Kirtan Kriya meditation shows promise in research of memory functions
“In three separate studies published this year and in one that is on-going, Kirtan Kriya, as taught by the Kundalini master Yogi Bhajan, was shown to increase short term memory, cognitive function and to reduce stress.”
“Meditation has been used for thousands of years to alter consciousness. Now scientists have shown that a 12-minute daily meditation can alter the memory, too, for the better.
Fifteen people ages 52 to 77 diagnosed with documented memory deficits were taught a type of meditation called Kirtan Kriya. Seven members of the group had mild age-associated memory impairment, five had mild cognitive impairment, and three had a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. (One patient was excluded from the results because her memory problems prevented her from performing the meditation adequately.)
The type of Kirtan Kriya meditation that the participants performed consisted of sitting comfortably in a chair or on the floor and repeating four sounds — Sa, Ta, Na, Ma — while sequentially touching their thumb to their index finger, middle finger, fourth finger and pinkie. They performed the meditation aloud for two minutes, in a whisper for two minutes, in silence for four minutes, in a whisper for two more minutes, and finally out loud for two minutes.
After eight weeks, brain scans revealed that the people showed increased blood flow in brain areas crucial to memory. Also, tests of verbal fluency, logical memory and other skills showed significant improvement according to the researchers, who reported their results in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
A comparison group of five people with memory problems who listened to Mozart violin concertos for 12 minutes a day showed no such improvements.
‘Anyone can do this,’ said Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., one of the lead authors of the article and the medical director of the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation in Tucson, Ariz. ‘The people in the study had no experience with meditation, and yet by activating their brain with 12 minutes of meditation a day, they were able to improve their cognition and mental function. It really made their brain healthier.’
But there’s nothing special about this particular form of meditation, according to Khalsa, other than it’s easy to learn and takes little time.
‘Any type of meditation is good for your body and brain,’ he said. ‘The most fascinating thing about meditation is that the brain loves it.’
Khalsa started practicing transcendental meditation more than three decades ago, after the Beatles went to India to learn the technique from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
‘I think it’s a good technique,’ Khalsa said. ‘It reduces stress and promotes relaxation with only 20 minutes of meditation twice a day. Kirtan Kriya meditation takes only 12 minutes a day, plus it’s essentially free. You don’t have to pay a lot of money to learn it.’”
Read full article here.
Another link to the 12 minute meditation technique, as described in the article, can also be found at my favorite Yoga Nidra expert’s website, Wholesome Resources from Julie Lusk. She also offers a digital album of the meditation on this link! This meditation “will increase your ability to solve problems and have better concentration and memory in only 8 weeks with daily practice. It combines a specific mantra, with hand mudras and mental focus. It totally takes the mystery out of meditating.” (April 5 e-mail newsletter from Julie Lusk.)
Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation CD available.
This is how to do the Sa Ta Na Ma meditation to improve your memory
