EEG During Sudarshan Kriya: A Quantitative Analysis

1 22 IntroductionSudarshan kriya (SK) (a rhythmic breathing process), wasdevised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The word Sudarshan translated from its original sanskrit Su = right, Darshan =vision, kriya means purifying action. This is thus not apure meditation technique , and has been defined as a state ofrelaxation by some and a state of consciousness by is practiced as a brief & practical self-help stress-management strategy. Subjective reports from the participantsindicate that it reduces anxiety & depression and SK has beenfound to be useful in the treatment of depression.

2 Various toolshave been used to study the effect of relaxing techniques onthe mind. These include EEG, evoked potentials (BAER, P300,Middle latency potentials), fMRI, SPECT. EEG has been usedto study changes During meditation, and also long-term effectof regular practice of meditation for the past 2-3 Transcendental Meditation(TM)an increasedregularity and amplitude of the alpha activity was noted. Theresults have been contradictory as different processes producedifferent changes. The changes observed have been linked tothe type of meditation and duration of meditation practice, assubjects varied greatly in their meditation techniques,expertise and their performance.

3 The difference in techniquemay produce a dichotomy of physiological effects. Most ofthe physiological research on meditation has been carried outon TM, it is not known whether other stylized practices createthe same are no reports at present on changes in EEG and aim of the present study was to study the sequentialchanges in EEG, During the Design and Methodology:Five regular practitioners of SK formed the study group. Theywere connected with Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth, whoregularly practiced and taught SK.

4 They had attended thebasic course (22hrs), advanced course (4 days) and the teacherstraining course. All were females, with a age range from 35-45 years, with similar socioeconomic background andeducation. None had a psychiatric illness, neurologic illness,and none of the subjects were on chronic medications. All thesubjects were asked not to take any central nervous systemstimulants/ caffeine prior to the : All recording were done in similar conditions. TheM. BhatiaAssoc. Neurophysiology,Dept.

5 Of Neurology,All India Institute of MedicalSciences, N. Delhi, IndiaEEG During Sudarshan Kriya: A Quantitative Analysissubjects were asked to be comfortable, seated on a chair, withtheir eyes closed. Electrodes were placed according to the 10-20 system of electrode placement; the recording was conductedon a 21 channel digital EEG machine, (Profile, Oxford UK),with AD conversion of 22 bits, and sampling frequency of256Hz. Filter settings were 50Hz, a standard sensitivityof 7 uV/mm and a paper speed of 30 used forrecording the free epochs of 6sec.

6 Duration were selected at the restcondition, During the Pranayam, Bhastrika and the 3 phasesof SK in the first cycle and the 6th cycle, at the end of the SK,and every 5mts after that for 20 minutes. The pruned data wassubjected to FFT Analysis using MATLAB. The EEG frequencybands were defined as follows: Delta 0-4 Hz, Theta 5-7 Hz,alpha 8-12Hz, Beta 1:13-18 Hz, Beta 2: 19- 30 Hz., and thepower calculated in each band and corresponding frequencymaps were :Coherence: An increase in coherence was observed in the 6thcycle predominantly in the fronto-central regions in the betaband, and posteriorly in the alpha Analysis : There was an increased alpha activityposteriorly During the SK.

7 In addition a central midline thetaactivity was observed. The resting EEG demonstrated anincreased focal beta activity. GSR- Increase was observedduring the :The increased coherence suggests increased connectivity. Thisis suggestive of more efficient information processing. Thecentral midline theta activity, and increase in GSR suggestsactivation and the increased alpha is suggestive of there is a combination of relaxation and activation duringthe no. of subjects need to be studied to define these : 1.

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