A Highlight of Novel Studies in Mind-Body Medicine Based on Concepts and Techniques from Kundalini

Author: Shannahoff-Khalsa David
Affiliation: Director of The Research Group for Mind-Body Dynamics at the Institute for Nonlinear Science, University San Diego
Conference/Journal: Whole Person Health Summit, 2nd Qigong Summit
Date published: 2005
Other: Pages: 65 , Word Count: 149


The ancient science of Kundalini Yoga (KY) evolved over thousands of years and includes unique concepts that have only recently been put to trial in the west. A number of landmark discoveries will be presented that lead to new insights for mind-body medicine: breathing techniques for selectively altering cerebral hemispheric activity: a technique for resetting a brainstem pacemaker involved in electrical accidents that lead to sudden cardiac death: and results of a randomized controlled trial using KY for treating obsessive compulsive disorder, the 4th most common psychiatric disorder. Results will also include how the two brain hemispheres alternate in dominance during waking and sleep with an ultradian periodicity ('hourly' domain) and how this phenomenon is coupled to the nasal cycle, non-REM/REM sleep stages, and rhythms of the major bodily systems (central and autonomic nervous system, neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, fuel regulatory, immune), thus presenting a new perspective for physiological states.