Sudarshan Kriya

Domain X · Body, movement, breath & physical · Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

What it is

Sudarshan Kriya is a breathing practice introduced by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation. The organisation's own account is that he "emerged with the Sudarshan Kriya after a ten-day silence period" and it presents the practice as "ancient knowledge in contemporary…

Format

• SKY is a course-based practice, not a phased psychotherapy. The structure below describes the course as published, then the psychotherapist's parallel phases.
• Course formats as published (named, not prescribed):

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Public course: SKY Breath Meditation (earlier called the Happiness Program in many countries), a group course with no prerequisites, led by certified teachers; the Canadian page describes it only as "a few hours" and does not state days, delivery mode or precautions. Local formats vary; confirm the actual schedule with the local centre.
• After the course: participants are expected to keep a daily home practice and may attend group follow-up sessions; long-term practitioners can go on to further courses and teacher training. The content and length of the home practice are taught on the course and are not given here.
• Version followed: SKY Breath Meditation (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga) as the Art of Living Foundation currently offers it in courses led by its certified teachers, with the component description given by Brown and Gerbarg (2005) and the research course formats used in the Stanford and VA veterans trials. The core kriya is not published by the organisation and is not described procedurally here.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Review (around 1-3 months). Goal: re-measure symptoms, decide together whether SKY continues as an adjunct, and keep primary evidence-based treatment in place.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• see red flags in Section 5. Working: symptoms settle after pausing and medical review.
• avoidance of trauma-focused work by switching to breathing alone. Working: engagement in both.
• whether slow, deliberate breath attention itself raises anxiety (common in people with panic or interoceptive fear).
• over-idealised expectations; anxiety about 'losing control'. Working: the client can describe both potential benefits and risks.
• physical strain in the yoga element if the client has injuries; group pressure to adopt beliefs or sign up for further courses (see Section 5).

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.