Tomato Rice

This is a very gentle, subtle flavoured rice... i love it!

Take 5 generous handfuls of rice and soak in water for about an hour. Wash the rice well and bung it into a cooker. Puree 8-10 tomatoes and optionally cook it for a while in olive oil. Add this to the rice. I find that cooking the puree before adding to the rice in the cooker somehow enhances the flavour.

Add to it some green peas (depends on how much you like them, I add about a big cup full of them). Peel 2 carrots and slice them into medium roundels. Add to the rice. You could also add a chunkily chopped potato (don’t remove the skin). Add a finely chopped chopped tomato as well.

Next add 10-15 fresh basil leaves. Also add lots of olive oil, I just let it glug out of the bottle for a bit ☺. Finally add a small blob of butter. Add salt to taste. Add water so that it completely covers the entire mixture. And pressure cook for three whistles and simmer for 10ish minutes after that. Wait for the cooker to cool down before opening it.

Serve piping hot. As well as fresh dahi.


You could also change the flavour by doing a garlic tadka. (Heat Olive oil and add 2 mashed or very finely sliced garlic cloves. Add to the rice and mix it up well).

Protein story!!!

Some of Readers of my blog came up with the query about the source of protein for vegans. The latest blog here talks about need of protein and vegan sources of protein. Soon I will be coming up with high protein recipes for vegan . Just wait for some yummiiiiiiiiiiiii rich recipessssssssssss !!!!!!!!!

you are gonna love them :)

Love
Dinesh

Till then quest for the interesting and healthy food continue and your comments are welcome :)

Protien story!!!

The Importance of Protein
Protein is essential to human health. Our bodies—hair, muscles, fingernails, and so on—are made up mostly of protein. As suggested by the differences between our muscles and our fingernails, not all proteins are alike. This is because differing combinations of any number of 20 amino acids may constitute a protein. In much the same way that the 26 letters of our alphabet serve to form millions of different words, the 20 amino acids serve to form different proteins.

Amino acids are a fundamental part of our diet. While half of the 20 can be manufactured by the human body, the other 10 cannot.1 These "essential amino acids" can easily be provided by a balanced vegan diet.

How Much Protein?
As babies, our mothers' milk provided the protein we needed to grow healthy and strong. Once we start eating solid foods, non-animal sources can easily provide us with all the protein we need. Only 10 percent of the total calories consumed by the average human being need be in the form of protein.2 The Recommended Dietary Daily Allowance for both men and women is 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight.3 People with special needs (such as pregnant women) are advised to get a little more.

Vegans should not worry about getting enough protein; if you eat a reasonably varied diet and ingest sufficient calories, you will undoubtedly get enough protein. Protein deficiency, or "kwashiorkor," is very rare in the U.S. and is usually diagnosed in people living in countries suffering from famine.4

By contrast, eating too much animal protein has been directly linked to the formation of kidney stones and has been associated with cancer of the colon and liver.5,6 By replacing animal protein with vegetable protein, you can improve your health while enjoying a wide variety of delicious foods.

Other rich sources of non-animal protein include legumes, nuts, seeds, yeast, and freshwater algae. Although food yeasts ("nutritional yeast" and "brewer’s yeast") do not lend themselves to forming the center of one's diet, they are extremely nutritious additions to most menus (in soups, gravies, breads, casseroles, and dips). Most yeasts get about 50 percent of their calories from protein.8

Here are some examples of vegetarian foods with high sources of plant protein:

PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas

PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice

VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon

Additionally, super green foods provide an excellent source of protein (70% in some cases).

References
1 University of Arizona, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, “Amino Acids Problem Set,” The Biology Project, 25 Aug. 2003.
2 Paula Kurtzweil, “‘Daily Values’ Encourage Healthy Diet,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2003.
3 Food and Nutrition Board, “Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Fat, Protein and Amino Acids (Macronutrients),” National Academy of Sciences (2002): 10-1.
4 U.S. National Library and the National Institutes of Health, “Kwashiorkor,” MEDLINEplus Medical Encyclopedia, 11 Jul. 2002.
5 Gary C. Curhan et al., “A Prospective Study of Dietary Calcium and Other Nutrients and the Risk of Symptomatic Kidney Stones,” The New England Journal of Medicine 328 (1993): 833-8.
6 Kathleen M. Stadler, “The Diet and Cancer Connection,” Virginia Tech, Nov. 1997.
7 Gertjan Schaafsma, “The Protein Digestiblity-Corrected Amino Acid Score,” Journal of Nutrition 130 (2000):1865S-1867S.
8 USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, “Leavening Agents, Yeast, Baker’s, Active Dry,” 16 Jul. 2003.

Coconut Potato

take some 5 biggish potatosss cut them in nice chunks. and take fresh coconut grate it into nice powdery flakes.

take some oil in the pan put some green chilly (cut long) with some curry leaves once u feel the fragrance of leaves add lots of azawain(can get it here in US from Indian stores) (i don't know what its called in English) add the chucks of potatos, salt to taste and the powdery flakes of coconut just cover the pan with lid and let the potato cook in steam for around 10ish minutes

and here you get your nicely smelling coconut potato-i just put some shredded coriander on it and server hotttttttttttt

its too yummiiiiiiiiiii

More update from Non-veg industries

So this comes after discussion with my friend Dr. Anand Priyadashee PhD in Physics. He gave some input which are cool yet show the reality about todays Meat and Dairy industry. And this is called MEATRIX...



http://www.themeatrix.com/

http://www.themeatrix1.com/
http://www.themeatrix2.com/

http://www.moremeatrix.com/

http://www.themeatrix2.com/trailer.html

My favorite reason:

Guruji once said, that for a person who eats non veg food, Samadhi is very difficult, and progress on the Spiritual Path is almost impossible!

So friends/Readers you have now 102 reasons to go for vegetarian food. Which one is your favorite. Leave you comments and also does it help you some how in your life :)

Love
Dinesh

Reasons to take vegetarian diet

101 Reasons for Vegetarian food

PEOPLE

1. Every year in the UK we feed our livestock enough food to feed 250,000,000 people while in the world 30,000,000 people die of starvation
2. 20 vegetarians can live off the land required by one meat eater
3. Every 3 seconds a child dies of starvation somewhere in the world
4. If Americans reduced their meat consumption by 10% it would free 12,000,000 tons of grain - enough to feed 60,000,000 people (the population of Great Britain)
5. If all Americans became vegetarian, it would free enough grain to feed 600,000,000 people (the population of India)
6. Intensification in animal farming has displaced 1,000,000's of people from their traditional lands - eg. indigenous people in south & central America, native Americans in north America & crofters in Great Britain - this is continuing today
7. People displaced from their lands into cities succumb to dietary deficiency, diseases, parasites & opportunistic diseases
8. In third world countries 1 in 10 babies die before their first birthday
9. The UK imports $ 46,000,000 worth of grain from third world countries to feed our livestock
10. Due to overgrazing 850,000,000 people live on land threatened by desertification & over 230,000,000 already live on land so severely desertified that they are unable to sustain their existence & face imminent starvation
11. 1,000,000,000 people in the west gorging on meat & dairy leave 1,000,000,000 to waste away & 3,500,000,000 teeter on the brink

    LAND

12. If they continue to clear American forests to raise cattle at the present rate, in 50 years there will be none left
13. 1 acre yields 165 lbs of beef or 20,000 lbs of potatoes
14. 8/10 of cultivated land in the UK is used to grow food for animals (14,732,000 hectares)
15. It takes 16lbs of high protein soya to produce 1 lb of beef
16. Since 1945 in the UK we have lost 95% of flower meadows, 50% of ancient woodlands, 40% of heathlands, 50% of wet lands & 224,000 km of hedgerows all due to animal farming
17. Pressure on land due to meat farming leads to soil erosion 6billion tons/year in the USA
18. If everyone went vegetarian upto 90% of land used for animal farming could be taken out of production & used to replant woodlands, leisure activities etc.
19. 25% of Central america's forests have been destroyed for cattle grazing since 1960
20. Between 1966-1983 38% of the Amazon rain forest was destroyed for cattle grazing
21. 90% of cattle ranches established on cleared forest land go bankrupt in less than 8 years as the land becomes barren due to nutrient loss & overgrazing
22. Overgrazing by cattle is destroying the land & increasing desertification, nearly 430 million acres in the USA alone has suffered a 25-50% reduction in yield since first grazed
23. An inch of topsoil takes 200-1000 years to develop - yet in the USA they have lost around 1/3 of their prime topsoil in 200 years (around 7 inches) due to animal farming
24. Land will be lost due to rises in sea level due to global warming due to animal farming

    AIR

25. The destruction of the rainforest by cattle farmers is destroying the lungs of the planet & reducing the worlds capacity to replenish our oxygen supply
26. The 1,300,000,000 cattle in the world emit 60,000,000 tons of methane per year (methane is a greenhouse gas & leads to global warming)
27. Burning of forests, grasslands & agricultural waste associated with animal farming releases 50-100,000,000 tons of methane per year
28. Combining these figures, 25% of methane emissions are due to animal farming (not including the billions of sheep, pigs & poultry so the real figure is much higher)
29. Fertilizer used to grow crops to feed to animals releases nitrous oxide - thought to account for 6% of the greenhouse effect
30. Fertilizer, weedkiller & pesticides sprayed on crops enter the atmosphere creating a noxious carcinogenic cocktail
31. CFCs are released into the air from refrigeration units used to store decomposing flesh (meat), milk & butter - CFCs are destroy the ozone layer
32. Ammonia from animal urine also pollutes the atmosphere
33. CO2 is released by burning oil & petrol in lorries, ships, abattoirs, dairies, factories etc. associated with meat & dairy production
34. Emissions from large chemical plants which produce fertilizer, weedkiller & other agricultural chemicals are also poisoning our air

    WATER

35. 25 gallons of water to produce 1lb of wheat & 2500 gallons to produce 1lb of meat
36. UK farm animals produce 200,000,000 tonnes of slurry (liquid excrement) every year, the majority of which ends up in our rivers
37. Bloody waste water from abattoirs ends up in our rivers
38. In the USA every second humans produce 12,000 lbs of effluent while farmed animals produce 250,000 lbs
39. Nitrates & pesticides used on crops grown to feed livestock end up in our rivers
40. Meat & dairy farming uses 70 litres of water per day per animal in the UK or 159,250,000,000 litres per year in total
41. The water used to produce 10 lbs of steak is equivalent to the average consumption of water for an entire household for an entire year
42. Depletion of groundwater reserves to grow crops for animals & to supply abattoirs will lead to greater water shortages
43. Aquafers (stores of underground water) in the San Joaquin valley in the USA are being drained at the rate of 500,000,000,000 gallons/year to produce meat
44. 18% of all agricultural land in the world is irrigated & as global warming increases (partly due to animal farming) it will cost $200,000,000 to keep these systems going
45. The water used to produce a 1000 lb beef steer is enough to float a Destroyer battleship
46. The liquid waste from the various parts of the meat & dairy industry flow into the rivers & from there into the seas polluting them & encouraging huge algal blooms to grow

    EFFICIENCY

47. To produce 1calorie of energy from meat takes 60 calories of petrol, whereas growing grains & legumes to directly feed people produces 20 calories for each calorie of fuel used ( thats 1200 times more efficient)
48. Meat & dairy farming uses billions of gallons of oil to run tractors, fuel ships & lorries (to move animal feed & animals), pump billions of gallons of water to irrigate fields & run slaughterhouses, power refrigeration units to prevent the corpses from decomposing & to power sewage plants to clean up some of the pollution produced
49. Cattle convert only 6% of their energy intake (mainly grains & soya) into flesh, the remaining 94% is wasted as heat, movement (which is why they keep many animals in very close confinement), hair, bones, faeces etc
50. 1lb of beef takes 1 gallon of petrol to produce
51. A family of four eating beef for a year uses enough petrol to run a car for 6 months (obviously depending on how far you drive!)
52. If the full ecological cost of meat was passed onto the consumer - the price would be quadrupled (at least)
53. The EC spends �100,000,000's to subsidise animal production resulting in lakes of unwanted milk & mountains of unwanted meat & butter. This money could be better spent encouraging organic fruit, vegetable & grain production
54. In the USA in 1979 145,000,000 tons of crops were fed to cattle resulting in only 21million tons of animal bodies - the cost of the wasted crops was $20,000,000,000
55. Between 1950 & 1985 grain production in Europe & the USA increased massively but 2/3 was fed to animals
56. 70% of all grain is fed to animals
57. Eating vast quantities of animal flesh, eggs, milk & butter is a luxury that most of the planet can not afford

    ANIMALS

58. Fishing with drift (and other modern) nets weakens & destroys ecosystems by indiscriminately killing billions of sea creatures & disrupting the sea bed
59. Fishermen's nets kill 10 times as many other animals as the fish they are hoping to catch
60. Fish caught in nets die an agonising slow death of suffocation
61. Each year 15,000,000,000 land animals are slaughtered for food & an unknown but much larger number of sea creatures (including 1000's of dolphins caught accidentally)
62. Chickens are crammed into battery cages with upto 3 other birds, they are unable to even spread their wings & many can not even stand up
63. Unwanted male chicks (because they can't lay eggs) are gassed or pulped while their sisters go to the battery sheds
64. Chicks are debeaked without anaesthetic to prevent them injuring each other in the unnaturally confined conditions they are kept in - this is equivalent to having your fingernails pulled out without anaesthetic
65. Modern farming methods using growth hormones & artificial lighting mean that many chickens out grow their bones, resulting in fractured & broken legs
66. Sows are kept tethered in stalls 1.3 x 1 metre on concrete or slatted floors - they can not even turn around
67. Poultry raised for meat are kept in windowless broiler sheds, with around 20-30,000 in each shed, they live in an area of 10-20 cm square - fighting due to overcrowding is common & like battery hens they commonly suffer from supperating bed sores
68. Broilersheds are artificially lit 23 hours a day to produce rapid growth
69. Animals travel between farms & to slaughter in overcrowded transporters with no food or water - resulting in stress, injuries & deaths - legal requirements are widely ignored
70. 95% of poultry suffer injuries before being killed & 30% suffer broken bones
71. Problems with stunning practices mean that many animals have their throats slit while still conscious (around 6% of cattle or 200,000 per year) & are then dipped in tanks of scalding water (to loosen feathers, bristles etc.) again while fully conscious
72. 4000 animals die spurting their blood out every minute in a British slaughterhouse
73. Calf leather comes from animals killed at just 2 weeks old
74. Cows were fed on the ground up remains of other cows & sheep - the result is thought to be BSE (mad cow disease) in the USA cattle are fed partly on recycled plastic pellets
75. Cows only give milk for 10 months after they have a calf - so they are routinely artificially inseminated (ie. mechanically raped) to keep them pregnant & milking - their calves are taken away (usually at 12 hours old) for meat or export to veal crates
76. Cows would naturally live upto 20 years but are slaughtered after 5-7 years when their milk production begins to fall
77. In the UK animals are killed by first being stunned with electricity or a captive bolt gun (ie. a bolt is fired into their heads) before having their throats slit & being plunged into boiling water - all this happens on a production line with the animals being hung upside down from a moving conveyor belt - this is factory farming
78. "Animals are those unfortunate slaves & victims of the most brutal part of mankind" - John Stewart Mill (philosopher)
79. Veal calves are confined in stalls in the dark, unable to move & are fed on pigs blood , chocolate & dried milk (we are drinking the rich fresh milk of their mothers)
80. Cows naturally produce 5 litres of milk per day for their calves - under the intensified systems of modern farming they produce 25-40 litres per day - resulting in swollen & inflamed udders - at this rate they are soon worn out
81. Large areas of land are under monoculture to grow crops to feed to animals - these areas are wildlife deserts supporting fewer & fewer species.

    HEALTH

82. Vegetarians have a 20% lower rate of mortality from all causes (ie. they live longer & don't get sick as often)
83. Meat is full of traces of antibiotics, hormones, toxins produced by stress & pesticide residues that become concentrated from all the crops they have eaten
84. Fish contain heavy metals & other pollutants -many of which originated on farms
85. The world health organization recommends a diet low in saturated fat, sugar, salt & with plenty of fibre - exactly what you get on a vegan/vegetarian diet
86. Farmed animals contain upto 50% saturated fat in their bodies
87. Vegetarians have 24% reduced risk of getting heart disease & Vegans a 57% reduction (heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK accounting for 50% of deaths)
88. Obesity is rare in vegetarians, obesity is related to many diseases
89. Vegans & vegetarians have lower blood pressure & cholesterol levels - high levels are associated with heart disease, strokes & kidney failure
90. Vegetarians have a 50% reduced risk of dying of diabetes
91. Vegetarians have a 40% reduced level of cancer than the general population thought to be because they have a higher intake of vitamins A,C & E
92. Vegetarians have a reduced risk of developing gall & kidney stones
93. 80% of food poisoning is due to infected meat (faeces, bacteria etc.) after all meat is decomposing flesh - most of the rest is due to salmonella in eggs
94. Osteoporosis due to calcium loss from bones is mainly due to the sulphur content in meat & casein protein in milk that cause calcium to be lost in the urine - the countries with the highest meat & dairy consumption are those with the highest levels of brittle bones
95. 50% of people do not have the enzyme to digest milk properly & milk allergy is related to asthma & eczema
96. Meat eaters have double the rate of Alzheimers disease as Vegans & Vegetarians - some people also think that Parkinsons disease is also linked to meat eating
97. Egg yolk is a dense concentration of saturated fat & the white is high in albumin protein associated with leaching calcium into your urine. Butter is 80% saturated fat, cream is 40% saturated fat & cheese is 25-40% saturated fat
98. Meat eaters are two and a half times more likely to get bowel cancer than Vegetarians
99. The cling film used to wrap meat in supermarkets & butchers contains chemicals linked to falling sperm counts in men
100. Chinese people (living mainly on a vegetarian diet) consume 20% more calories than Americans but Americans are 20% fatter
101. Of 2,100,000 deaths in the USA in 1987, 1,500,000 were related to diet (ie. meat & dairy)

AND I COULD GO ON !

If you've read this far, I hope that you are beginning to see that the Meat & Dairy industry is a major contributor to misery on this planet. It is destroying the health of people in rich countries, starving those in poor countries, it is torturing & killing billions of animals every year and in the meantime it is one of the major factors in the destruction of the environment - so what does the meat & dairy industry have to say in it's defense?

Well their only real point is usually "Meat is tasty" - fair enough a lot of people enjoy the taste of meat - but there are plenty of delicious alternatives (just consider the huge range of vegetarian dishes in Indian cooking - one of the oldest & most sophisticated cuisines in the world) and if you really crave meat & dairy, nowadays there are plenty of healthy non animal alternatives - just look in the supermarket & health food shop. So I hope you will agree it's pretty pathetic to consider all the evidence & then say "well I know you're right about the environment & health & the animals - but I just love my meat"

Some Reality Video:

Reference:

1. Books by John Robbins would be great to read for more on this subject...

2. http://www.flex.com/~jai/articles/101.html

3. http://www.goveg.com/

4. http://www.meat.org/

Science of Breath-Sudarshan Kriya (SKY)

Introduction:

Scientific studies suggest connections between body and the mind implying that emotional state and thought processes affect brain, endocrine system and also immune system. A new discipline has emerged based on these concepts � called Psychoneuroimmunology or mind-body medicine.

Effect on stress on thoughts and emotions:

Perception of stress leads to restlessness, anxiety, irritability or aggressive behavior and/or a state of panic, in extreme cases, even addiction to tobacco, alcohol and/or drugs. Negative emotions surface in the form of hatred/dislike, jealousy, greed, possessiveness, lust, arrogance and anger.

Further, inter-personal relationships are adversely affected, work out-put decreases and power of concentration wanes. Efficiency goes down and memory weakens. Most of us are afraid to acknowledge our negativity and so we begin finding fault with others. We start complaining, which adds further to our stress; a vicious cycle begins.

Pure Consciousness:

SKY is the process, which remind us of this fact. They are the vehicles, which transport us to our very source of pure consciousness. Stress is perceived, only when our consciousness is flowing outwards, when our mind, senses, and emotions are connected to the outside world, to the environment, and to the events of life. But when the consciousness is turned in-wards; when senses, thoughts and emotions are harmonized with consciousness, we experience 'State of pure consciousness', where there is no stress, one perceives only joy.

It needs to be emphasized that knowledge of this state of pure consciousness at an intellectual level is not enough. One has to experience/realize this state, for it to affect a change at the level of our psyche, thoughts, emotions and body.

Effect of stress on body:

Body too is affected by stress. Pulse increases, heart pounds and we start perspiring & hands become cold and clammy. This is caused by the release of several hormones, chemicals and cytokines from our endocrine glands and immune cells, which are activated in response to the perception of stress.

While the body can adapt to acute stress and does not suffer much damage, exposure or perception of repeated stressful situations (chronic stress) leads to irreversible physiological changes, resulting in diseased states like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks, asthma, gastrointestinal ulcers, viral infections, migraine/non-specific headaches etc.

Subjective responses to SKY:

Those practicing SKY on regular basis claim that their negative emotions gradually turns to positive ones, unnecessary thoughts begin to vanish from mind, and the body begins to look and feel younger and healthier. As doctors and scientists however we were not willing to accepts these claims at face value. For this reason research was initiated by seven departments at AIIMS, NIMHANS, Bangalore and by Bangalore Medical College.

Process to counter stress:

Over the centuries, many Sages and Rishis recommended the practice of yoga, meditation and Pranayam to prevent or alter our reactions to stress. More recently, Sudarshan Kriya (SKY) has been introduced by Sadguru Sri Sri Ravisankar ji. These are the processes which not only affect the mind and body, but take us beyond, towards the very source of our mind, body and emotions-consciousness.

Pranayam is an ancient wisdom. It directs or regulates our 'prana' - subtle life force energy, the very essence of our life. It's regular practice activates and harmonizes many biological rhythms including brain rhythm, heart beat, enzyme rhythm and mental and emotional rhythm.

Sudarshan Kriya is a rhythmic breathing process. Three different rhythms in a cyclical fashion are introduced to participants through Art of Living (AOL) workshops of 22-24 hours spread over six days.

According to Sri Sri Ravisankar:
"Breath and mind are linked like body and mind. Breath sorts out the imbalances in the mind and the body. It's the secret of life, we have forgotten".

Research at AIIMS:

We figured that if in need there are two states of consciousness, one flowing outwards connected to outside world and another flowing inwards which harmonized the body thoughts and emotions, then the body physiology in these states must differ. Therefore, we studied physiological and biochemical parameters related to the brain, endocrine system, immune system and the body's other defensive mechanisms before and after SKY to see not only the immediate changes, but also the long term effects on body and mind.

Electroencephalogram (EEG):

EEG changes were recorded on 19 Sudarshan Kriya practitioners and compared with 15 controls (doctors and researchers from within AIIMS not practicing SKY, yoga or meditation), to study the long term effects of SKY.

Significant increase in beta-activity was observed in the left frontal occipital and midline regions among Sudarshan Kriya practitioners compared to controls (p <0.05). Neurologists interpreted these findings as indicative of heightened alertness.

EEG in 5 AOL female practitioners in the age group 35 - 45 with similar socio economic and educational background was studied during SKY. Increase in alpha activity was demonstrable in both the hemispheres with interspersed persistence of beta activity. This indicated a state of relaxed alertness.

Effect on stress hormone-Cortisol:

That SK & P indeed leads to relaxation, was confirmed further by the measurement of blood Cortisol (a hormone known as stress hormone) in 21 healthy individuals in 35-50 years of age. Results were compared among regular AOL practitioners vs. beginners and also among beginners during SKY vs. listening to classical music. AOL regular practitioners had lower blood Cortisol level at the base line indicating that they are less stressed when compared to beginners, there was further fall during Kriya suggesting that SKY needs to be practiced regularly to maintain relaxed state of mind. Among beginners, fall was greater during SKY as compared to when they were listening to music, confirming that SKY was indeed more relaxing than listening to classical music.

Blood Lactate:

Blood lactate is another chemical, which increases during stress. Those undergoing police training are a highly stressed group as they undergo intense physical training on a daily basis. Blood lactate was measured in 10 such individuals before and after SK &P. There was a marked fall confirming that SK & P induced a state of relaxation.

Effect on immune system:

Effect of SKY was studied on our immune system, the system which protects us from disease. Natural killer (NK) cells are surveillance cells of immune system and are capable of destroying tumor cells as well as infected cells. These were enumerated in the peripheral blood (PB) of AOL practitioners, normal individuals not practicing SK & P and cancer patients. NK cells were found to be significantly higher (P <0.001) style=""> Cancer patients were then subjected to AOL workshop, over three to six months of regular practice of SKY, they demonstrated an increase in NK cells. This study is yet an ongoing one, and definite conclusions are awaited.

Antioxidant enzymes:

The body is repeatedly exposed to chemicals and pollutants in the environment due to which free radicals are generated. These react with oxygen and cause oxidant damage leading to several diseases including cancer. To counteract these out body has a defensive system in the form of antioxidant enzymes.

Studies carried out at AIIMS as well as Bangalore Medical College have indicated an increase in antioxidant enzymes after (P <0.05)>

Effect on blood cholesterol:

Studies conducted at the Bangalore Medical College demonstrated a significant fall in serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, as well as an increase in HDL cholesterol. This would make SK & P a tool for prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD).

LDL cholesterol as well as an increase in HDL cholesterol. This would make SK & P a tool for prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Effect on depression:

NIMHANS of Bangalore recorded a 70% cure in individuals suffering from depression. SK & P were as effective as drugs without any side effects. This was also both cost effective and self empowering. Following SKY, brain wave patterns were found to normalize and serum prolactin increased.

Conclusion:

With the regular practice of SKY, one experiences flow of positive emotions, replacing anger, frustrations and jealousy. The body feels younger and healthier and the mind feels calmer. EEG, blood cortisol and blood lactate levels reflect a state of relaxation, yet alertness. Increase in NK cells and antioxidant enzymes suggests that regular practice might prevent many diseases including infections and possibly even cancer. Fall in cholesterol may prevent cardiac disease and depression is cured in 70% of cases. Thus, even though further studies are needed, available data so far serves to validate the subjective claims of a healthier body, calmer mind, and balanced emotions.

Published Research Papers:

1. Naga Venkatesha Murthy PJ, Janakiramaiah N, Gangadhar BN, et al: P300 amplitude and antidepressant response to Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY). J Affect Disord 50(1):45-8, 1998. A small open pilot study found that SKY significantly improved depression in 15 patients with dysthymia and 15 with major depression.

2. Janakiramaiah N, Gangadhar BN, Naga Venkatesha Murthy PJ, et al: Therapeutic efficacy of Sudarshan Kriya yoga (SKY) in dysthymic disorder. NIMHANS Journal 1998;21-8. An open study of 46 patients with dysthymia (mean illness duration 3.15 years) showed significant improvement on Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Clinical Global Impression scales 1 and 3 months after SKY breath training. Among the 37 patients who completed the program, 67.5% achieved remission. After SKY training, small but significant prolactin elevation occurred.

3. Janakiramaiah N, Gangadhar BN, Naga Venkatesha Murthy PJ, et al: Antidepressant efficacy of Sudarshan Kriya yoga (SKY) in melancholia: a randomized comparison with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and imipramine. J Affect Disord 2000;57(1-3):255-9. In a randomized, controlled study, 45 hospitalized patients with severe melancholic depression were divided into three groups. The first group received bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) three times a week for 4 weeks. The medication group took an antidepressant, imipramine 150 mg at night. The third group received training in SKY yoga breathing only. At the time of admission, all patients scored 17 or higher on the 17-item HRSD. In fact, the mean scores were quite high for each group: ECT = 26.7 + 5.0; imipramine = 22.7 + 5.7; SKY = 25.1 + 6.5. SKY was as effective as imipramine and almost as effective as ECT, as shown by reductions in BDI and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) total scores. Remission was defined as HRSD <>

4. Vedamurthachar A, Janakiramaiah N, Hegde JM, Shetty TK, Subbakrishna DK, Sureshbabu SV, Gangadhar BN: Antidepressant efficacy and hormonal effects of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) in alcohol dependent individuals. J Affect Disord. 2006 Aug; 94(1-3):249-53. In a 3-week study of hospitalized alcohol dependent patients, those treated with SKY plus standard treatment had greater reductions in depression, anxiety and cortisol than patients given standard treatment and rehabilitation

5. Bhatia M, Kumar A, Kumar N, et al: Electrophysiologic evaluation of Sudarshan Kriya: an EEG, BAER, P300 study. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2003. 47(2):157-136 A significant increase in beta-1 and beta-2 activity in the left frontal, midline and parieto-occipital regions was noted on EEGs of 19 regular SKY practitioners at rest when compared with 15 healthy age-matched controls. No significant differences were found on the BAER or P300 latency measures. An increase in beta frequency activity in these areas has been associated with attentive information processing

6. Sharma H, Sen S, Singh A, et al: Sudarshan kriya practitioners exhibit better antioxidant status and lower blood lactate levels. Biol Psychol. 2003. 63: 281-291. In study of the indicators of stress took baseline measures of antioxidants superoxide dismutase-SOD, catalase, glutathione, and blood lactate levels in healthy males from the Police Training Academy (PTA) in Delhi, India. Ten trainees practiced SKY for 5 months, while a matched comparison group of PTA trainees did not. At the end of 5 months, those who had practiced SKY showed statistically significant improvements in all stress indicators compared to the control group.

7. Sageman S: Breaking through the despair: spiritually oriented group therapy as a means of healing women with severe mental illness. J Am Acad Psychoanal Dyn Psychiatry 32(1):125-41, 2004. Dr. Sageman introduced ujjayi breathing to a therapy group for women with severe chronic mental illness, predominantly schizophrenia. Most were Latino or African Americans living below the poverty line with histories of abuse, childhood trauma, and repeated psychiatric hospitalizations. The patients learned ujjayi quickly and responded with rapid improvement in mood, energy, and attention. Schizophrenic patients may benefit from modified nonstimulating yoga techniques in a supportive setting with skilled mental health professionals.

8. Gerbarg PL and Brown RP: Yoga: a breath of relief for Hurricane Katrina refugees. Current Psychiatry. 4(10): 55-67, Oct 2005.

9. Sageman S and Brown R: Free at Last, in DSM-IV-TR Case Book Volume 2, edited by R.L. Spitzer, M.B. First, J.B.W.Williams, M. Gibbon. American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. Washington, DC. 2006. pp.109-121. This chapter describes the use of natural and conventional treatments in a complex case with multiple psychiatric diagnoses. Sudarshan Kriya yoga breathing provided the patient with a means of self-soothing that increased her resilience so that she no longer became despondent when confronted by painful reminders of past trauma. SKY was credited with breaking the link between past trauma and negative emotions.

10. Brazier A, Mulkins A, Verhoef M: Am J Health Promot. 2006 Jan-Feb;20(3):192-5. Evaluating a yogic breathing and meditation intervention for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. A randomized controlled trial was used to assess the effects of a SKY program on 47 individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Positive changes in well-being on the Mental Health Index (MHI) and the MOS-HIV Health Survey (MOS) were primarily seen immediately following the program and disappeared at later data points. The Daily Stress Inventory (DSI), indicated an increase in experience and impact of stress over time for the intervention group after the program. However, qualitative interviews described positive changes in how participants were living their day-to-day lives. The mixed results of this study may reflect the need for longer follow-up interventions to maintain the gains in a population suffering the severe stresses associated with HIV.

11. Gerbarg PL: Yoga and Psychoanalysis, chapter in Bodies in Treatment: The Unspoken Dimension, edited by F. S. Anderson. The Analytic Press, Inc. Hillsdale, NJ. 2007 (in press). Through the presentation of a complex case, Dr. Gerbarg discusses neuro-psychoanalytic research and theory in light of the observed effects of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga on the progress of a psychoanalytic treatment. This provides material for an evolving integrative model.

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