There was also a significant reduction in anxiety scores. Participants in the waitlist group did not practice Sudarshan Kriya yoga for the duration of the study, but were offered the yoga intervention at the end of the eight weeks.Īfter two months, the group who practised the Sudarshan Kriya breathing technique had 50% lower depression scores. All participants had been on antidepressant medication for at least eight weeks and had seen no significant improvement in symptoms.Īs part of the study, the participants were randomly placed into either a Sudarshan Kriya yoga group, or a ‘waitlist’ group. On average, participants were in the severe range. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, involved people who had been diagnosed with major depression. Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, an established suicide plan or suicide attempt.Diminished ability to think, concentrate or make decisions.Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt.This needs to be noticeable to others, not just feeling restless or slow Sleep changes – difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much.Feelings of sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, or tearfulness or irritability.The symptoms need to cause significant intrusion into day-to-day living, and need to not be the physiological effects of a substance problem or other medical condition. People are diagnosed with major depression if they experience at least five of the following symptoms for nearly every day for at least two weeks. What are the symptoms of major depression? Now, new research from the University of Pennsylvania has found that a breathing-based meditation practice known as Sudarshan Kriya yoga (‘SKY’) can provide significant relief from the symptoms of severe depression and anxiety. Whether medication is part of the healing or not, exercise, meditation, and gut health clearly have enormous capacity to strengthen the mind and body in a way that can protect them against depression. As well as this, gut health has been found to play a critical role in mental health, particularly in relation to the symptoms of depression. A combination of exercise and mindfulness has been found to reduce the symptoms of depression by up to 40%. With the research steering in new and promising directions, there has been an overwhelming amount of evidence to find that certain lifestyle factors have great potential to alleviate the symptoms of depression. Though antidepressants seem to bring relief to many people, there are at least as many who do not respond to treatment. Thankfully, researchers are working hard on finding a more effective way to manage depression, and the world is edging ever so closer to finding a cure. The most popular treatment for depression is antidepressant medication. She felt she needed help with the transition from college student to young adult while managing work, a personal life and family.Depression is a major problem, and when it chooses a life to shadow, its hold can be fierce. Remona Farrow, 38, of Menlo Park, has been taking Shankar’s classes for 10 years. When I have that kind of awareness, I understand when I’m getting angry and can respond to the situation, then react. “But it created a lot of awareness in me. “I never considered myself as somebody suitable to meditation,” he said. He started taking courses eight years ago. Sathish Balakrishnan, 31, is a teacher at the Art of Living Foundation Center in Foster City. Shankar also co-founded the International Association for Human Values with the Dalai Lama in 1997.
In 1982, he founded the Art of Living Foundation, a nonprofit educational and humanitarian organization active in more than 140 countries. Shankar has studied with spiritual masters and has an advanced degree in modern physics, as well as an honorary doctorate from Kuvempu University, Karnataka, India. for beginners and advanced practitioners.
Hindu guru shares yoga method – East Bay Times Close Menuįrom Tuesday to Thursday, Shankar will have morning and evening sessions of yoga and meditation from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m.