Art of Living Foundation

The Art of Living Foundation is a nonprofit organization set up for educational, charitable, and humanitarian projects. It offers and conducts courses and programs that care for the individuals and the world, eliminate suffering, reduce stress, restore human values, offer a sense of belonging in a troubled world, and encourage people to come together in a nonviolent society of divine inspiration.

 

The United States Foundation holds Consultative status with the United Nations relating to health, education, conflict resolution, and humanitarian services. The Art of Living Foundation conducts programs, courses, events, and workshops to teach individuals techniques to improve their lives and the communities in which they live.

 

The Foundation uses its proceeds from programming and charitable activities to sponsor and support international programs for disaster relief worldwide. The Art of Living Foundation conducts a series of educational programs to enhance the physical, emotional and spiritual well being of each individual. These include such teachings and techniques as Sudarshan Kriya, a powerful breathing technique that uses rythmatic breaths to detoxify the body to infuse every atom with energy. This is combined with mediation, knowledge of the mind, and practical skills to live gracefully and successfully. These skills combine yoga, special meditations, breathing, group processes, spiritual knowledge, social activism and social responsibilities. The Foundation conducts Youth programs that empower youth to live life in appreciation of those human values common to all cultures: nonviolence, compassion, caring, enthusiasm, service to others. Core components are Stress management (breath and yoga), human values (nonviolence and enthusiasm, compassion and belonging for human beings), and service (community responsibilities and leadership skills) The Art of Living Foundation also conducts Prison Programs to deliver the common values and upliftment necessary for criminal justice, works with government and probations services to educate incarcerated persons. The Foundation provides assistance in Drug Rehabilitation Programs and various AIDS Programs throughout the country. Mounting research suggests that stress, depression, and anxiety are factors in a wide variety of illnesses. Reducing stress strengthens immune systems, reduces cholesterol, increases antioxidant protection, enhances brain function, and enhances health generally. The intelligent use of breathing techniques improves brain function, stress hormones, tension and blood lactate, immune systems, antioxidant enzymes, cholesterol, depression and anxiety.