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Hi Reader,

I don’t need to tell you how much anxiousness and stress there is in the world. And, it’s not hard to find someone who wants to share their recipe for bringing peace to your mind and body. With so much to choose from, it’s likely that you’ve tried some form of meditation.

You may have had a positive experience or you may be like many people who find it difficult or impossible to stop their minds from chasing thoughts and to sit in silence.

Your Human Design chart can give you clues about how to support and nurture your mind, heart, and body.

For example, if you have an Undefined or Open Head Center, the questions, doubts, and confusions of life may simply not leave you alone when you attempt to still your mind.

Your Ajna, defined or undefined, will also have a preference depending on the activations found there.

Even something as broad as your Type can play a significant role in whether sitting in silence will feel good or feel stressful.

The specifics of your chart can help you discover if and how some form of meditation will work for you. Or, rather than give up or think there’s something wrong with you, consider if you’re designed for a different style of meditation.

If so, Kirtan Kriya may be just what you've been looking for.

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There’s Good News

Kirtan Kriya has been shown to:

• improve sleep
• decrease depression
• reduce anxiety
• down regulate inflammatory genes
• upregulate immune system genes
• improve insulin and glucose regulatory genes

“The negative effects of chronic stress are considerable. Beyond cognitive decline and memory loss, stress also affects numerous neurobehavioral phenomena, from anxiety to depression to various abnormal behaviors and unconscious self-defeating compulsive actions.”

Resource: STRESS, MEDITATION, AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE PREVENTION: WHERE THE EVIDENCE STANDS​

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Try It, You'll Like It

Kirtan Kriya is simple, effective, and it creates documented healthy results fast. As with many things in life, the best way to know if Kirtan Kriya is a good fit for you is to take 14 minutes and test it out. The actual meditative practice takes 12 minutes and then there's a quiet time of about 2 minutes to allow it to settle within you.

I've recorded a soothing audio track with the timed intervals marked by sounds of a bell to let you know when to shift to the next phase of the practice. How to use this soundtrack and perform the practice is outlined below.

Sa Ta Na Ma :|: Kirtan Kriya Soundtrack

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What's Most Important

The power of this meditation is in its ability to bring coherence to your brain through movement, sound, and a gentle visual image. Because of this, you won't need to worry about "controlling" your thoughts.

It's this idea that you have to empty or still your mind, which is easy to become frustrated with in meditation.

Kirtan Kriya is different. It's more like giving your mind a pleasing, gentle massage. It combines auditory stimulation, both external and internal, with gentle movements and intentional breathing. It supports even the busiest mind by offering a pathway to coherence and harmony.

And, if you're at all concerned with your future brain health, the articles linked below document measurable and lasting improvements to study participants' brains.

So, if you're ready to give your brain that enlivening, relaxing massage it's always wanted, here's everything you need.

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How To Do Kirtan Kriya

from Stress, Meditation, and Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention: Where The Evidence Stands​

​Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) License​

Take a moment to review the steps and then use the video to guide you through the timed intervals.

Kirtan Kriya utilizes the following five specific elements:

1. Breath: the breath is allowed to come naturally
2. Posture: sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor with eyes closed
3. Sounds: create the specific, yet simple sounds
4. Finger movements: follow the specific fingertip movement sequence
5. Visualization: lightly hold the prescribed image in your mind’s eye

The benefits of Kirtan Kriya are immediate and the research shows that...

"it takes only one 12-minute session a day using a recording to obtain the benefits..."

Kirtan Kriya "is a multifaceted, multi-sensory exercise that engages and activates conscious awareness. It increases cerebral blood flow to important anatomical brain areas and, as discussed below, has numerous other benefits, both in caregivers and those with cognitive decline."

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The 5 Elements Of Kirtan Kriya

Breath

Breathe naturally as the meditation unfolds.

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Posture

You can sit comfortably with your eyes closed. It may be most comfortable to sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. For others, sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat or comfy carpet may feel best. Choose whatever posture allows you to be comfortable and sit with the spine straight with only the natural curvature.

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Sounds

Allow your jaw to be relaxed. Sing Sa, Ta, Na, and Ma to the tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb at the volume levels described in the Sequence section below.

Sa-Ta-Na-Ma

Ma-ry-had-a

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Finger Movements

With your hands resting lightly on your knees, touch your thumb to each of your other four fingers in sequence. Both hands perform the same movements simultaneously.

• On Saa, touch the index fingers of each hand to the thumbs
• On Taa, touch the middle fingers to the thumbs
• On Naa, touch the ring fingers to the thumbs
• On Maa, touch the little fingers to the thumbs

The sequence is always forward: thumb to index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky; never backwards.

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Visualization

Next, visualize the sound coming down from the top of your head, and out the middle center of your forehead. You can even use the image of the motion of a broom gently sweeping thoughts down and out.

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Sequence

The sounds Saa Taa Naa Maa are sung as you move your fingers on both hands. At the same time, the sound is visualized flowing in through the top of your head and out the middle of your forehead in a sweeping motion.

When thoughts come, and they will, gently return your focus to your sounds, sensations in your fingers, and the visualization. It’s essential to give yourself lots of grace to allow your mind to come and go.

You can’t do this wrong and no self-criticism or judgment is needed. In fact, the more you criticize or judge yourself the less benefit you can receive. Instead, think of your mind’s activity like the ocean’s waves moving out and returning again and again to the shore. As you do, you allow your mind to find its own rhythm and space. And your brain, body, and mind receive the benefits of this practice.

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Once you're seated comfortably, begin by pressing Play on the video. There is a countdown of 3-2-1 and then you can begin.

1. For 2 minutes, sing the sounds out loud. Follow the tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb, or whatever version of it you land on. You’ll hear a bell sound on the video to let you know that the 2 minutes have passed.
2. For the next 2 minutes, sing in a stage whisper. You’ll hear a bell sound on the video to let you know that the 2 minutes have passed.
3. For the next 4 minutes, say the sound silently to yourself. You’ll hear a bell sound on the video to let you know that the 4 minutes have passed.
4. For the next 2 minutes, sing in a stage whisper. You’ll hear a bell sound on the video to let you know that the 2 minutes have passed.
5. Complete the sequence by singing out loud for the last 2 minutes. You’ll hear a bell sound on the video 3 times to let you know that the 2 minutes have passed and then, you’ll hear the sounds of a quiet stream.
6. This will complete the 12-minute meditation. Sit quietly with your eyes closed and feel the sensations in your body. A single bell will sound to let you know that a full 14-minutes are complete.

To come out of the exercise, inhale very deeply through the nose, stretch your hands above your head, and then bring them down slowly in a sweeping motion as you exhale through the nose.

Take a couple of restorative, natural nasal breaths before opening your eyes and getting up.

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The Proof Is In The Brain Scans

Although this practice is at least 1,000 years old and originated in the Kundalini Yoga tradition, there is no ideology or story required to create the healing effects. And fortunately, the improvements in blood flow to a variety of areas in the brain show up in SPECT scans. Better blood flow results in better brain health and function.

Here we see the frontal lobes showing increased cerebral blood flow.

These images are the before and after of a subject's brain. The Before image on the left reveals a smaller brain with dimples revealing where blood flow and brain function are decreased. You can see significant dimpling in the prefrontal cortex area. The study subjects practiced Kirtan Kriya once a day for 8 weeks. The After image on the right shows that same subject's brain now increased in size and much smoother indicating greater blood flow and function.

Images Source: Stress, Meditation, and Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention: Where The Evidence Stands​

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