Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, or SKY, is a type of cyclical controlled breathing practice with roots in traditional yoga. It is a yogic practice meant to purify your body, mind and spirit.

• Sudarshan Kriya is a three-part yogic breathing practice designed to eliminate fatigue and negative emotions, thereby improving overall physical and mental health. This kriya was developed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and patented by his Art of Living Foundation.
• How to do Sudarshan Kriya: Sit in vajrasana. Make sure that your posture is erect and close your eyes. This will cut you off from any external visual disturbance. Hold your hands on the hips. Now breathe in deeply, counting the duration of inhalation. You should be inhaling until you finish counting 4. Next, hold your breath for a count of 4.

Key Takeaways

Sudarshan Kriya is taught only in the course environment by a trained teacher using an audio cassette that contains instructions by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to guide you through the process. Each individual’s experience of the Sudarshan Kriya varies as it is a personal experience. To learn Sudarshan Kriya, you need to join on of the following.

1. SKY is a type of cyclical controlled breathing practice with roots in traditional yoga.

2. It is meant to purify your body, mind and spirit.

3. It is thought to harmonise the whole body by cleansing daily and accumulated stress. Researchers also found that SKY decreased symptoms of depression.

What is it?

Breathing techniques are regularly recommended for relaxation, stress management, control of psychophysiological states and to improve organ function. SKY was developed in 1994 by the spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar. Sudarshan Kriya is a Sanskrit term meaning proper vision by purifying action.

SKY is an advanced form of rhythmic, cyclical breathing with slow, medium and fast cycles. The main types of SKY breathing techniques are as follows:

– Ujjayi or “victorious breath”. This consists of experiencing the conscious sensation of the breath touching the throat. It is a slow breathing technique (2-4 breaths per minute) which increases airway resistance during inspiration and expiration. It also controls airflow so that each phase of the breath cycle can be prolonged to an exact count. This provides physical and mental calmness with alertness.

– Bhastrika or “bellows breath”. During this technique, air is rapidly inhaled and forcefully exhaled at a rate of 30 breaths per minute. It causes excitation followed by calmness.

– Then, “Om” is chanted three times with very prolonged expiration.

What are the health benefits?

SKY is thought to harmonise the whole system by cleansing daily and accumulated stress. In fact, studies have found that SKY reduces cortisol levels. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. When you are under stress, your body releases chemicals and hormones such as cortisol to help your body deal more effectively with a high-stress situation. What’s more, SKY also decreased levels of ACTH in participants, which is a hormone responsible for stimulating the release of cortisol. Researchers also found that individuals who practiced SKY had fewer symptoms of depression.

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WORK CITED:

Vedamurthachar A., Janakiramaiah N., Hedge J. et al. (2006). Antidepressant efficacy and hormonal effects of Sudarshana Kriya Yoga (SKY) in alcohol dependent individuals. Journal of Affective Disorders, 94(1-3), pp.249-253.

Sudarshan Kriya Count Definition

Zope S. and Zope R. (2013). Sudarshan kriya yoga: Breathing for health. International Journal of Yoga, 6(1), pp.4-10.

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Brown R. and Gerbarg P. (2005). Sudarshan Kriya Yoga breathing in the treatment of stress, anxiety, and depression. Part II – clinical applications and guidelines. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 11(4), pp.711-717.

Sudarshan Kriya Blog

Mawar N., Katendra T., Bagul R. et al. (2015). Sudarshan Kriya Yoga improves quality of life in healthy people living with HIV (PLHIV): results from an open label randomized clinical trial. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 141(1), pp.90-99.