and rejuvenated. These are few of my pictures from my trip to the Ashram last year.

Standing in front of Vishalakshi Mandap

The Art of Living ashram is perched on a small hill, a part of the rambling landscape full of hills and dales. Spanning over a large area the complex includes offices, snack shop, dining hall, residential quarters, library, prayer hall, beautifully maintained lawns and an exquisitely constructed lotus-shaped tower. The ashram complex also houses a school, which caters to about 700 children from the nearby villages. Immense time and labor has gone into the making of this paradise on a piece of land that once used to be barren and rock strewn. A heavenly abode to all the visitors who wish to rejuvenate from their stress. 

Sumeru Mandap

I am not much of Salwar Kameez person. But in Ashram, I am a different person. This one has kashmiri hand embroidery work on it. And in ashram, I prefer no leather but a cloth bag- jhola.


Wisdom quotes by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

• "Spiritual blossoming simply means blossoming in life in all dimensions - being happy, at ease with yourself and with everybody around you."

• When there is boredom, there will be frustration also; they are twins. But if they dominate your life, that is misery. And if they just come as a fleeting moment and touches you and passes away, if they are like salt in your life, it's okay. It adds taste. But if the salt is taken for a meal, you have trouble.

• If you want to grow in Divine Love, you have to drop the pride and all the artificial walls that we build between ourselves and others. Through these walls, we keep judging others, and we think others are judging us.

• An uncommitted mind is miserable. A committed mind may at times experience rough weather but it will reap the fruits of its toil.

• The ultimate purpose of life is to be of service. 

• The sattvic intellect is one that just does the job joyfully and is unmindful of the results. Let things happen or not happen---either way they don't lose their enthusiasm.

• Abundance is a state of mind within you. If you just look at "lack," the lack increases in life. See what you have, and then abundance increases.

• "Faith is realizing that you always get what you need. Faith is a giving the Divine a chance to act."

• Whatever feeling is there in you at the moment, be with it one hundred percent. Share it with the Divine.

• Love is that phenomenon of dissolving, disappearing, merging, becoming one with the infinite. Love is that phenomenon of total letting go