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About a year ago, I suffered a traumatic brain injury. At the time, I thought life as I knew it was ending. Luckily, the only long-term effects that lingered were tinnitus in my left ear and occasional brain fog. I know so many others aren’t as lucky. 

As I recovered, I sought out exercises I could do to aid in healing my brain. Out of the dozen or so I tried, I found Kirtan Kriya to be the one I come back to when my symptoms flair or I feel tired after sitting and staring at a screen for hours. 

Kirtan Kriya, or how I think of it Sa-Ta-Na-Ma meditation, stimulates the senses and parts of the brain through a combination of chanting and finger movements. 

I know I hit 2 trigger words for people: chanting and meditation. Chanting is actually fun. It is half hum and half song. When the syllables meld together, the resulting vibrations are soothing. The simplicity of the sounds used also makes this chant easy to do. The child version of you probably did this all the time to soothe themselves. I know I remember my children doing it. Do it to nourish your inner child. 

Meditation is something that many of us do without realizing it…playing a mindless game on our phone, praying, and listening to music, to name a few. Pretty much meditation is letting the brain rest and recharge. 

So Sa -Ta – Na – Ma meditation combines the sounds Sa -Ta – Na – Ma with a tap of the first finger to the thumbs of each hand, followed by the middle, ring then pinky.

I have even done this while silent chanting. It isn’t as deep, but it gets the job done. 

I often do this when I have a migraine, which has worked about 90% of the time. I teach this in my special needs classes and children’s classes. They love it1 Not once have I gotten a crazy look. Afterward, they clamor for more. It is beautiful. 

Pack this little nugget away and give it a try—ten-year-old you will thank you for it. 

Do you want to know more tips and techniques to aid in your brain health? Try one of our 2 upcoming workshops:

Brain Health Yoga and Support with Christine Lawrence on Sunday, January 29th at 11a
Love Yourself in the Healing Process with Christine Lawrence on Sunday, February 19th at 11a
Brain Longevity® for Prevention and Reversal of Cognitive Decline with Andie Rioon Saturday, April 15th at 11a

Learn more