Mantra meditation - Sa Ta Na Ma

Thank you for your guidance, Katy <3 I read about this a year ago and tried to practice it, but I didn't really get the whole thing right and became frustrated somehow. Today while practising with you, I found it slightly easier, but still incredibly hard to stay focused on the L-shape. I felt warmth in my head while imagining energy flowing through that L-shape. Still my mind kept wandering off again and again (as it always does). Am I supposed to imagine a single impulse of energy with every syllable, or is it more like a steady flow? This meditation seems to be a huge mystery for me :) I'll stick to it and keep trying, see if it gets easier over time.

Hi Katie I am happy we could have this discussion, and it’s only a pity we cannot talk “live”. You used a word that is very precious to me: authentic. It’s one of the reasons I love and appreciate Ekhart Yoga - authenticity and honesty. Thank you for making this discussion possible, and pleasurable. And thanks again for the articles. I am particularly interested in the second one and will read it more closely later today. Namaste!

Hi KatieMany thanks for your response and the three articles. I have been a medical writer in the field of clinical research for over 20 years. I work with scientists, physicians, and statisticians analyzing results from clinical trials, and I write reports on those trials. In other words, I have experience in critically reviewing and assessing the quality of scientific data and literature. The articles provided are well done, and the interesting point is, if you read them attentively, none of them claim to have proven anything. The articles correctly point out the limitations of the trials. The Innes article states very clearly: “However, limitations of this pilot study are several. The sample size was small, limiting power and generalizability. The study lacked a control group, raising the possibility that our findings could be in part explained by a placebo effect.” Those three points are extremely important when assessing the robustness of clinical trial results. And the fact the researchers point this out demonstrates their scientific and academic integrity. The second article is an assessment of a number of research techniques in meditation, and the clinical claims. It makes an interesting point about the difference between meditation and relaxation and points out that: “Insufficient amount of research on the effect of meditation on age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases makes any generalization of the results very difficult” and “Conclusions of such studies are limited due to their methodological problems and differences among various meditation techniques.” The third article was poorly designed in my opinion because one group meditated while the other group listened to relaxing music (it’s like comparing apples with oranges... see the second article). However even that article noted: “These results need to be confirmed in a larger sample.” The fact that quite a bit of research has been done does not mean that the research has proven anything. There is a huge investment in antidepressant drugs, and there is doubt about their true efficacity due to the placebo effect. We’re talking about thousands of clinical trials in thousands of patients, trials with ample statistical power to make scientific generalisations. Yet, the placebo effect is a key factor, and no company can dare claim that their product has been “scientifically proven” to be effective, unless they work in the marketing department.... and even then there are regulations on the type of langage marketing can use, at least in Canada. I am not in marketing (I am in clinical research) so I don’t know the details. I stress the importance of the word “proof” because you used the term “scientifically proven”, which (as you said) are “filler words”. Yes, they are meaningless, but much used and abused by marketing, not only in yoga. And marketing is the realm of mass manipulation. I think it behooves the yoga instructor to take care when using terms such as “scientifically proven”. And why does yoga need science to “prove” anything? Meditation as a spiritual practice never needed science for support for thousands of years. Why does the western approach insist on pointing to science as “proof” that it “works”? Meditation is beyond the scientific approach. It also seems a pity to bring Freud into the mix. Western psychology mixed with eastern meditation is a form of cultural appropriation that upsets many Hindus, and rightly so. But with limited space and time I will stop here.

“Enhance brain function” sound very vague. Would reading a complex text or learning music also enhance brain function? Studying engineering, or eating well? Would exercise, and stopping drinking too much alco enhance brain function? ‘Scientifically proven’ is a catch phrase we see in all sorts of magazines we see in the denist’s office or at the hair stylists. I simply am very sceptical of psuedoscientific claims by the “yoga world”, which is a billion-dollar industry, and as such is in the selling game, just like every other industry. There is no harm in the mantra if we want to do it, certainly. and we can certainly imagine it increases our brain function if it pleases us. And chanting a mantra is a lot easier than learning the piano, calculus, and most other things. My excuses... Maybe you can point me to a reputable research paper, and if so I would love to have the link. But if it’s an article from a coffee table magazine, don’t bother!

Thank you Katy for this beautiful practice. It is such a privilige to practice with you? Love.

WOW! that was amazing Katy. My brain feels squeaky clean. Thank you <3 <3 <3

Thank you! Cat

Having worked with Alzheimer and Dementia for 28 years I'm always interested in research regarding this area. It was very coincidental that I had been researching this Mantra a couple of days ago, and lo and behold here you are sharing this wonderful gift. Thank you

Great practice Namaste

Thank you Katy, I felt incredible sense of space, calm and stillness. Beautiful meditation xxx

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<3

So revealing - thank you Katy. You recommend to repeat it for 40 days? Or at least a moon cycle? I'll try it out! :) Namaste

Thank you Katy, I had completely forgotten about this mantra. I woke up very negative after a recent close bereavement and generally about my life. This practice really does feel like it has lightened the load a bit. I shall definitely carry on this practice. Thank you.

Thanks Katy! It will be part of my yoga life!

Thank you Katy! So much more than just a yoga video, SO Easy to apply into a daily routine. Thank You!

Thank you Katy! It's gonna be one of my favourites ;-)

Thank you Katy. Delightful guidance. Day one - I’m going to try to practice for 40 days. Namaste :)

There are three separate studies that have been published that prove the Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation benefits. Two of the studies were done at the University of Pennsylvania and one continuing studying is being done at UCLA University of California. The University of Pennsylvania study was published in 2010 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (1). Their second study was published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine in 2010. The Canadian Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation is recommending the meditation as a daily practice to slow down the effects of Alzheimer’s (2)

Thank you so very much! Lovely meditation on all levels :)

Thank you for a lovely experience. I feel very light and happy after :)

I loved this mantra meditation. I’ve experienced this mantra meditation in Kundalini classes and on retreats so was excited to see this here so I could be guided through this at home. However I’m sorry to say that the very audible swallowing by Katy was very distracting and off putting. It seems quite a lot of the audio on other classes on Ekhart Yoga have quite audible breathing and swallowing from the teachers which can be distracting. But thank you for this experience ?

One of my favorite mantras, a perfect way to start my day. Thank you!

Great class Katy, I know in my body, that the experiment you propose with this mantra worked to calm me down and I am so grateful. Thanks so much. Namaste.