Sudershan Kriya

Sri Sri: The 9 nights of Navaratri are like the 9 months in the womb where the spirit takes human form.

A reader once asked me about Sudershan Kriya that Guruji has given us in Art Of Living. So here is the explanation.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, now spiritual guru to millions across the world, entered a ten-day period of silence in Shimoga, Karnataka, India.

“I had already traveled around the world. I had taught yoga, asanas, and meditation. But still I was concerned about how to help people live a happy life. I felt there was something that was lacking. Though people do their spiritual practices, their life is in compartments. They do their prayers, meditation, and spiritual practices but when they come out in life, they are very different people. So, I was thinking how we can bridge this gap-between inner silence and outer expression of life.

During a ten-day period of silence (in Shimoga), the Sudarshan Kriya came like an inspiration. Nature knows what to give and when to give. After I came out of the silence, I started teaching whatever I knew and people had great experiences.”
~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Since then, Sudarshan Kriya - the powerful, rhythmic breathing technique - has been the cornerstone of all Art of Living courses. The first course was held at Shimoga, where Sri Sri Ravi Shankar taught Sudarshan Kriya. With Art of Living courses and Sudarshan Kriya, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has introduced yoga, pranayam, and meditation into the daily lives of millions over the last three decades.

Sudarshan Kriya incorporates specific natural rhythms of the breath which harmonize the rhythm of the body, mind, and emotions and brings them in tune with the rhythm of nature. Thereby, eliminating stress, fatigue, and negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and depression; leaving you calm yet energized, focused yet relaxed.

Emotions affect the breathing pattern. For example, when you are:

• Angry: Your breath comes in short, quick cycles.
• Sad or upset: Your breath comes in long and deep cycles.

Sudarshan Kriya - Experience the Power of Rhythmic Breathing

Breath is the link between the body and the mind. Once we understand this connect, we can bring about changes in our mental and behavioral patterns by consciously altering the rhythms of our breath. You can use the breath as an effective and quick stress relief technique to flush out stress, anger, anxiety, depression, and worry; leaving the mind completely relaxed and energized. With Sudarshan Kriya, you can experience the power of breath and understand the link between the body and the mind.

Millions of people from all walks of life have been touched by the healing power of the Sudarshan Kriya. Villagers, corporate employees, housewives, teenagers, trauma victims, soldiers, leaders in business and government, prisoners, factory workers, university students, and everyone in between, across all continents, all bear testimony to the numerous and varied benefits of this powerful breathing technique. 

How to relieve stress with Sudarshan Kriya?

Nature is replete with various rhythms and cycles - day follows night, night follows day, seasons come and go. Similarly, there are biological rhythms in our body, mind, and emotions. When these rhythms are in sync, we have a sense of harmony and well-being. When stress or illness upsets the rhythm, we experience discomfort and discontent and feel upset and unhappy.

“We need to do a cleansing process within ourselves. In sleep we get rid of fatigue, but the deeper stresses remain in our body. Sudarshan Kriya cleanses the system from the inside. The breath has a great secret to offer.”
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

How to do Sudarshan Kriya

Description: To learn Sudarshan Kriya, find an Art of Living center close to you. Sudarshan Kriya audio cassette guides you through the process and contains instructions in Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s voice. Sudarshan Kriya is completely safe.

The Art of Living courses consist of various interactive sessions. These courses are experiential - participants gain more from the course by actively participating in the course proceedings. During the course, you can do the Sudarshan Kriya listening to instructions in Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s voice. You also learn to do a shorter version of the Sudarshan Kriya at home (also known as Short Kriya).

Art of Living teachers go through rigorous and extensive trainings to gain eligibility to share the knowledge of Sudarshan Kriya with the masses. To ensure that you have the best experience during the course, the Art of Living teachers interact with you personally and provide proper supervision.

Each individual’s experience of the Sudarshan Kriya varies as it is a very personal experience.

After completing the Part I course, locate an Art of Living follow-up center near you to enjoy the Sudarshan Kriya audio during the weekly follow-up. Art of Living Sudarshan Kriya audio is not available in MP3 format.

You can hear the Sudarshan Kriya audio in Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s voice at any of the Art of Living follow-up centers. Sudarshan Kriya audio is available only with Art of Living teachers to use it only for the benefit for the society and not for their personal use. This means, when Art of Living teachers want to do the Sudarshan Kriya while listening to the audio, they need to go to the Art of Living follow-up center - just as you do.

You can purchase various CDs containing instructions and videos to do various pranayams, guided meditations, and yoga asana CDs from the Art of Living bookstore.

Sudarshan Kriya audio is not available for sale. This knowledge is only meant to benefit the society through Art of Living teachers.

Is Sudarshan Kriya Safe?

Sudarshan Kriya is completely safe and side-effects (if any) are only positive. Anyone above the age of 8 years can enroll for the Art of Living courses. Visit courses section to identify a course that suits you.

When you enroll for the course, inform the Art of Living instructor about your particular health conditions (if any, such as pregnancy, high blood pressure, psychiatric disorder). The Art of Living instructor will provide special directions based on your health condition.

Nature is replete with various rhythms and cycles - day follows night, night follows day, seasons come and go. Similarly, there are biological rhythms to our bodies, minds and emotions. When these rhythms are in sync, we feel a sense of harmony and well-being. When stress or illness throws them out of order, we experience discomfort and discontent and feel upset and unhappy.

The Sudarshan Kriya incorporates specific natural rhythms of breath which harmonize the rhythms of the body and emotions and bring them in tune with the rhythms of nature. The breath connects the body and mind. Just as emotions affect our patterns of breathing, we can bring about changes in our mental and behavioral patterns by altering the rhythms of our breath. It flushes our anger, anxiety and worry; leaving the mind completely relaxed and energized.

This single technique has benefited thousands of people across all walks of life – corporate executives, trauma affected, underprivileged, children and homemakers.

“I was already teaching meditation and yoga. But I felt there was something that was lacking. Though people do their spiritual practices, their life is in compartments. They do their prayers, meditation and spiritual practices, but when they come out in life, they are very different people. So, I was thinking how we can bridge this gap - between inner silence and outer expression of life.

During a period of silence, the Sudarshan Kriya came like an inspiration. After I came out of the silence, I started teaching whatever I knew and people had great experiences."

"After Sudarshan kriya, many people feel so pure and so clear, so complete, because the consciousness, which was stuck in the matter, material, which is foreign to itself, got released from that and came back to its home. That is the sense of purity, feeling of purity."

"We need to do a cleansing process within ourselves. In sleep we get rid of fatigue, but the deeper stresses remain in our body. Sudarshan Kriya cleanses the system from the inside. The breath has a great secret to offer."

Reported benefits of regular practice of Sudarshan Kriya include:

Physical health benefits of Sudarshan Kriya

• Reduces stress
• Improves health and well-being
• More energy
• Strengthens immune system
• Reduces cholesterol levels

Mental health benefits of Sudarshan Kriya

• Greater creativity
• Greater clarity of mind
• Improves sleep
• Enhances brain function
• Improves ability to manage challenging situations

Improved interpersonal relations with Sudarshan Kriya

• More ease, joy and harmony in personal and work relationships
• A deeper sense of community
• Increases awareness both of self and surroundings
• Improves patience
• Increases confidence and self-esteem

Psychological benefits of Sudarshan Kriya

• Relieves depression and anxiety
• Relief from anxiety and depression (mild, moderate, and severe)

Spiritual benefits of Sudarshan Kriya

• Enhances yoga and meditation practices
• Experience a deep inner peace of mind