Ajay Kapoor
“Only a settled frame of mind can be creative. Creativity dawns as a by-product of breathing, meditation and spirituality,” says Pankaj Anand, Artist from Mumbai. “As a freelance photographer, being creative, you have to be clear of any inhibitions.
“No matter who we are and where we come from, we all breathe. Apart from keeping the body alive, can breathing really transform peoples’ lives and bring out life affirming qualities of peace, generosity and a sense of caring and sharing? The answer is a Yes. When the system is rid of stress and other negativity, the positive qualities automatically manifest.
According to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder, Art of Living, “Stress is when you have too much to do, very little time to do it and no energy to do the task. But what you can do is increase your energy. Pranayama(breathing exercises), meditation and SudarshanKriya gives you more energy for the day and makes you more productive.”
Talking about how powerful breathing can be, a technique that has brought together people from all walks of life across social strata, be it businessmen, homemakers,IT professionals, farmers, former militants, etc, is the Sudarshan Kriya.
Sudarshan Kriya, cognized by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1981, incorporates specific natural rhythms of the breath which harmonize the body, mind and emotions. This unique breathing technique eliminates stress, fatigue and negative emotions such as anger, frustration and depression, leaving you calm yet energized, focused yet relaxed.
How does the transformation take place?
Most often negative emotions like anger and frustration are a reflection of the deep seated stress and negativity built in the system. Apart from negative emotions, this stress is also responsible for burn outs and other lifestyle diseases.
People are seldom taught how to effectively manage their minds and emotions. A powerful tool like Sudarshan Kriya has for the first time made it possible to remove stress toxins from each cell of the body and leave the practitioner energized, fresh and positive. Once free from stress, this new found positivity brings about an experiential state of happiness, contentment, love and willingness to make a difference in the lives of others. And so, the process of inner transformation finds an outer expression in service leading to happier communities.
Why should you learn
Sudarshan Kriya?
An expansive body of research work from prestigious institutes like AIIMS and NIMHANS has documented the significant mental and physiological benefits of Sudarshan Kriya-
*Significant reductions in anxiety are found in many populations, including a 71% to 73% response rate and 41% remission rate in individuals for whom medication and psychotherapy treatments had failed.
*depressed patients who learned SKY experienced a 68-73% remission rate within one month.
* Significant reductions in PTSD symptoms were found in 6 weeks and the 60% reduction was sustained 6 months later without any follow up.
* 3x more time spent in deep restful stages of sleep
* Improved immune cell counts in in 12 weeks (Natural Killer Cells)
* Reduced heart rate and blood pressure
* Improved respiratory function: where respiration rate dropped by 5% in 1 week and 15% in 12 weeks and lung (vital) capacity increased.
Not just limited to effectively eliminating stress among people in the urban areas, Sudarshan Kriya has been an important tool in resolving conflict among communities, relieving trauma during natural disasters and wars, healing moral injuries from war among war veterans and reforming prisoners in Iraq, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, USA, Palestine, Colombia, Kosovo, Latin America, Africa and other 150+ countries.
Travis Lenia, a war veteran from Wisconsin, USA, who saw combat in Iraq, shares, “Coming home, I noticed the shift in myself. I was very withdrawn, very distant. My pride and my military training of not really accepting weakness made it difficult to ask for help. Transitioning from military to college, just made things worse. I was walking across the hall one day and came across this ad(of the Art of Living workshop).”
Travis further shared, “When I got to the course, things started really changing for me. The breathing processes were super powerful. I noticed that it was easier to connect with other veterans in the group in a way I had never experienced before. I walked out of the there feeling like I had known them my whole life. In the following days, I started experiencing emotions. Doctors had earlier called it emotional numbness.”
http://s.artofliving.org/happiness-program/
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