The Official Website of his holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Beijing: Yoga made an "official debut" in China on Sunday as Sri Sri Ravishankar, the renowned Indian spiritual guru, inaugurated his first 'Art of Living' centre with the sanction of the Chinese government in the capital.

Yoga, the quintessential Indian spiritual and cultural form that is increasingly becoming popular here, took centre stage as the Art of Living branch was opened at a sprawling Chinese resort on the outskirts of the capital.

The function was attended among others by representatives of Chinese Peoples Association of Friendship of Foreign Countries, a government backed body which invited the Indian spiritual guru.

The resort resonated with music 'Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu' as few hundred enthusiasts attended the specially organised function where Sri Sri briefly performed yoga and meditation.

A disease free body, violence free society, confusion free mind, inhibition free intellect, sorrow free soul, trauma free memory are the birth right of every human being and modern societies have become so stressful that people look for wisdom to find peace with themselves, said the Indian spiritual leader, a well-known exponent of the ancient practice, while addressing the crowd.

India and China shared a long history of wisdom, he said, adding that the Chinese martial art forms like Kung Fu and Tai Chi have become famous all over the world.

Similarly, India's age old practices of yoga and meditation have become relevant all over the world to de-stress people, bringing peace and happiness, he said.

He received biggest applauds when he thanked the ruling Communist Party for granting permission to start his centre.

Read the article on Zee News.