Ahead of the 11th International Yoga Day, spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shared exclusive insights with India Today on the true essence of yoga and meditation. He emphasised that while yoga has gained immense global popularity as a form of physical exercise, its deeper purpose is often overlooked. According to him, yoga is incomplete without meditation, which serves as a gateway to inner calm and mental balance.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, explained that many people view yoga merely as stretching and physical fitness, missing the spiritual and mental benefits. “If you do proper yoga and add meditation to it, you’ve got it,” he said, highlighting that meditation completes the practice.
He praised India’s role in popularising yoga worldwide, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in promoting International Yoga Day as a key factor in making yoga a mainstream global phenomenon. “Our honourable Prime Minister has taken this step and made sure that he himself sat and did the yoga. Since then, it has inspired a lot of people to join,” he noted.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also clarified common misconceptions about meditation. Many believe meditation means controlling or focusing the mind intensely, but he said meditation is actually about conscious relaxation. “Meditation is not an exercise to focus or control your mind. Most people think meditation is concentration, and so they try to control the mind. But concentration is a byproduct of meditation,” he explained.
He acknowledged that beginners often struggle with meditation, feeling their minds are too restless. “A lot of people think they can’t meditate, they say they can’t sit still or that their mind is too full of thoughts. But that’s natural. Meditation doesn’t mean having a clean slate in your mind. That’s a myth,” he reassured.
For those wanting to start meditating, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar recommended focusing on the breath, which acts as a bridge between the mind and body. “You can’t directly deal with the mind – it’s abstract. But the breath is something in between. When you’re happy, you breathe differently. When agitated, you breathe differently. So start with breathing, alternate nostril breathing, Bhastrika, and then sit and relax,” he said.
He also pointed to scientific studies validating meditation’s benefits, including reducing anxiety, lowering stress hormone cortisol, and improving overall well-being. To make meditation accessible, he has created over 300 guided meditations available through apps and teachers worldwide.
In summary, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar urges people to embrace meditation alongside yoga to experience its full transformative power — a message especially timely as the world celebrates International Yoga Day.
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