Inspired by science…

Research suggests that SKY may reduce depression, anxiety, PTSD, stress (2,5,6,7,11,13) and addictive behaviors (4,12). It significantly increases feelings of well-being, optimism and mental focus (1,3) and improves emotion regulation (8,15). In addition, SKY is associated with enhanced antioxidant status and immune system function (4,8,9,10,16).

SKY has even been shown to positively impact rapid gene expression alterations (14) suggesting that the effects of SKY Meditation span all levels of the physiology from the DNA within our molecules to organ systems. Viewed together, research suggests that SKY meditation may strengthen both mind and body.

SKY Breath uses cyclical, rhythmic patterns of breath to easily bring the mind and body into a state of meditation. Its effects have been studied in open and randomized trials, both in healthy populations and in populations with psychopathology. Clinical research findings:

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A Yale/Stanford randomized controlled study on college students published in Frontiers in Psychiatry on July 15, 2020 compared 3 well-being interventions: 1. SKY Breath vs. 2. Mindfulness (MBSR); vs. 3. Emotional Intelligence.
In this study, SKY Breath was the only program to show statistically significant improvements in 6 measures of well-being:
1. Less stress; 2. Less depression; 3. Improved mental health; 4. Increased social connectedness; 5. Greater positive emotion and 6. Increased mindfulness.

  • The Emotional Intelligence group showed improvements in one measure: 1. Mindfulness.

  • The Mindfulness (MBSR) and control group did not show any significant changes.
    At 3 month follow-up, the improvements in the SKY breath group were even stronger.

RESEARCH CITATIONS

  1. Bhatia, M., Kumar, A., Kumar, N., Pandey, R.M., and Kochupillai, V. (2003). Electrophysiologic evaluation of Sudarshan Kriya: an EEG, BAER, and P300 study. Indian J. Physiol. Pharmacol, 47: 157-163.

  2. Janakiramaiah N, Gangadhar BN, Naga Venkatesha Murthy PJ, Harish MG, Subbakrishna DK, Vedamurthachar A (2000) Antidepressant efficacy of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) in melancholia: a randomized comparison with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and imipramine. J Affect Disorders 57: 255-259.

  3. Kjellgren, A, Bood, SA, Axelsson, K, Norlander, T, Saatcioglu, F. (2007). Wellness through a comprehensive Yogic breathing program – A controlled pilot trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 7: 43-50.

  4. Kochupillai V, Kumar P, Singh D, Aggarwal D, Bhardwaj N, Bhutani M, Das SN (2005) Effect of rhythmic breathing (Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayam) on immune functions and tobacco addiction. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1056: 242-252.

  5. Murthy, P.J., Janakiramaiah, N., Gangadhar, B.N., Subbakrishna, D.K. (1998) P300 amplitude and antidepressant response to Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY). Journal of Affective Disorders, 50: 45-48.

  6. Vedamurthachar A, Janakiramaiah N, Hegde JM, Shetty TK, Subbakrishna DK, Sureshbabu SV, Gangadhar BN (2006) Antidepressant efficacy and hormonal effects of Sudarshana Kriya Yoga (SKY) in alcohol dependent individuals. Journal of Affective Disorders, 94: 249-253.

  7. Katzman, M.A., Vermani, M., Gerbarg, P.L., Brown, R.P., Iorio, C., Davis, M., Cameron, C., Tsirgielis, D. (2012). A multicomponent yoga-based, breath intervention program as an adjunctive treatment in patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorder with or without comorbidities. International Journal of Yoga, 5(1): 57-65.

  8. Gootjes, L., Franken, I.H.A. & Strien, J.W. van (2011). Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Yogic Meditative Practitioners: Sustained Modulation of Electrical Brain Potentials. Journal of Psychophysiology, 25(2): 87-94.

  9. Sharma, H., Sen, S., Singh, Bhardwaj, N.K., V. Kochupillai, N., Singh (2003). Sudarshan Kriya practitioners exhibit better antioxidant status and lower blood lactate levels. Biological Psychology, 63: 281-291.

  10. Sharma, H., Datta, P., Singh, A., Sen, S., Bhardwaj, N.K., Kochupillai, V. , N. Singh, N. (2008) Gene expression profiling in practitioners of Sudarshan Kriya. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 64: 213–218.

  11. Seppala EM, Tudorascu D, Nitschke JB, Hayes A, Goldstein MR, Nguyen D, Perlman D, Davidson RJ (2014). Breathing-based meditation decreases post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in military veterans: A randomized controlled longitudinal study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 27: 397-405.

  12. Brown, R. P., Gerbarg, P.L. (2009). Yoga breathing, meditation, and longevity. Annual New York Academy of Sciences, 1172: 54-62.

  13. Descilo, T., Vedamurtachar. A., Gerbarg, P. L., Nagaraja, D., Gangadhar, B. N., Damodaran, B., Adelson, B., Braslow, L. H., Marcus, S., Brown, R. P. (2009). Effects of a yoga breath intervention alone and in combination with an exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in survivors of the 2004 South-East Asia tsunami. Acta Psychiatr Scand, 121: 289-300.

  14. Qu S, Olafsrud SM, Meza-Zepeda LA, Saatcioglu F (2013) Rapid Gene Expression Changes in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes upon Practice of a Comprehensive Yoga Program. PLoS ONE 8(4): e61910, 1-8.

  15. Ghahremani, D.G., Oh E.Y., Dean, A.C., Mouzakis, K., Wilson, K.D., London, E.D. (2013) Effects of the Youth Empowerment Seminar on Impulsive Behavior in Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(1):139-141.

  16. Subramanian, S., et al. (2012) Role of sudarshan kriya and pranayam on lipid profile and blood cell parameters during exam stress: A randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Yoga, 5(1): 21.