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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar backs civic engagement at Harvard forum
The Indian spiritual leader criticized the United States' historically low voter turnout and stressed the need for greater civic consciousness.
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Pranavi Sharma - Wed, 09, Apr 2025
- 03:23 EDT
- 411
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Robert Waldinger discuss leadership and wellbeing at the JFK Fr. IOP Forum Apr.7 evening. / Hugo C. Chiasson
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the global humanitarian nonprofit Art of Living Foundation, urged students and community members to take greater responsibility for the well-being of their society—starting with themselves.
He emphasized the importance of civic participation, especially amid the rising political polarization in the United States.
The Indian spiritual leader was speaking at the Institute of Politics Forum at the Harvard Kennedy School on Apr.7, in a wide-ranging conversation touching on democracy, mindfulness, and mental health.
“Now, when the country is going through a tough time, this is the time for people to wake up and take active participation in their duties and responsibilities,” he was quoted as saying in The Harvard Crimson.
The forum was part of Harvard Student Wellbeing Week, an initiative launched in 2023 following recommendations by a university mental health task force. Shankar was joined by Dr. Robert Waldinger, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and professor at Harvard Medical School, in a dialogue that drew a large audience of students and faculty.
Shankar criticized the United States' historically low voter turnout and stressed the need for greater civic consciousness. “You know how many percentage of people in this country go really vote is very, very small when compared to many democracies,” he said. “I think this situation is a call for people to exercise their franchise and take more responsibility.”
Throughout the evening, Shankar returned to the role of individual well-being in shaping healthy societies. “Taking time to improve our perception and our expression is very essential to be successful in anything — whether it’s business or science or commerce or arts — and these meditation techniques help you to improve your perception, your observation, and your expression,” he said.
Founded in 1981, the Art of Living Foundation now operates in more than 180 countries and reaches over 120,000 students annually through its programs centered on meditation, yoga, and breathing techniques. One of its cornerstone practices is Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, a rhythmic breathing method that Shankar developed after a ten-day silent retreat in Shimoga, India.
“Just breathe,” he told the audience. “No one can say ‘I don’t have time to breathe.’”
Shankar explained that he designed his programs with modern pressures in mind. “Keeping in mind today’s busy schedule and all the pressure and responsibility that one has, we need something to be quick and short,” he said.
More than 100 studies—including research conducted at Stanford and Yale—have explored the effects of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga on stress reduction and emotional well-being.
From a scientific standpoint, Waldinger noted that humans are not naturally predisposed to calmness. “Our brains actually evolved to pay more attention to what’s wrong, to pay more attention to what’s out there that might harm us,” he said.
Shankar responded by drawing attention to the clarity of early life: “We were not like that when we were babies,” he said, adding that infants only cry when their basic needs are unmet. “I think that change is what all the wisdoms are keyed at.”
He stressed the need for regular practices—such as meditation and time in nature—that help reframe perception and build emotional resilience.
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