Download Increased Productivity through Spirituality

Science and Spirituality
Vinod Kochupillai
Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital
All India Institute of Medical Sciences
New Delhi
Poll Conducted: “Are you
happy with your life”
High percentage: “Yes”
Surprise
Contradictory to statistics
Anxiety, depression, Suicide increasing
If people are happy:
Why increase in depression and suicides??
Emotions: unaware or not
expressed
• Unaware of feelings
• ashamed to admit
• Pretending to have fun
• Emotions: may seem to be under control --
but!
Suppressed emotions:
Explode
• Affect: Work out put
• Interpersonal relations
• Depression/ anxiety
• heart attacks, ulcers, migraine, High BP,
cancer
Scientific Studies
Every change in the mental-emotional state,
conscious or unconscious is accompanied by an
appropriate change in physiological state and every
change in the physiological state is accompanied
by an appropriate change in the mental-emotional
state
Elmer Green - Mayo clinic Physician
Body and Mind
• Brain/ mind: dominate body:
No longer true
• Body and mind: inseparable
• Intelligence: not only in brain; throughout the
body
• Memory and capacity to learn:
not only brain; other systems also like immune
system
Neuropeptides & receptors:
Biochemical Messengers
• Act with intelligence
• Communicate: each other
• Regulate: conscious and
Unconscious activities
• Translate large changes:
Behavior, physical activity, even mood
• biochemical base: awareness and consciousness
Neuropeptides and receptors:
Not only brain and nerve cells
Present in many parts:
Blood cells (mono & lymphocytes)
Respiratory centre
G I tract - entire lining: esophagus - large intestine
Density of receptors: gut feeling
Distressing news: diarrhoea
dyspepsia: grouchy & irritable
Internal Chemicals
• Biochemical messengers: Neuropeptides and their
receptors
• Manifest as our emotions, beliefs and expectations
• Profoundly influence
how we respond and experience our world
• unite mind, spirit and emotions with physical
body
• Dr. Pert: Molecules of Emotions
Biochemical messengers:
Molecules of Emotions
• Massive information transfer:
Over a network linking all system and organs
• engaging: all: molecules of emotions as means of
communication
• “Mobile brain”
Moves throughout body
located in all places at once
not just in the head
Body wide information
network
• Including all organs systems,
• Emotions, thoughts and spirit
• Ever changing and dynamic
infinitely flexible
Endorphins and Chakras
A yogi enquired: Dr. Pert
• If Endorphins: neuropeptide (body’s natural opiate)
concentrated along spine: that corresponded to
chakras
• 7 Chakaras: centres of subtle energy
• govern basic physical and metaphysical functions:
ranging: sexuality to emotions to higher
consciousness
Endorphins & Chakras
Dr. Pert - pulled out a diagram that depicted-2 chains
of nerve bundles on either side of spinal cord.
Each rich with information carrying peptides
Chakra map exactly overlapped endorphins map
Emotions: needed
• Anger to define boundaries
• Grief to deal with losses
• Fear to protect from danger
Emotions denied; chronically
suppressed - Stress
• Toxic situation
• Flow of peptides (messengers): blocked
• important body functions:
breathings, blood flow, Immunity:
adversely affected
• Manifests as diseases
• Healing processes: adversely affected
Free Flow of Emotions
• Emotions allowed to move: naturally
• Inner chemicals flow: freely
• Experience:
freedom, joy healthy state of being
Frontal cortex: Part of brain:
Unique to humans
• Sits behind forehead
• Rich: Chemical messengers
• Location: higher cognitive functions
Planning for the future
Making decisions
Formulating intentions to change
Frontal cortex: To perform
• Needs adequate nourishment
• Brain’s only food - Glucose
carried through blood
• Glucose - store & secrete messenger chemicals
Neurotransmitters, Neuropeptides
Blocked or suppressed
emotions
Blood vessels:
Constricted (narrowed)
• Blood flow: restricted
• Deprives :
important part of brain
and other organs :
of vital nourishment
Frontal Contex: Inadequate
Nourishment
• Foggy and less alert
• limited in awareness
• Decision making processes: Interfered
• unable to respond freshly to world around:
get stuck
• Lack of fresh ideas
Emotions and body sensations:
Link
• Each emotion: Physical sensation
• Attention over physical sensation: allows emotions
to move rather then suppress
• often happens: at unconscious level
one is not aware
• Elimination of stress; brings it into consciousness;
one becomes aware
Elimination of Stress
Over centuries
Yoga, meditation, Pranayam
Meditation allows long buried thoughts and
feelings to surface, is a way of getting the
peptides flow again, returning the body and
the emotions to health.
Sudarshan Kriya (SK) and
Pranayam (P)
More recently
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Introduced a powerful process Sudarshan Kriya
Rhythmic breathing process Three rhythms followed cyclically.
Rhythmic breathing:
Effect on chemical messengers
• Rhythmic change in the rate of breath
Changes:
quantity and quality: peptides
• Conscious alteration of breath:
holding or breathing fast:
chemicals diffuse into several areas
Fast conscious breathing
• Peptides diffuse all over
• Many - Endorphins:
body’s natural opiates : released
• Sense of joy and happiness, peace
and relief from body pains
• peptide - respiratory link :
Well documented
Respiratory centre: Peptides
• Any peptide (Chemical
messenger) found anywhere:
also found in resp centre
• May be the scientific base for
the powerful healing effects of
SK and P
Spirituality & Science
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Regular practice: SK, P, yoga and meditation
stresses: eliminated
peptides flow freely
one becomes aware
living in the present
focused, alert and yet relaxed
This is what spirituality (consciousness) is all
about
• Productivity, efficiency and relationships
automatically improve
Sudarshan Kriya and
Pranayam
• Increase connectivity and information processing in
brain
• Resting EEG 2 groups: practicing SK and P x at least
2 years vs controls: beta waves
• EEG during SK and P -
alpha waves:
relaxed alertness
Manveer Bhatia
Neurologist & EEG Incharge
EEG Changes
During SK & P
EEG Changes
Resting EEG:
Control Vs
practitioners of
SK & P
Bhatia M, Kumar A, Bhardwaj NK, Pandey RM
and Kochupillai V.
Electrophysiological evaluation of Sudarshan
Kriya; EEG, BAER and P-300 study.
Ind J Physiol & Pharmacol
47(2): 157-163, 2003
Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayam:
effect on blood cortisol & ACTH
• Studies done at AIIMS and NIMHANS,
Bangalore
• Fall in blood cortisol and ACTH (Stress
hormones)
• Consistent: relaxing effect of SK and P
NIMHANS: Alcohol addicts & patients with
depression
• 70% required no medication
• SK & P No side effects
• Cost effective
Jankiramaiah et al. A Therapeutic Efficacy of
Sudarshan Kriya yoga 9SKY) In Dysthymic
Disorders.
NIMHANS Journal 17;21-28,1998
Naga Venkatesha et al. P300 Amplitude And
Antidepressant Response To Sudarshan Kriya Yoga.
Journal Affective Disorders 50;45-48,1998.
Jankiramaiah et al. Antidepressant Efficacy Of
Sudarshan Kriya Yoga 9SKY) In Melancholia.
Journal Affective Disorders 57; 255-59, 2000.
Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayam:
Fall in blood lactate
• Police trainees - highly stressed group
• Alter 5 months of SK and P practice
• remarkable fall in blood lactate consistent with
relaxation effect
• Blood lactate tends to increase during physical and/
of mental stress
Neeta Singh: Prof. Biochemistry: AIIMS
Blood lactate: Effect of Sudarshan Kriya
p=highly significant
1 .8
( 3x10-10)
1 .6
L a c ta te (m m o le s /L )
1 .4
1 .2
1
C o n tr o ls
Pr a c tio n e r s
0 .8
0 .6
0 .4
0 .2
0
o m in
4 5 m in
p=0.013
p=0.0006
6 5 m in
Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayam:
Antioxidant defense
Police trainees
Studied at base line,
after 5 months of SK and P practice
and during SK and P
Neeta Singh, Prof, Biochemistry, AIIMS.
Glutathione: effect of Sudarshan Kriya
450
G lu t a t h io n e ( n m o le s /m g p r o t e in )
400
350
p=highly significant
(0.000002)
300
250
C o n t r o ls
P r a c t io n e r s
200
150
100
50
0
o m in
4 5 m in
6 5 m in
p=0.618
p=0.095
Catalase activity : effect of Sudarshan Kriya
SOD activity: effect of Sudarshan Kriya
2 .5
16
p= 0.0001
12
p= 0.001
1 .5
C o n tr o ls
Pr a c tio n e r s
1
SOD le ve ls (u n its /m l)
C atalas e activity (u n its /m g p r o te in /m in )
14
2
10
C o n tr o ls
8
Pr a c tio n e r s
6
4
0 .5
2
0
0
o m in
4 5 m in
6 5 m in
p=0.555
o m in
4 5 m in
p=0.683
p=0.491
p=0.001
6 5 m in
Sharma H, Sen S, Singh A, Bhardwaj NK, Kochupillai
V and Singh N.
Sudarshan Kriya practitioners exhibit better
antioxidant status and lower blood lactate levels
Biological Psychology
63: 281 - 291, 2003.
Sudarshan Kriya & Pranayam:
Effect on Immune system
• NK cells: 3 groups: Those practing SK and P x at least 2
years
• Normal controls
• Cancer patients in remission
• Cancer patients in remission
Controls Vs those practicing SK & P
NK cells baseline and after 3 and 6 months.
S.N. Das, Additional Prof., Biotechnology, AIIMS
NK cells : Results
Cancer
patients in
remission
F lo w c y to m e try : N K C e lls in P B
30
NK cells
25
significantly higher in
SKY teachers Vs
normal & cancer patients
15
10
5
(p<0.001)
0
N o rm a l s u b je c ts
A O L te a c h e rs
c a n c e r a p tie n ts
Control
Vs
practitioners of SK & P
Vs
cancer pts in remission
NK Cells in study & control arm
% NK c e lls
% o f cells
20
25
p < 0.001
20
p < 0.05
P < 0.05
15
S tu d y a r m
C o n tr o l a r m
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
S a m p lin g tim e (w e e k s )
Day 0
Day 8
Week 12
Week 24
Increase in Natural Killer cells and
antioxidant defence
•
•
May protect from age related diseases such as
cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, coronary artery
disease etc.
May slow down cancer progression
Sudarshan Kriya & tobacco
Cessation : 82 subjects
Day 6
: 53 / 82 = 65%
Month 2 : 63 individuals FU
23 Tobacco free
23/82 = 28%
Month 6 : 34 individuals FU
17 Tobacco free
17 /82 = 21%
Tobacco cessation thr.
Sudarshan Kriya
• Cost effective
• No side effects
• Durable
• Urge to smoke disappears
• No effort or supervision required
Cholesterol study: Bangalore Medical College
Effect of Sudarshan Kriya Practise on
Serum Cholestrol
the total Cholesterol
decreased
250
Cholestrol (mg%)
200
150
100
50
0
Normal
7 day SK
45 day SK
LDL Cholesterol (mg%)
Effect of Sudarshan Kriya Practise on
Serum LDL Cholesterol
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
LDL decreased
118.32
91.75
74.72
Normal
(Bad Cholesterol)
7 day SK 45 day SK
Effect of Sudarshan Kriya Practise on
Serum HDL Cholesterol
HDL Cholesterol (mg%)
70
60
51.51
43.17
46.55
50
HDL increased
40
(Good Cholesterol)
30
20
10
0
Normal
7 day SK 45 day SK
Dr. Geetha
Tata Institute of Social
Sciences: Research
Participants: Management level
Ambit corporate finance, Bacardi, Cadbury’s, Indian
oil, Mukand Steel, NTCP, Rallis India, Strategic
capital securities, Tata chemicals, World bank
groups, WHO Transasia Biochemicals
Total participants: 543 underwent AOL workshop and learnt SK & P
Tata institute Social Science:
Research (Contd)
Improved state of mind =
Improvement in dealing
with people
=
Handled stressful situation
better
=
Practicing SK & P:
Regularly
=
Recommended AOL
course to others
=
88%
60%
58%
58%
60%
Science and spirituality
Conclusions
• SK & P and meditation (spiritual practices): allow
free flow of neuropeptide and receptors: molecules
of emotions
• elimination of stress, anxiety
• Better Immune status and antioxidant defense
• Freedom from addictions
• Healthier body and healthier mind:
Increased productivity, efficiency, better relations
Science and spirituality
The systematic understanding of reality is called
science and systematic understanding of one who is
understanding is called spirituality.
HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar