Introduction

Sudarshan Kriya (SK) (a rhythmic breathing process), was
devised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The word â?? Sudarshanâ??
translated from its original sanskrit Su = right, Darshan =
vision, â??Kriyaâ?? means purifying action. This is thus not a
pure meditation technique, and has been defined as a state of
relaxation by some and a state of consciousness by others.
This is practiced as a brief & practical self-help stressmanagement
strategy. Subjective reports from the participants
indicate that it reduces anxiety & depression and SK has been
found to be useful in the treatment of depression. Various tools
have been used to study the effect of relaxing techniques on
the mind. These include EEG, evoked potentials (BAER, P300,
Middle latency potentials), fMRI, SPECT. EEG has been used
to study changes during meditation, and also long-term effect
of regular practice of meditation for the past 2-3 decades.
During Transcendental Meditation(TM)an increased
regularity and amplitude of the alpha activity was noted. The
results have been contradictory as different processes produce
different changes. The changes observed have been linked to
the type of meditation and duration of meditation practice, as
subjects varied greatly in their meditation techniques,
expertise and their performance. The difference in technique
may produce a dichotomy of physiological effects. Most of
the physiological research on meditation has been carried out
on TM, it is not known whether other stylized practices create
the same physiology.
There are no reports at present on changes in EEG and SK.
The aim of the present study was to study the sequential
changes in EEG, during the SK.