World News
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar leads 12.1 million people from 150 countries in world’s largest collective meditation
More than 12.1 million participants across 150 countries joined a global meditation led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on UN-recognised World Meditation Day.
In what experts described as a landmark moment for global mental wellbeing, more than 12.1 million people from 150 countries came together for what was billed as the largest collective meditation in history, led by Indian spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on World Meditation Day.
World Meditation Day was formally adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2024 as an annual observance highlighting the role of meditation in promoting mental health, emotional balance and social harmony.
This year’s global observance was anchored at the United Nations Trusteeship Council in New York, where diplomats, senior UN officials and representatives of member states participated in a live guided meditation led by Gurudev. Simultaneously, millions more joined from cities and villages across India, Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia, creating a rare moment of shared stillness across continents.
Participants ranged from students, professionals and farmers to prison inmates in over 60 countries, with organisers emphasising the scale of collective silence rather than physical gatherings.
The global meditation coincided with the announcement of a first-of-its-kind international study on meditation and wellbeing, launched jointly by Gallup and The Art of Living Foundation ahead of World Meditation Day.
As part of the collaboration, Gallup will incorporate new meditation-related indicators into the Gallup World Poll, allowing for comparative, data-driven insights into how meditation impacts emotional health, life satisfaction and social wellbeing across populations worldwide.
Gallup’s recent findings indicate that negative emotions such as stress and worry remain persistently high across the globe, underscoring the need for scalable and preventive mental health interventions. The results of the new study are expected in December 2026 and could help inform public policy, education frameworks and workplace wellbeing initiatives.
India’s spiritual heritage was placed at the heart of the observance, with meditation presented not as a spiritual luxury but as a practical, evidence-based response to rising anxiety, burnout and societal stress.
Addressing the gathering at the United Nations, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, “Meditation is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity,” a message that resonated strongly among diplomats and grassroots participants alike.
Earlier, on December 19, Permanent Representatives from India, Sri Lanka, Andorra, Mexico and Nepal, along with other UN member states and agencies, had come together to mark World Meditation Day. The programme featured discussions on the role of meditation in addressing global social, political and mental health challenges, followed by Gurudev’s keynote address and guided meditation at the UN.
