SUDARSHAN KRIYA
THE STRESS RELEASE PROGRAMME GEARED TO OUR TIMES
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‘Sudarshan Kriya’ is a process of rhythmic breathing which the internationally renowned spiritual leader His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shared with humanity after emerging from a ten day period of silence (‘Maun’) in 1981.He says that the breath is the link between mind, emotions and body. Breathing, practiced in a controlled manner, can be used to advantage in order to attain positive changes in the mind body system in its totality.
‘Sudarshan Kriya’ helps in controlling a range of individual and societal / familial problems, controlling anger, reducing and eliminating violent headaches, curing depression, obsession, paranoia, and helping resolve character angularities, social aggression and building more all round empathy. The reason is logical and scientific. It enables the practitioner to release stress from every cell of his/her body, to breathe out toxins and negative emotions, and thus emerge refreshed and renewed with alert awareness. More than 20 million people worldwide have participated and benefited from ‘Sudarshan Kriya’ and its regular practice. Apart from practicing Short Kriyas at home, the guided weekly Long Kriyas are especially beneficial in uprooting deep rooted stresses and giving a boost to the immune system.
It is surprising how, firstly, so few people know or have even heard about ‘Sudarshan Kriya’. Secondly, how there are so many misconceptions about it, notwithstanding the millions of beneficiaries worldwide, with its Mother Organisation The Art of Living foundation being the largest NGO in the world, working in nearly 150 countries. Thirdly, it has successfully conducted innumerable volunteer based humanitarian projects/activities cutting across racial / political / geographical boundaries. The explanation perhaps lies in the unassuming and friendly personality of its founder and mainstay His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, well known for his vast knowledge and penchant for simple yet profound answers.
In his own words, as reported in the AIIMS Study Report on the Science of Breath, breath makes us move, think and exist. An intimate link exists between our thoughts, emotions and patterns of breath. Short breath indicates intense emotions like anger, excitement and fear. Long, deep and steady breath indicates a calm and intuitive mind. Feelings lead to sensations in the body which in turn are linked to the pattern of breath. Breath, Sri Sri says, is one of the mysteries of existence and the deeper mystery of our consciousness.
According to Dr. N.Kochupillai, Professor, Endocrinology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Pranayam represents the ebb and flow of life giving energy or ’Prana’. Prana is there in the current of our breath, in the flux of bioelectricity passing through axons and dendrites of nerve cells, as also in the energetics of biochemical reactions happening within and across cells, tissues and organ systems. According to Dr.Kochupillai, rhythmic breathing of Pranayam with focused awareness of the process possibly influences the brain stem reticular formation. Additionally, Dr.Manveer Bhatia, Associate Professor, Neurology, AIIMS, noted that computer based analysis of EEG done during Sudarshan Kriya Yoga(SKY) and Pranayam(P) among regular practitioners as also their resting EEG demonstrated changes in alpha, beta and theta activity and increase in Galvanic Skin Resistance(GSR)—suggesting increased connectivity and greater information processing; these coupled with central midline theta activity suggested activation and relaxation (Source: Report of the International Symposium on the Science of Breath, hosted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in March 2002).
Studies conducted by the Endocrinology and Biochemistry Departments of the AIIMS further demonstrated lower blood cortisol (also known as stress hormone) as well as fall in the blood lactate in long term practitioners of SKY and further fall during SKY. Biochemical studies additionally indicated a common language between the brain and immune system, and changes in the immune parameters also. Natural killer (NK) cells were significantly higher among practitioners of SKY compared to control groups and those with cancer. Two independent studies at AIIMS,
What is the ‘Art of Living’? Simply and lucidly stated, it is the art of living in the present moment, free of the vacillations comprising the regrets of the past and anxieties regarding the future; in a nutshell, not to cling to the judgmental negativities either of the past or the future. Regarding the present, it teaches acceptance of the inevitable in a non-passive manner. Do not tolerate injustice, but do not get stressed out because of it, either. An unstressed person can resolve injustice much better. This is advised through a number of precepts taught for positive value based living, thus leading to contentment and happiness. The complimentary character of opposite values / inevitable dualities is emphasized for facing up to the vicissitudes of everyday life. ‘Sudarshan Kriya’ literally means the cleansing action for a proper vision of the Self, including one’s own inner self. It is helpful for today’s stressed out people, drained by the hectic rat race. ‘Sudarshan Kriya’ has a positive impact on the entire endocrine system. It is also beneficial for those with psychosomatic disorders and neurological problems, depression, ulcers, asthma, allergies, Coronary Heart Disease, and any chronic imbalance in the body and mind, through its skilful use of breath to transform one’s emotional state, rather than allowing the emotions to alter one’s breath.
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