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When they come out in life, they are very different people. “Though people do their practices, their life is in compartments. I felt there was something that was lacking,” says Sri Sri.
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But still, I was concerned about how to help people live a happy life. “I had already traveled around the world. Sudarshan Kriya came into being in 1982 in Shimoga, India, when global humanitarian, spiritual figure, and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar went into a ten-day silence. The practice is concluded with an effortless meditative state where practitioners report clarity of mind, prolonged moments of thoughtlessness, slower and steadier heart rate, and calmness of being. SKY is a breathing technique that taps into the rhythm of our breath, to release toxins on a cellular level. Yet, we have hardly explored the potential of rhythmic breathing in relieving stress and improving mental and physiological well-being. Seasons follow a rhythm, the sun rises and sunsets in a rhythm, the animals and their life cycles have a rhythm, and so does our breath. What is SKY? Where did it begin and how did it come to be so popular, as to be offered in all major educational institutions (Yale, Columbia, MIT, among others), corporate and government organizations? What is SKY? One such science-backed breathing technique that has gained popularity worldwide with more than 450 million practitioners, is the Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) technique. This showed specific breathing techniques could help in managing ‘thoughts, moods and experiences.’ A study at Feinstein Institute for Medical Research also found that intentional breathing helped activate insula, a part in the brain that regulates the autonomous nervous system and builds moment-to-moment awareness. When released in the right amounts, it paves the way to build important connections. Meditative breathing affects the levels of noradrenaline, a hormone neurotransmitter that is released by the body under a stressful or challenging situation. Another study done at Trinity College Dublin points to the link between breathing and attention. How often do you observe your thoughts, moods and emotions keenly? We now know that breath can be key in observing our mind and thoughts better. Diaphragmatic breathing for example, a tool freely available to you at all times, is a quick way to slow down breathing, lower blood pressure, ease the pressure on the sympathetic nervous system, relax muscular tension, improve cardiovascular and respiratory function, and promote relaxation in mind and body.
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Research also points to how shallow breathing is linked to digestive problems, sleep disorders, blood pressure, lack of mental clarity, and lower energy levels. There is now sufficient evidence that proves there is a connection between breath and emotions, including stress and anger. The findings, reported in Frontiers in Psychiatry said ‘such resiliency training programs could be a valuable tool for addressing the mental health crisis on university campuses.’ Role of Breath in Wellness
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These are proven to be working remarkably well across communities and age groups, from young students to war veterans.Ī breakthrough study by researchers from Yale University has found that the college students who practiced the Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), a popular breathing technique, reported improvements in six key areas of well-being: depression, stress, mental health, mindfulness, positive affect, and social connectedness. Twice as many young adults had contemplated suicide since 2008.Īt a time when institutional counselors, hospitals, and mental-health service providers have spread themselves too thin in dealing with the rising caseload, what is helping are adjunct low cost, science-backed, natural, breath-based, mind-body practices and stress-relief programs that enhance wellness and mental well-being. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, major depression among 20 and 21 year-olds has doubled between 20, and psychological distress in the form of anxiety and hopelessness rose 71 percent in the 18–25 age group. The pandemic is the straw that has broken the proverbial camel’s back, with institutions struggling to meet the ubiquity of mental illnesses. There is an epidemic that the world-particularly the US-is grappling with, and it is not COVID-19.Īmerica’s infrastructure to handle a mental-health crisis was already being questioned when COVID-19 struck.
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