Dear All



Saturday 19th December 2007

GROUP 1

9:00am to 10:30pm Sri Sri Ravi Shankars Art of Living Yoga (ANYONE CAN COME)

In this session we go through breathing techniques with easy asanas that help
to reduce stress. People generally experience a Calm and Peaceful state of mind
after the practise.

GROUP 2

10:30PM TO 12:00PM (Practise of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Sudarshan Kriya
(RESERVED ONLY FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE ART OF LIVING COURSE)

Please read below Medical Research reports on Sudarshan Kriya (The powerful
sudarshan kriya is taught on the art of living part 1 course)

Place: Hall Green Library Meeting Room, Hall Green Library, Hall Green,
Birmingham. B28 9AD.

Cost: £4


Bring a Yoga Mat, Come on an empty Stomach, Bring a bottle of water, Wear Loose



comfortable clothing


PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL US IF YOU ARE COMING

Kind regards


Raj Fulchand
Tel 07956 455 128

MEDICAL REPORT ON SUDARSHAN KRIYA


Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY)
For those who could not attend the World Conference held in Delhi early this
year, here are the key findings of the latest research done on Sudarshan Kriya
Yoga (SKY).

1. Dr Richard Brown from the USA discussed how the application of newer
technologies to basic research in Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) has thrown light
on our understanding of how SKY works. He postulated that SKY contributes to a
state of alert calmness by its effect on the vagus nerve which is the core of
the parasympathetic system. Recent studies have shown that the vagus nerve is
crucial in social bonding, empathy and love; it is the centre of our gut
instincts and is crucial to our ability to perceive, observe and make complex
decisions. Vagal activity is estimated from the respiratory sinus arrhythmia as
measured by heart rate variability. Impaired vagal activity is found in people
with depression, anxiety, panic disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, violent
adults, fibromyalgia, post traumatic stress disorder, early Alzheimer's and
obesity. Nowadays, an instrument that artificially stimulates the vagus nerve
is being used to treat depression, epilepsy, early Alzheimer's disease and is
an experimental treatment for obesity.

Stephen Porges, the foremost expert on the activity of the vagus nerve on
reviewing the research done on SKY has suggested that the different rhythms of
breath in SKY may stimulatedifferent diameter fibers of the vagus nerve. This
makes SKY unique and likely to have a much wider range of effects than the
currently available electronic vagus nerve stimulator. Dr Brown suggested that
other mechanisms by which SKY works are by calming of stress response systems,
neuroendocrine release of hormones, nitric oxide neurotransmission, fear
conditioning circuits (prefrontal cortex and limbic system), and thalamic
generators. He also discussed various knowledge points as articulated by Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar from a neuro scientific perspective for e.g., `Enlightenment
is innocence with intellect'. Interestingly, brain wave rhythms during and
after SKY are similar to those of babies.

2. Dr Fahri Saatcioglu from Oslo did a controlled 6 week long study of
the effect of SKY on the relaxation response and feelings of wellness on 109
subjects. 56 subjects went through the SKY course and thereafter performed SKY
yoga daily for 6 weeks. The control group of 53 subjects relaxed in an arm
chair for 15 minutes daily for the same period. Both groups were given
questionnaires to assess changes in depression, anxiety, dispositional
optimism, stress,
energy and degree of altered states of consciousness before the instruction and
6 weeks later. Dr Fahri found a statistically significant increase in the
experience of wellness in the SKY group compared to the controls. He found a
significant decrease in degree of anxiety, depression and stress and a
significant increase in degree of optimism in the group practicing SKY.

3. Dr Neeta Singh from New Delhi studied the effects of SKY on the gene
expression levels of the genes that affect several stress related pathways of
the human body. She found an increase in antioxidant enzymes superoxide
dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase and glutathione in the 26 SKY
practitioners as compared with 25 age and sex matched controls. The level of
Glutathione was three times higher in SKY practitioners as compared with
controls. A small increase was seen in hTERT in SKY practitioners which
indicates delayed senescence and perhaps a longer life span. The observed
decrease in bcl-2, C-Myc and C- Fos in SKYpractitioners suggests probable
better protection against cancer. This study suggests that subjects doing SKY
regularly have a better antioxidant status and better ability to cope with
stress.

4. Dr Stephen Larsen from the USA studied neurophysiological responses
before, during and after SKY. The tests run were EEG (recorded at 19 cortical
sites), EKG, heart rate variability, galvanic skin response, hand skin
temperature, pulse plethysmography and blood pressure. He found that SKY
practices produced measurably significant changes in ALL physiological
measures. Beginning practitioners of SKY had greater changes from their
baselines compared to more advanced practitioners. He found that during the
practice there is challenge, followed by temporary disorganization leading to
calming, regularization and synchrony in such measures as heart rate
variability and EEG. The EEGs of beginners showed pockets of synchrony whereas
in more advanced practitioners the baseline pre- practice synchrony was higher
and a very high degree of "total brain synchrony" was observed across all 19
channels during the breath practices and rest periods. It appears that over a
period of time, the practitioner's physiology becomes more robust, flexible and
able to deal with the challenges of stressors and still is able to idle
comfortably during quiescence. This explains why regular practice of SKY is
very important. Dr Larsen also observed certain large waves in the EEGs during
SKY that resemble the ECT waves (electro convulsive therapy). Electro
convulsive therapy is an age old treatment that is very effective in treating
depression but is unpopular because of its side effects and convulsions
produced. He suggested that the effect of SKY on the brain is like a
subconvulsive dose of ECT without the side effects of an ECT. This could
explain why SKY is effective in patients with depression.

5. Dr Lyulyakina from Russia studied the functional status of the brain
during and after the practice of SKY in 12 volunteers. She found that all the
participants showed statistically significant improvement of EEG parameters
proved by spectral, power and topographic mapping and coherence analysis. She
did not find any statistically significant difference in the dynamics of
electrophysiological process between the long Sudarshan Kriya and the shorter
version of Sudarshan Kriya.

6. Dr Geetha from Bangalore studied the effect of SKY on antioxidant
enzyme activities in menopausal women. –There were 4 groups compared. One
group
of 40 women received hormone replacement therapy, one group of 40 received
500mg of Vit E daily, a group of 60 women practiced SKY daily and 50 women
served as controls. In all groups, the plasma MDA levels (as an index of lipid
peroxidation), erythrocyte SOD (superoxide dismutase) and blood GSH
(glutathione peroxidase activity) were measured at the start and at the end of
30 days. Dr Geetha found a significant decrease in the MDA levels and marked
elevation of GSH-px and SOD levels in the group that practiced SKY as compared
with the other groups. Hence the practice of SKY improves the antioxidant power
of menopausal women and is superior to the beneficial effects seen with HRT or
Vit E on anti oxidant levels.
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7. Dr Vedamurthachar from Bangalore studied the effect of the AOL Course
on occupational stress and anxiety among 60 software engineers in Bangalore. At
the end of a month, the 30 engineers who took the AOL course showed a
statistically significant reduction in anxiety and improvement in stress coping
skills as compared with the 30 controls. However there were no significant
changes seen in the stress symptoms and stress producer variables.

8. The oral microflora of SKY practitioners was studied by E G Lyulyakina
from Russia. She found that the number of microorganisms in lacto vegetarians
were 2-3 times less than that in non strict vegetarians. Oral fluid samples of
strict vegetarians did not show any growth of microorganisms after SKY
practices. The bacteria found in oral cavity of non-vegetarians were Gram
negative Proteus which is evidence of putrefactive processes in the mouth of
non
vegetarians. She concluded that practice of SKY and a vegetarian diet reduces
the microbial content of the mouth.

9. Dr Chiplonkar from Pune studied the lifestyle, behavioral and health
aspects of 105 adults before and after undergoing the part I Art of Living
Course. She found that majority of micronutrients showed a positive correlation
with sattvic foods. After the practice of SKY for 2 months, she found a
significant reduction in anxiety score, marginal improvement in patience score
and no change in stress score. She also found a significant increase in
antioxidant capacity (measured as SOD), reduction in triglycerides, and a
marginal reduction in oxidative stress (as measured by plasma MDA levels).
Practicing SKY regularly resulted in greater reduction of anxiety score than
less frequent practice. Subjects also reported a sense of well being,
improvement in sleep quality and more enthusiasm at work.

10. The psychospiritual benefits of SKY were studied in women diagnosed
with breast cancer by Arielle Warner in USA. The subjects were evaluated 2
weeks before the Art of Living Course, 8 days after the Course and after 5
weeks of regular practice. A statistically significant improvement in quality
of life, spiritual well being, positive states of mind and perceived stress was
observed after the AOL course and was maintained 5 weeks later.

11. Dr Janis Carter from Australia compared the effects of different
modalities like Iyengar and Desikachar yoga,Qi Gong, Sudarshan Kriya Yoga and a
multicomponent yoga intervention (MCYI) in treating Australian Vietnam war
veterans with long standing Post traumatic Stress disorder. She found that the
interventions that used many tools of yoga viz. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga and MCYI,
showed the greatest efficacy.

12. Dr Patricia Gerberg from USA discussed the effects of doing the SKY
program in a patient undergoing psychoanalysis since a long time. She found SKY
useful in healing negative past impressions and the `dissociation' that
rendered the patient unable to connect with others and with his own feelings.

13. Janis Apted from the USA studied the effects of SKY on 48 highly
stressed faculty members of the Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, Texas. The
participants reported improvement in their mood, anxiety, stress, ability to
stay calm and levels of anger and frustration.

14. Dr A M Huang from Taiwan showed how the serum levels of BDNF (Brain
derived neurotrophic factor) were increased after practice of Pranayam and SKY.
BDNF is lower in patients with depression compared to controls. A rise in serum
BDNF levels could be an indicator of the beneficial effects of SKY on
depression.

15. An electrophysiological study on the effects of SKY was presented by
Shruti Baijal from Allahabad. An EEG study was done on SKY practitioners and
age matched controls. Mismatch negativity paradigm that provides an indirect
physiological measure of the way sensory information is processed by the brain
was used for the study. Her conclusion was that there is a more efficient
process of inhibition of irrelevant information and maintenance of focused
internalized attention for the SKY practitioners.

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--
Raj Fulchand
Tel 07956 455 128