As part of my studies for the McLean Meditation Teacher Certificate Program I have been voraciously reading and mentally digesting
some truly amazing books.
One book that I am sure I would never have found (or thought
I would enjoy so much), is How God Changes Your Brain by Andrew Newberg,
M.D.
Mind-blowing (yes, funny and true) .. this book
has quickly become my most treasured and referenced text, and provides a really
easy guide to the science of meditation and the brain. Advances in neuroscience, especially over the
last five years, have revolutionized the way we think about the brain .. and
how we might understand the neurological correlates of spiritual experiences
and religious beliefs.
In 2006, Andrew began a new line of research to see if
meditation could have a positive effect on patients suffering from memory
loss. With a grant from the Alzheimer's
Research and Prevention Foundation, he began to investigate how a specific form
of meditation might affect the neural functioning of patients who suffered from
memory loss.
The practice they investigated is called Kirtan Kriya which
I have practiced for many years .. but the science has been a revelation!
Kirtan Kriya is a meditation chant that originates from
Kundalini yoga which has been practiced for thousands of years. In Sanskrit, kirtan is a song, and kriya
refers to a specific set of movements. 'Sa Ta Na Ma' and 'Sat Nam' are two
primary Kundalini mantra practices taught by Yogi Bhajan to reorient the mind
and open us to the possibility of transformational change.
'Sat' translates as truth and 'Nam'
translates as name - Truth is my name
The mantra involves the repetition of the words Sa Ta Na Ma ~
repeating them firstly aloud, then in a whisper, then silently, then in a
whisper again and finally aloud; meanwhile the meditator touches fingers to
thumb in sequence (known as hand mudra's in the East).
Research conducted by Andrew Newberg MD, director of
research at the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, led an
experiment with 15 older adults with memory problems, ranging from mild
age-associated memory impairment to mild impairment with a diagnosis of
Alzheimer’s disease.
Half of the group
practiced Kirtan Kirya for 12 minutes a day for eight weeks, the other group
listened to classical music for the same period of time.
From a neuropsychological point of view, the mantra was
found to activate areas of the brain associated with attention and exclusive
functions (Newberg et al., 2010); increasing cerebral blood flow and improving patient’s emotional states. SPECT
(single photon emission computer tomography) scans also noted significant changes in
the amygdale - the area of the brain that plays a role in the formation and
storage of memories associated with emotional events; and tests of verbal
fluency, logical memory and other skills showed significant improvement. Results were reported in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
“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.” 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.
I have prepared a one-page instruction sheet for the Sa Ta Na Ma mantra - just click below:
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