Art of Living Practice of Sudarshan Kriya Sudarshan (less frequently spelt sudharshan) is Sanskrit. Su stands for "proper" and darshan means "vision." Kriya is a yogic practice that is meant to purify the body. In English, Art of Living staff used to refer to it as the Healing Breath Technique, Technique , but that has fallen out of favor. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar thinks that people should learn the Sanskrit name. My AOL instructors refer to the kriya as a kind of toxin purge for the body, mind and spirit. Sudarshan kriya is the core of the Art of Living approach. It's kind of like a crash course in pranayama, the yogic practice of breath extension or control. It is incorporated into a daily practice and also forms part of the weekly gatherings, called Satsang, where Art of Living practicioners follow a more extended process with an audio recording of Sri Sri leading a Maja Kriya. Kriya. In both the daily practice and the extended version, the Art of Living users engage in four exercises: yogic three-part breathing (three cycles, once with hands on waist, hands at chest level with elbows extended to the side, and arms up and hands touching back shoulders), bastrika (three repetions), Om-chanting (three repetitions) and Sudarshan Kriya. Kriya. All four of these breathing exercises or practices are part of yogic tradition, and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has modified them slightly or substantially. Sudarshan Kriya bears a strong resemblance to kabalabhati. kabalabhati. What does the kriya add to my yoga practice? It's increased my lung capacity in a really short time; it's increased my alertness; it's given me methods to refresh my mind throughout the day. By giving me greater awareness and sensitivity to my breath, I've improved my concentration and meditation. By coming to AOL and yoga together, I was able to see how much yoga could benefit me. At my first yoga class after the AOL intro course, I was able to get into deep bends and other poses and hold them because I was breathing more easily and deeply. Part II Course Informally known as the advanced course, this experience requires a 4-6 day residence at a retreat or an Art of Living ashram. Frequently, the course is given by Sri Sri himself. The course combines four aspects: Silence, Sadhana (Meditation), Satsang (Celebration) and Seva (Service). "Silence takes you deeper into yourself, Sadhana builds Energy, Satsang maintains it (elevating consciousness) and finally this energy is lovingly channeled through Seva." (From Art of Living websites and literature) 2--Sudarshan Kriya - the breath of life The technique of Sudarshan Kriya lies at the heart of the Basic Course and all other courses are given dimension from it. There are toxins, which accumulate in our system at a cellular level causing sluggishness and fostering ill health and disease. The Sudarshan Kriya technique oxygenates and rejuvenates these cells rapidly, ejecting these toxins from our blood stream. The cells get revitalised positively, bringing balance and contentment to the physical emotional and mental states.
The Basic Course is designed to improve our daily efficiency by enhancing the quality of our life at every level: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. It also attempts to provide practical tools to reduce the effects of negative stress. 3-Sudarshan Kriya is a unique rhythmical breathing process. The theory is that the kriya allows a healthy and pleasant mind to produce chemical messengers, which travel from the nervous system to the immune system, resulting in the overall betterment of both body and mind . Ravi Shankar has described the working of the Sudarshan Kriya thus: "There is a rhythm in nature. Seasons come and go. In your own body also, there is a rhythm. Life has a particular rhythm. Similarly, your breath also goes in a pattern. Your emotions move in a particular rhythm, as well as your thoughts. All these rhythms arise from your being, which has its own rhythm. "In Sudarshan Kriya, we get into the rhythm of our being and see how our being is permeating our emotions, our thoughts, our breath and our bodies. Soon, every cell of our body becomes alive and releases all the toxins and negative emotions it has stored from times past. Once again, we are able to smile from our hearts." Ravi Shankar also teaches that besides certain yogic asanas and other processes, sudarshan kriya involves pranayama, which silences inner turmoil. According to Ravi Shanker, through this kriya the mind experiences deep rest. He states that the process also involves the infusion of a maximum amount of oxygen to the cells, which helps in the release of neuropeptides that regularize Abnormal Brain Wave patterns in patients suffering from neural disorders.
