Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the spiritual teacher and humanitarian known to millions simply as Gurudev, joined Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour to talk about a subject many young people are struggling with in real time: the toll social media takes on the mind. As founder of the Art of Living Foundation, he brings decades of teaching on meditation and breath work to the conversation.
Rather than staying on the surface, the discussion moves into how anxiety, loneliness, and the constant pursuit of acceptance show up in daily life, and what tools, from breathing techniques to a shift in mindset, can help people find clarity and purpose again.
About Gurudev
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is widely recognized as a humanitarian and spiritual leader whose work promotes a vision of a more peaceful, less stressed world. Through the Art of Living Foundation, he has built programs and nonprofit organizations aimed at helping people connect beyond boundaries of gender, race, nationality, and religion.
One of his best-known contributions is the Sudarshan Kriya, a breathing technique designed to bring the body, mind, and emotions into balance. That practice, along with the Foundation's Sky Workshops now reaching students on campuses worldwide, is central to the wellbeing message he shared with Sean Kelly.
What Gurudev and Sean Kelly Talked About
- Why Gurudev sees social media fueling anxiety, loneliness, and short-term thinking in young people
- How the Sudarshan Kriya breathing technique aims to bring the mind and body into balance
- His approach to reframing negative thought patterns into a more constructive outlook
- How he connects personal stress to larger patterns of conflict and violence
- His perspective on recognizing which desires and goals are genuinely worth pursuing
- Why he emphasizes finding purpose beyond the pull of constant digital distraction
- How the Art of Living Foundation's Sky Workshops are reaching students on campuses worldwide
- His reflections on purpose and mortality, drawn from decades of spiritual teaching
Why This Conversation Matters
This conversation offers a rare pause inside a podcast built around business and pop culture. Gurudev's teachings on meditation, breath, and purpose speak directly to the pressures the episode opens with, giving listeners a grounded, globally respected perspective on navigating a distracted, anxious world.
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube
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About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
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