Expert Opinion: Can a breathing technique overpower suicidal thoughts?
Globally, every 40 seconds, and in India, every 4 minutes, a person dies by suicide. Experts say that for each person who dies by suicide more than 20 others attempt suicide and more than 100 people think about attempting it.
A robust technique can help a person overcome the cloud of negativity that surrounds their mind and drives them to such action. Research shows that yogic techniques can change neurophysiology to gene expression in our body. Yoga is being explored as solutions for mental health problems like stress, anxiety , depression and PTSD etc
The Art of Living has been at the forefront of offering life transformational yogic techniques like Sudarshan Kriya to millions across the globe. These techniques have helped people reduce stress, improve quality of life and health. We share two case studies here where these techniques have played a role in mitigating the problem of self harm.
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Case Study 1: 70% decrease in student suicides after Sudarshan Kriya programs
Kota, a city located in northern India is well known for being India’s biggest educational hub for coaching institutes for engineering and medical entrance exams. Over 150,000 students from all over the country flock every year towards the city for preparation of various exams such as IIT-JEE, NEET-UG and AIIMS etc. Students live here for 2–3 years and prepare for the exams. In the past few years, reports of students committing suicide in the city have increased.
In 2016, many national and local news media outlets covered the story of the rise in suicidal cases in Kota City and coined a new name for the city: “The Killer City” . In order to improve the mental health and resilience of students in Kota, The Art of Living launched a campaign called Spreading Smiles in Kota. The campaign started with the support of the District Administration in the third quarter of 2016 and ran until March, 2017 (8 months). Various stakeholders like coaching institutes, hostel associations as well as the news media extended support to this campaign.
In a short span of 8 months, more than 80,000 students were positively impacted by the campaign. They were taught Sudarshan Kriya and meditation. It was found that during this period there was a 70 % decrease in student suicides in Kota, specifically due to failure in exams. The figures are taken from India’s National Crime Records Bureau’s annual ADSI report.
Case Study 2: Drastic reduction in suicides in a High School in USA
These techniques not only work on adults but on teens as well. In another example , Sudarshan Kriya was offered at a High School in USA which had several suicide clusters. The intervention improved resilience, emotional health and decreased stress. It also improved focus, sleep and increased happiness and self confidence. Consistently over 75% of students used the techniques and practices they learnt outside of class. Before Sudarshan Kriya was offered the school had seen 8 deaths from suicide and after this program there was only one suicide in 5 years.
Collective responsibility
Suicide is the third largest cause of death amongst 15-29 year olds. It's very difficult to manage the mind without proper techniques or skills - ask anyone who has tried to go to sleep at night when they are worried about something and the thoughts just keep bombarding their minds.
The act of taking one’s life is an extreme measure and we all have the responsibility to help those who need support to improve mental health. Yogic practices increase internal strength and resilience to withstand ups and downs in life. These techniques are a potent solution to overcome the silent epidemic of suicide.
Written by: Divya Kanchibotla, Executive Director of Sri Sri Institute for Advanced Research
