Sudarshan Kriya Meditation Practice

[wordsforliving]

Sudarshan Kriya was created by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation. I'm a volunteer in that foundation helping people learn the breathing practice (not a certified instructor, just teach some of the breathing techniques). 

In this Kriya, you take control of your breath, which positively affects your immune system, nerves, and psychological problems.

I would say it is designed to be easy enough for anyone to practice and experience great results. It greatly reduces stress and relieves trauma. It's taught to military troops who have been in wartime environments and that's how I first got into it. This practice is also taught inside prisons by volunteers. It has to be taught by a certified instructor. 

The Sudarshan Kriya Technique:
Ujjayi (Victorious Breath)
Bhastrika (Bellows Breath)
Om Chant
Kriya (Purifying Breath)

This breathing practice prepares you for further meditation practice. At the end of the breathing you are ready to go into deep meditation. The meditation I do is after Sudarshan Kirya is Sahaj Samadhi meditation which is a very deep meditation which can take you to a place of no thoughts.

The practice takes about 20 minutes in the morning. I tag Sahaj Samadhi onto it which puts the combined practice at 40+ minutes and then another 20 minutes in the evening for another session of Sahaj meditation. 

The results of these meditation practices were so profound and obvious to me that I do not skip the meditations. I went through some severe domestic violence trauma in 2019 and the practices pulled me out of the fight or flight trauma state in less than 2 weeks so I could proceed into recovery. 

The workshops to learn Sudarshan Kirya is called the Happiness Program. I would say it's a great starting place for a breathing meditation practice. There are online courses now. Veterans, prisoners and other disadvantaged groups are taught the breathing meditation practice for free by volunteers. 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is really quite lovely and there's much more to him than appears on the surface.

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by wordsforliving
adding the YouTube video