Art of Living Foundation / Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The Art of Living Foundation was founded in 1981 in Bangalore, India by Ravi Shankar (born 13 May 1956 in Papanasam, Tamil Nadu), who took the religious name 'Sri Sri Ravi Shankar' or 'Gurudev'. Ravi Shankar reported a 1981 ten-day silent retreat experience on the banks of the Bhadra River in Karnataka during which he received the Sudarshan Kriya — a specific rhythmic breathing technique that became the foundation's distinctive teaching. The Sudarshan Kriya is taught in the foundation's flagship Happiness Programme (also called 'Part 1' or YES! Plus), a 4-6-day intensive course offered in 180+ countries.

The Art of Living Foundation has grown to substantial scale: claimed total reach of 500+ million people through course participation; approximately 30,000 teachers globally; the international headquarters at the Art of Living Bangalore ashram (founded 1986) hosting approximately 1,500 residential consecrated-monastic 'rishis' and 'swamis'. Major activities include: (a) the Happiness Programme (basic course), Advanced Programme, Sri Sri Yoga, and various derivative courses; (b) the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) humanitarian arm; (c) Sri Sri University and Sri Sri School educational institutions; (d) the World Culture Festival mass-event series.

Documented coercive-control concerns are moderate. (1) Course intensification: the Happiness Programme combines 4-6 days of breath-work, group bonding, lecture content, and emotional release in a documented intensive format that Skywalker (pseudonym, long-running ex-AOL blogger), Rhonda Love's Dangerous Persuaders, and academic researchers have analysed as producing rapid in-group attachment. (2) 'Guru dakshina' financial extraction: members are expected to make significant donations to the organisation under the framing of guru-disciple tradition; investigative coverage by The Economic Times, The Caravan, and Outlook India (2010-2020) has documented six-figure donations from individual members. (3) Multi-tier course pressure: graduates of the basic Happiness Programme are heavily encouraged into Advanced Programme, teacher-training, and 'swami' / 'brahmacharya' residential consecration. (4) Health and medical concerns: Sudarshan Kriya has been documented to produce psychotic-break episodes in some practitioners with prior psychiatric history; the foundation's response has been criticised as inadequate. (5) 2016 Yamuna World Culture Festival environmental controversy: the 3-day mass event hosted on the Delhi Yamuna riverbed in March 2016 caused substantial documented ecological damage; the National Green Tribunal imposed a Rs 5 crore fine and ongoing remediation costs.

The coercive-control profile is moderate rather than extreme — there is no documented residential severance from family, no severance enforcement on exit, and the organisation operates substantially in the public mainstream (Ravi Shankar has received many state honours including the Padma Vibhushan in 2016). The CLCI 21 (High, lower boundary) reflects the documented Happiness Programme intensification patterns, the guru dakshina financial extraction, the multi-tier course pressure, and the documented psychotic-break health concerns, while recognising the bulk of the organisation's participant base experiences AOL as a low-control wellness-and-yoga programme.