Mind Games: How Kirtan Kriya Can Level Up Your Wordle®
I recently finished a 6-month Alzheimer’s prevention study named Retain Your Brain. Retain Your Brain is entirely online, requires no diagnosis, and takes a minimal amount of time. How did I find it? I saw a reference to the study in a New York Times article…or was it The New Yorker… I don’t remember. Sigh….
The goals of the study are to (1) provide education about Alzheimer’s and brain health; (2) measure effectiveness of software to manage Alzheimer’s risk factors; and (3) provide a customized risk score at the end of the study.
Recipients answer questions. Based upon these responses, a terrifying message pops up that you have been assigned an initial Alzheimer’s risk score, which is available to you at a simple click of your mouse. If you can muster the courage to click, lifestyle routines for Alzheimer’s risk reduction are recommended to lower your score. Research studies inform the suggested changes. I found the study extremely informative and helpful in making and sustaining lifestyle changes. Highly recommend.
A routine stop on the voyage to Retain Mary’s Brain was Kirtan-Kriya, a daily, 12-minute nonreligious chanting yoga practice. Kirtan-Kriya is a multisensory process that engages several parts of the brain. Based upon the science, we should all add a little Kirtan-Kriya after our daily Wordle® (or Mahjong, Sudoku, puzzle, etc.) Sadly, it’s not the type of exercise you can do concurrently with anything else, but wouldn’t that be a marvelous efficiency?
In brief, Kirtan is signing. Corresponding finger movements are Kriya. The Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation (ARPF) sells a downloadable Kirtan-Kriya meditation on its website – link below. I also located a few free versions on Spotify and Amazon Music.
How to practice Kirtan-Kriya:
· Sit comfortably with your spine straight.
· Place your hands on your knees with your palms facing up.
· Chant the mantra “Sa Ta Na Ma” out loud for 2 minutes.
· Whisper the mantra for 2 minutes.
· State the mantra silently for 4 minutes
· Whisper the mantra for 2 minutes.
· Chant the mantra “Sa Ta Na Ma” out loud for 2 minutes.
· During all phases, with both hands touch a designated finger to your thumb. For Sa, touch index fingers to thumbs. For Ta, touch middle fingers to thumbs. For Na, touch ring fingers to thumbs. For Ma, touch pinky fingers to thumbs.
· Finish with a big inhale, stretch your hands above your head and bring your hands down as you slowly exhale.
· During the exercise, try to imagine energy traveling up your spine and flowing out through the middle of your forehead (your third eye). You know, as you normally do.
· A very helpful ARPF guide is linked below.
What is the benefit?
· Reduction of the stress hormone cortisol, which may reduce inflammation.
· A UCLA study showed that yoga and meditation may be more effective than memory enhancement exercises for managing mild cognitive impairment.
What is it like?
If part of the mission of Kirtan-Kriya was to alarm my children, then Kirtan-Kriya was a resounding success. We also have a new catch phrase in my family for dealing with stress or when you just don’t want to talk about something! – “Sa Ta Na Ma” coupled with a hand movement of throwing something away. “Sa Ta Na Ma, Mom!” Point taken.
Seriously, I had a hard time getting into the meditation. Practicing Kirtan Kriya consistently makes it easier, and I agree that it is enjoyable (eventually), especially if you download a meditation with music. You can even alternate between a slow Kirtan Kriya, and a fast Kirtan Kriya to make it more entertaining. A downloaded file will also cue you for when to chant, whisper, etc.
Of course, anything you do for yourself for 12 uninterrupted minutes is enjoyable, right? During certain phases of my life, I may have considered 12 guaranteed uninterrupted minutes a luxury. A very small commitment for a beneficial outcome – at a minimum you will calm your mind – facts of which I remind myself every time I forget to do my daily Kirtan-Kriya.
I do wish I had read more about the meditation before my children gingerly asked me why I was chanting “Sa Ta Na Ma” alone in my bedroom, but in my Alzheimer’s prevention frenzy, all I could say was UCLA (see reference to UCLA study below).
If someone asks… you can explain that Sa Ta Na Ma is believed to help reorient the mind and prepare for change. The chant is said to encourage energy to rise in the spine. When the awakened energy arrives at the head, it can be used for increased awareness or enlightenment. Sa = birth. Ta = life. Na = death and transformation. Ma = rebirth.
Now you can impress with your Yogi knowledge…. And have a more comforting explanation for your loved ones…or, at least an attempt at one.
In the alternative, just confidently state “Sa Ta Na Ma” and act like you are throwing something away.
References:
I am not a doctor or medial professional. The purpose of this blog is to share my personal thoughts and encourage discussion. Please consult your doctor before making any dietary or health-related changes.
ARPF Kirtan Kriya: Shop — Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation.
ARPF Guide: Kirtan_Kriya_Instructions.pdf
To reduce pre-Alzheimer’s cognitive impairment, get to the yoga mat | UCLA (UCLA Newsroom article Referring to 2016 study reported in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (“Memory training was comparable to yoga with meditation in terms of improving memory, but yoga provided a broader benefit than memory training because it also helped with mood, anxiety and coping skills…” )
Meditation and Music Improve Memory and Cognitive Function in Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (2016, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease) (“Findings of this pilot [Randomized Control Trial] suggest that a simple program of daily [Kirtan Kriya] meditation or [Music Listening] can significantly enhance both subjective memory function and objective cognitive performance in older adults with [subjective cognitive decline], with benefits sustained or improved at 6 months.”)
Association of Stress with Cognitive Functioning Among Older Black and While US Adults (2023, Emory University)