Art Of Living Foundation Offers Breathing Space
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For a long time, it was one. The edifice on the corner of West Adams Boulevard and Hoover Street housed the Second Church of Christ Scientist for a century. Pews still sit in the second-floor sanctuary, illuminated by light from the windows that circle the base of the dome.
But people no longer come here to worship. They come here to learn how to breathe.
“Breathing is a tool, a tool to remove the stresses that obscure the qualities that you are,” said Austin Myers, 56, director of the Art of Living Foundation in Los Angeles. “You are love. You are joy. It’s so simple, yet it’s so profound.”
The old Christian Science church in the heart of the historic West Adams District is now home to the West Coast headquarters of the Art of Living Foundation, which offers courses that are inspired by ancient Vedic writings and aimed at fostering a sense of well-being, self-awareness and self-control.
Soon, similar streamers could be displayed on the East Coast. The spiritual movement is spreading. Its International Center for Peace and Well-Being, encompassing 381 acres, is slated to officially open in July in Boone, North Carolina.
Classes at both locations — as well as centers around the world — are based on the teachings and techniques of Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of modern India’s most celebrated spiritual leaders. He started the international, nonprofit organization in 1981, launching its global operations eight years later. Since then, Art of Living has gained currency outside of India, where it was already popular.
Shankar’s teachings are largely based on Ayurveda, an ancient form of healing linked to Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. This alternative approach to medicine is rooted in writings of the Atharvaveda, one of the four Vedas, or primary sacred texts in Hinduism. The collection of stories, spells and charms discusses disease and treatment, particularly herbal remedies and mantras. It’s the first Hindu text to mention medicine.
But Art of Living describes itself as educational, humanitarian and nondenominational rather than religious. That’s part of its widespread appeal, according to Myers, who said adherents of different faiths use its teachings to complement their religious practices.
“It allows individuals to have their own spiritual experience,” she said.
According to its website, the volunteer-based organization has reached more than 300 million people in its operations in more than 150 countries. Shankar spends much of his time traveling between them.
In April, he’s slated to visit Los Angeles, leading classes and discussing the Upanishads, ancient Hindu philosophical texts. It will be his third visit to the center since it opened in spring 2010. In July, he’s scheduled to attend the dedication of the new North Carolina center.
It’s expected to be a big draw among followers, but likely not as big as the organization’s 25th anniversary in Bangalore in 2006, attended by some 2.5 million people and held at an airfield. A similar celebration was held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Dignitaries from around the world spoke at both events, praising Shankar’s message of peace and non-violence.
However, Shankar has been linked to the nationalist and allegedly militant Hindu right, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS. Several journalists have questioned his connections and last fall an Indian politician denounced Shankar as an agent of the RSS.
Shankar called that claim “totally baseless” in an exclusive with India’s 24-hour news television station NewsX, adding everyone’s welcome at Art of Living.
When Art of Living bought the old church and adjacent reading room at Hoover and West Adams at the end of 2009 it marked the foundation’s first permanent home in the Los Angeles area.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and located a few blocks north of the University of Southern California, the site lends itself to the foundation’s mission, Myers said.
“One hundred years of prayers and meditation has an effect on its environment,” she said. “When you walk into a building in the very busy city of Los Angeles at the junction of two very busy freeways and there is a deep silence, that is very unusual. And that’s very attractive to us. It’s a quality that would support what we teach, which is meditation and yoga and the practice of yogic breathing.”
Raised Christian Scientist, Myers got involved with Art of Living in 1996. She became the director of this center six months after it opened.
It’s a place where shoes are discarded at the door, the food is vegetarian, and everyone coming and going between the main building and smaller one behind it seems to be smiling.
Regular activities include Yogalicious, a weekly, drop-in yoga class and meal for $5. Longer courses, like the “Art of Living” core class, are typically held over the weekend for $250.
Some 300 people regularly participate in programming, Myers said. More than 2,300 “like” the center on Facebook.
“It’s a very happy place,” said John Watt, 54, a Seal Beach businessman who’s part of a core group of about 40 volunteers.
His spiritual journey meandered through Catholicism, Christianity, Zen Buddhism and other faiths until he finally found Art of Living, which he describes as “a celebration of life.”
He took the foundational course after learning about it from a friend in the mid 1990s. Now, he practices yoga and meditation.
“I smile more,” he said.
So does Bhairavi “Vivi” Tolani, who’s pursuing a doctorate degree in molecular biology at USC. The 30-year-old from Mumbai grew up in a Sindhi household but considers herself “a non-religious Hindu.” She takes part in breathing exercises at the center most Sunday mornings.
“I don’t know how I would finish my degree without it,” she said. “It’s like a vacuum cleaner that helps you get rid of all the junk. You are left feeling so much lighter."
