Back in 2001, I took part in the Art of Living Part 1 Course here in Australia. I was taught a breathing practice/exercise called the Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY). It's a short and powerful daily practice that has many positive effects on the mind. Although I was elated by how the Kriya made me feel, it was difficult to be consistent with my practice. Even though the benefits of even irregular practice were quite palpable, I found that it required a lot of discipline. I was unable to sustain daily practice for more than a couple of months at a time.
Back in late Feb 2006, after attending a medical conference on SKY in Delhi, I decided to set myself a challenge – practise every day until the end of the year. At times it was a real struggle, but I did it. Alas, I stopped a couple of weeks after the year was up.
This was followed by the usual fits and starts, maybe averaging only 2 or 3 Kriyas a week. Five months later, it was my birthday and I just had to do something to get back into regular practice. The only thing that seems to work for me is to set myself a "Grand Challenge". So, I made a commitment to not miss a day for 2 years... or... 731 days!
The grid below diagrams my progress (green means I practised in the morning; amber means afternoon; red means the evening). Hmmm... that grid doesn't look too big now, does it.
1639 days and over 710,000 breaths
After 1639 days, I finally missed a day of Sudarshan Kriya (yesterday). My 1001 Sequence Challenge also came to an untimely end (559 days in). Why? I fell in love and everything else …
3 Years – Who Would'a Taught It?!
Although the challenge is officially over, I've kept going with my daily Kriya practice. You see, it's a habit now. There's no discipline or effort involved anymore. No big deal these …
Day 731 Arrives!
The challenge is over. 609 morning Kriyas, 91 evenings and 31 afternoons. It feels like only yesterday that I started this challenge. So, where to now? Well, I'm gonna keep going; …
700 Days – Coasting to the Finish Line
It really does feel like I'm coasting to the finish line. A mere 31 days to go. When I started, 731 days seemed like an eternity, and when I was struggling with my practice, it seemed …
The 600 Day Vigil
It's hard to believe that it's been 600 days without a break. When I look back, it feels like these 600 days have been effortless. But of course they haven't. The grid below shows …
500 Days on the Road to Inner Peace
It's hard to believe I've done 500 days straight. Those of you who have been following this little adventure of mine may recall that I took on a Mini Challenge to do 40 morning Kriyas …
The Green Mile Line - Mini Challenge
The Odyssey continues, unabated by the occasional periods of resistance to SKY that have almost had me throwing in the towel. You can see those periods in the grid below. Red spells …
The 300... Prepare for Glory!
431 Days to Go!
Well, perhaps not glory... "happiness" might be a better word. The promise of daily SKY (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga) practice has been realised. In fact, it just gets better and better... …
Into the 200s
With 227 days gone, not much has been happening on this blog... but lots has been happening with SKY. In December, a shift occurred in me. It suddenly became easy to do Kriya on a …
Day 100
Here we are... 100 days without missing a beat... "only" 631 days to go :)
I was already sold on the Sudarshan Kriya, but I still can't believe how great I've been feeling since Week …
Yoga Breathing – a talk by Dr Richard Brown
Event Details
Title: "Yoga Breathing: Neurophysiology and Health Benefits for Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Anger"
Speaker: Dr Richard Brown, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University
Time/Location: Wed, Feb 23rd, 2005, UMASS - Amherst
Duration: 40 minutes
This is a synopsis of a talk on Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) given by Dr Richard Brown in Feb 2005. It is presented without comment or opinion. Having said that, it's not a transcript; …
Day 13
Well, I've been dutifully doing my practice every day, spurred on by all of the encouraging comments I've received. I hadn't felt any change until today, then... "bang!" something …
The Dollar-a-Day programme
Day 5, and all of the emails and messages of support I've received are an inspiration. For someone who finds it so difficult to practise regularly, these 731 days could have become …The first day
It feels like this is going to be easy. But it always feels like that at the start – inconceivable that I'll fail to do 731 days in a row, come rain or come shine, flu or whatever.
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