Church rededicated as 'Art of Living' centre in Los Angeles
Bangalore, April 12, 2010.

A 100-year old church in Los Angeles, USA, a registered national historic monument, has been offered to the Art of Living foundation, for the latter to run its community service initiatives. Founder of Art of Living, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar inaugurated this new Centre, on Wednesday, April 14, 2010, in the presence of local political, business and community leaders. The new Art of Living Centre will offer yoga, meditation, and knowledge programs to the public and a series of cultural events and forums designed to build bridges of understanding between the city's diverse communities.

The new Center, a former church and registered national historic monument, first opened 100 years ago. Designed in a neo-classical style by famed architect Alfred Rosenheim, construction of the historic building began in 1907 and opened to the public in 1910. At the time of construction, it was the largest church on the West Coast of USA and featured what was then the world's largest poured concrete dome. The building was placed on the USA National Register of Historical Places in 1987.

On April 15, the Center will host a unique forum on corporate social responsibility called Business, Ethics and Spirituality with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, billionaire philanthropist John Paul DeJoria and professional skateboarder and MTV star Rob Dyrdek. The event, held in partnership with the prestigious University of Southern California, will be filmed for MTV. Further, Sri Sri will also give a discourse on the Upanishads to 1,100 people in the main sanctuary of the new Centre from April 15 - 17. During his visit, he will also address two world-class universities: UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and USC (University of Southern California).

As Sri Sri tours USA, more than 750 Los Angeles high school students are taking Art of Living's Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES). The program has helped thousands of high school students in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., turn away from gang violence, drugs and alcohol, and toward greater generosity and service.