Sri Sri Ravi Shankar supports tackling mental health epidemic, addressing Delaware General Assembly

2 Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressing Delaware General Assembly

Vinesh Virani

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Global humanitarian, peace envoy and spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressed the Delaware State Senate and Delaware House of Representatives on May 10, 2022, as part of his 2022 US tour.

Gurudev’s address was focused on dealing with mental health challenges and establishing peace. He highlighted the importance of using one’s own breath to achieve inner peace and mental wellbeing. He offered his unequivocal support to make Delaware the Happiest State by committing to tackle mental health issues across all sections of the community – including students, veterans, prison inmates, physicians, professionals and more.

“I am with you. Volunteers of Art of Living are ready to serve the entire population of Delaware and make it a model state for mental wellbeing in the country.” said Gurudev. 

He is the first spiritual leader from India to address Delaware General Assembly and receive tributes from the members of house and senate.

“We are proud to honor and thank Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s humanitarianism, spiritual leadership and commitment to peace here in the United States and across the world.” Mentioned John Carney, Governor and Bethany Hall-Long, Lieutenant Governor in their joint tribute recognizing Art of Living’s work.

Gurudev’s 2022 US tour began in Miami where he addressed a conference of physicians on the role of meditation for mental health and overall well-being. He continued to Boston where he shared his thoughts about de-stigmatizing mental health at Harvard University. This was followed by a dialogue with healthcare providers and administrators on prioritizing healthcare workforce well-being hosted by Children’s National Hospital and the National Geographic Society.

He then spoke on the crisis of youth mental health with the U.S. Surgeon General at George Washington University. Before arriving in Delaware, Gurudev launched the ‘I Stand for Peace’ campaign in Washington, D.C. on May 6th. He also launched the initiative in Philadelphia on May 8th with a pledge for Philadelphia to be a “Peace City” and a roll out of programs to strengthen mental health, resilience and overall wellness indicators within our community. Both the events were attended by more than 2,000 people.

“It is often found that people with a negative mindset are more active than those with a positive one. The time has come for the voice of peace to be heard loud and clear and we should feel proud to take that action,” appealed Gurudev.

The Art of Living Foundation and International Association for Human Values (IAHV) organization founded by Gurudev have done substantial work in local communities across the country to remove stigma around mental health as well as create peace, reduce violence and build harmony in the society.

2 Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressing Delaware General Assembly
2 Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressing Delaware General Assembly

IAHV has Taught stress management and resilience skills to over 3000 healthcare professionals during the Covid Pandemic through the Healing Breaths program Begun a resilience skills program for Congressional members and staff Worked with inner city communities and police departments to build mutual trust and create harmonious societies

Helped thousands of veterans build resilience and overcome PTS through our program Project Welcome Home Troops Reduced recidivism in prisons by working with more than 80,000 inmates Reduced violence and promoted well-being amongst more than 120,000 students in 225 schools across 26 states Taught 127,000 students in 101 university campuses who reported improvement in depression, stress, mental health and social connectedness.

In addition, Art of Living programs have trained thousands to take care of their mental health by adopting its powerful breathwork – SKY Breath Meditation.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a global humanitarian, spiritual leader, and peace envoy, who has been teaching breath-based meditation techniques for health and well-being for more than 40 years.

Through Gurudev’s programs, millions of people worldwide have found peace and resilience in the face of adversity. He has thus inspired a wave of volunteerism and service, resulting in the growth of one of the largest volunteer-based organizations in the world, with more than 30,000 teachers and over one million volunteers engaged in service projects in 156 countries.

Standing for the Gandhian principles of non-violence, Gurudev has also mediated and progressed negotiations for peace in conflict-stricken areas such as Sri Lanka, Iraq, Venezuela, and Colombia, where he is credited for playing a central role in ending the violent 52-year conflict between FARC and the Colombian government.

Operating in 156 countries, The Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) is a non-profit, educational and humanitarian organization founded in 1981 by the humanitarian and spiritual leader SriSri Ravi Shankar. All of AOLF’s programs are inspired by Gurudev’s philosophy of creating world peace through a stress-free and violence-free society.

IAHV offers programs to reduce stress and develop leaders so that human values can flourish in people and communities. Its initiatives help foster a sense of connectedness and respect for all people and the natural environment, an attitude of non-violence, and an ethic of social service.