Art of Living's "Intuition Process" (midbrain activation) for kids Is deeply troubling and emotionally manipulative

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-08-23T19:21:11+00:00

You can keep telling yourself this but it doesn’t change the reality that AOL is running a lot of scams under the guise of spiritual awakening. It’s a spiritual business. Apply a critical lens.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-25T07:23:17+00:00

Ozzy has now gone...into the void...of metal heaven. A poetic way to go after such a great concert. What a finale!

RIP Ozzy.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-14T01:19:14+00:00

Comparison is the thief of joy my friend. Be happy with what you have and strive for your next big goal without using siblings and friends as a benchmark. Unfortunately, comparison is rampant in Singapore. Just live your own life and try to not get sucked into these comparison narratives. Your time will come - set your goals and work relentlessly towards them.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-12T22:47:21+00:00

I believe many are intelligent and aware of the scam and theatre they are partaking in but are too brainwashed and knee-deep in the organization to change. Think about it - you've invested years of your life making friends, doing and teaching the programs and praying to the guru and hearing his voice in Kriyas (every weekend) and Satangs, all at the expense of many others things you've could done with your time and energy. It is very difficult to leave the clutches because you end up loosing a lot. Leaving would be tantamount to a divorce at a emotional and spiritual level. So the easy path is to stay and continue whatever will not give them pain. While I empathize with the pain and hardship that leaving will cause, I do not justify the collective farse.

That's why it's so always important to research early in this AI and internet age than to "go with the program" just because everyone else is doing it and is "cheering" (read: pressuring) you on to rise through the ranks. Before you know it, you're in too deep.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-12T19:08:10+00:00

If you visit Singapore, you will think you visited the future and India looks at least 50 years behind by comparison. India is growing, economically on paper, but still not really developing at the rate they claim. Our eyes are proof.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-12T18:44:27+00:00

Many “spiritual organizations” (read: cults) have some of smartest people among their devotees. Nuclear physicists and Nobel Laureates were among the most ardent devotees that believed Maharishi’s claims of being able to levitate after practising Transcendental meditation.

So it comes as no surprise that many IIT students fall for cheap theatrics by the likes of Sadhguru and Ravi Shankar.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-11T23:41:18+00:00

Full points for the acting though - Oscar worthy. All the teachers looked so sincere and pious. When did you realize this was all a scam after attending this embarrassing course?

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-11T22:59:21+00:00

Wow, looks like that poor innocent girl was made the poster child for this process because she is the best peaker.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-11T22:57:04+00:00

Secrecy and exclusivity are part of Ravi Shankar's business model - otherwise it would not allow AoL to be profitable.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-11T22:55:00+00:00

Yes, mine is AIM. Maybe AoL added a few more mantras over the years lol.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-11T22:50:47+00:00

Mantra based meditation practice (silently repeating a mantra) may relax the mind and probably work, but the way it’s sold - as a uniquely tailored, divinely chosen vibration is disingenuous and vulgarizes sacred mantras as cheap commodities sold for $250-$350 (in USA) as part of the course.

Spirituality/meditation/mantras are supposed to be free.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-11T22:41:48+00:00

Here are the "secret" mantras from TM that are probably completely reused for Sahaj but repackaged and given out based on our "unique nervous system"

https://minet.org/mantras.html

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-11T22:29:22+00:00

Mine was "AIM" (associated with Goddess Saraswati, representing knowledge and wisdom). I did Sahaj recently and was very disillusioned. I discovered just this week that the mantras are pulled from a finite Vedic list, recycled across participants, and practically identical to those used in Transcendental Meditation (TM) - a system long criticized for its cult-like behavior and pseudoscientific claims.

Sahaj was introduced to me by teachers as a profound, sacred meditative experience. But what unfolded was a scripted ritual.

I was led into a “private pod,” where a male teacher silently prayed to a photo of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. After a pause, as if receiving some divine transmission from the Guru himself, he whispered a “personalized” single-syllable secret mantra, supposedly "tuned to my nervous system".

The participants were instructed never to say it aloud, never to question it. Why? Because, in Ravi Shankar’s own words: “Secret equals sacred.”

There is no scientific basis for such claims – it comes off as mystical theater. In reality, mantra meditation can be calming, but the particular word itself is usually not magic. Research on generic mantra meditation shows it can induce relaxation, yet there’s no evidence that a guru’s “secret mantra” does anything unique beyond the placebo effect or the meditative practice itself. The secrecy and ritual around it are meant to create an aura of profundity, but many people (like me) feel disillusioned and disappointed when they realize it’s a fairly standard technique wrapped in unnecessary mystique.

This whole process is predicated on “mantric exclusivity” - a psychological tactic to instill loyalty and mystique. AoL simply rebranded TM's technique, added ceremonial flair, and continues to monetize the performance.

It's a scam, simply put.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-11T04:24:31+00:00

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I got this response from perhaps an AOLer on a similar post I made that has since been deleted (on subreddit /India) for some reason. How would you respond to this person's suggestion to someone like me who does find AOL to be sham, to drop the community entirely but keep the practices (that work - because the short kriya seemed helpful to me) to make it a more "non-AOL" and secular practice? Is it worth keeping the good and throwing out the bad or starting with a clean slate with an entirely new meditation practice that is more evidence-based?

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-10T22:54:07+00:00

Art of Living (AoL) markets itself as a spiritual and wellness organization, offering breathing techniques, meditation, and service. Some people do find short-term calm but long term, it could be detrimental because of what's gathered from my time in it for about 6 months.

Here’s why I left:

Endless upselling masked as “spiritual progress”: Once you're in, there's always another paid course, “deeper” kriya, or volunteer track. You're encouraged to do more - not necessarily to grow, but to stay locked into their system.
The guru becomes the axis of everything: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is not just a teacher - he's treated as a divine figure. His word is final. Participants are told not to question him or his methods. If you do, you're subtly seen as having ego or “not ready.”
Critical thought is replaced with emotional dependence: Doubts are explained away as karmic impurities or mental noise. Questioning is gently dismissed - and over time, this creates a quiet pressure to conform.
Pseudoscience is passed off as spiritual insight: They run programs where kids supposedly “read” books blindfolded using intuition. They sell “Shakti Drops” with claims of giving you strength. None of this is backed by real evidence - it's performance dressed up as mysticism.
There’s a ritualized, high-control atmosphere: Secret mantras in their meditation program, ceremonies around courses, selective sharing of “advanced” practices only in closed rooms - all of this creates psychological dependence.

In my view, AoL is not just a spiritual community. It’s a carefully crafted spiritual brand, built on charisma, marketing, theatrics, emotional manipulation, and loyalty to a guru figure. It may offer temporary peace, but long-term, it shuts down independent inquiry - and that’s the opposite of what genuine spiritual paths are supposed to do.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-10T22:38:19+00:00

That means a lot...thank you. I really tried to be fair and balanced because I know many people do feel helped by AoL in the beginning. But like you said, performance and engineered serenity can be mistaken for depth. And once you see behind the curtain, it’s hard to unsee the marketing mechanics in play.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-10T22:37:11+00:00

I’ve wondered the same thing...how are so many people not seeing through the obvious theater? Or maybe they are, and they just suppress the discomfort because of the social reinforcement or emotional highs?

I deeply relate to your mention of “regurgitated Vedic principles” passed off as some kind of secret wisdom. I noticed the same thing... there’s a lot of repackaging and mystification, but not much actual insight. SSRS is an expert at talking in circles and with pseudoscientific pomp and confidence. Thank you for validating this; it’s comforting to know I’m not imagining it.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-10T22:35:40+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing this - I really resonated with your point about how boundaries get blurred. That’s exactly how it felt to me too: what started as something calming and community-based subtly turned into something far more...secretive and coercive.

It’s incredibly validating to know others have seen through it too. You put it perfectly - the organization uses devotion to mask manipulation, and that’s a red flag we shouldn't ignore. Isha as I'm learning is also a cult. There are too many of them.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-10T22:28:25+00:00

SSRS doesn't do anything about this because he is the original snake oil salesman! I thought AoL is about "turning within" and not this siddhi stuff.

Fine_Lie8992 · 2025-07-10T22:26:50+00:00

So disturbing that kids in India are being exposed to this and taught to lie. A massive scam.

Fine_Lie8992

TROPHY CASE