Kirtan kriya: how to do the SA TA NA MA meditation

What kirtan kriya is

Kirtan kriya is a 12-minute seated meditation from kundalini yoga, the same tradition as sat kriya and the long SAT NAM. You chant four sounds, SA TA NA MA, while you touch your thumb to each fingertip in turn. Your voice goes from out loud, to a whisper, to silent, and back again.

Kirtan means devotional singing and kriya means action, so it's basically "a song you do". It's also called the SA TA NA MA meditation, after its sounds.

It's honestly one of the prettiest meditations there is. Soft, rhythmic, and your hands always have a job, which helps so much if sitting still makes you fidgety.

What SA TA NA MA means

In kundalini yoga, the four sounds are said to come from SAT NAM (more on that in our sat nam meaning guide), and they describe a cycle:

Then you start again at the index finger. Beginning, life, ending, new beginning. Over and over, like a little wheel.

How to do kirtan kriya

1. Sit comfortably on a cushion with your legs crossed, or on a chair with your feet flat. Spine tall, chin slightly tucked.
2. Rest your hands on your knees, palms up.
3. Close your eyes and take three slow breaths.
4. Start chanting SA TA NA MA, about one sound a second. On each sound, touch your thumb to one fingertip on both hands at once: SA index, TA middle, NA ring, MA little. Press lightly, like tapping a petal.
5. Follow the 12-minute pattern below. Your fingers keep moving the whole time, even when your voice goes quiet.
6. Finish with the closing steps.

A lot of people chant it on a simple four-note tune (the notes go down a step each time and come back up on MA). A flat, even chant is perfect too.

In the traditional instructions, you also picture each sound coming in through the top of your head and flowing out through the point between your eyebrows, your third eye, like the shape of a capital L. If that feels like too much to hold at once, skip it. Fingers and sounds are plenty.

The 12-minute pattern

To finish: breathe in deeply and stretch your arms up over your head, spreading your fingers. Breathe out and bring them down, then shake out your hands gently for a few seconds. Sit for a moment before you get up.

The silent four minutes are the hardest bit. Your mind will wander. Let your fingers lead you back, every time. That's not failing, that's literally the practice.

Short on time?

A 3-minute version, all out loud, still counts. So does 6 minutes: 1 aloud, 1 whisper, 2 silent, 1 whisper, 1 aloud. Twelve minutes is the classic length, but a shorter practice you actually do beats a perfect one you skip.

Kundalini yoga loves a 40-day practice: the same meditation every day for 40 days in a row. If you miss a day, the tradition says start again. We say, um, be kind to yourself and keep going.

What the research says (and doesn't)

Kirtan kriya is the most-studied kundalini meditation, mostly because the Alzheimer's Research & Prevention Foundation has funded work on it since around 2000. Here's the honest version:

• A 2010 pilot study of 14 people with memory problems found better scores on some memory tests and more blood flow in parts of the brain after 8 weeks of daily practice. There was no comparison group.
• A 2013 pilot trial with 39 family dementia caregivers compared 12 minutes of kirtan kriya a day with 12 minutes of relaxing music, for 8 weeks. The kirtan kriya group had fewer depressive symptoms and better mental health and thinking scores, plus a rise in telomerase activity in their blood cells.
• A 2017 pilot trial with 60 adults who felt their memory was slipping compared kirtan kriya with music listening for 3 months. Memory and thinking scores improved in both groups, a little more in the kirtan kriya group on some measures.

The limits are real. These are small, short pilot studies, and several authors are connected to the foundation that promotes the practice. None of them shows that kirtan kriya prevents or slows Alzheimer's disease or dementia. In the 2017 trial, quiet music helped too, so some of the benefit may simply come from sitting calmly for 12 minutes a day.

So we love it as a calming, focusing ritual. If you're worried about your memory, please see a doctor. Memory changes have lots of causes, and some of them are very fixable.

Go deeper

Kirtan kriya has a whole lesson in our Kundalini for Babes course, with the timer, the finishing steps and a soft 40-day plan. New to all of it? Start with what kundalini is, or pair this with a mudra practice on rest days 🌸

FAQ

What does SA TA NA MA mean?

In kundalini yoga, the four sounds stand for birth (SA), life (TA), death or change (NA) and rebirth (MA). They come from the mantra SAT NAM.

How long should you do kirtan kriya?

The classic practice is 12 minutes: 2 minutes aloud, 2 whispered, 4 silent, 2 whispered and 2 aloud. Shorter versions of 3 or 6 minutes are fine when you're starting.

Does kirtan kriya help memory?

Small pilot studies have found better memory and mood scores after 8 to 12 weeks of daily practice, but they're small, and one found music listening helped too. It hasn't been shown to prevent dementia. See a doctor about memory worries.

Can I do kirtan kriya lying down?

Sitting is traditional and helps you stay awake. If you can't sit, a chair or lying down with your hands resting on your belly is fine.

Sources

• Newberg AB, Wintering N, Khalsa DS, Roggenkamp H, Waldman MR (2010). Meditation effects on cognitive function and cerebral blood flow in subjects with memory loss: a preliminary study. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 20(2):517-526. PubMed
• Lavretsky H, Epel ES, Siddarth P, et al. (2013). A pilot study of yogic meditation for family dementia caregivers with depressive symptoms: effects on mental health, cognition, and telomerase activity. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 28(1):57-65. PubMed Central
• Innes KE, Selfe TK, Khalsa DS, Kandati S (2017). Meditation and music improve memory and cognitive function in adults with subjective cognitive decline: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 56(3):899-916. PubMed
• Alzheimer's Research & Prevention Foundation. Kirtan kriya research publications