Kirtan Kriya: How Sa Ta Na Ma Works and What the Research Actually Shows

Kirtan Kriya looks almost too tidy at first. Four sounds, four finger movements and a sequence that moves from voice into silence before returning to voice again.

Then the silent section begins and the mind suddenly remembers an email, something that needs buying and a conversation it would like to rehearse from six years ago.

After practising Kirtan Kriya daily for months, I still find that the silent section gives a very accurate picture of where my mind is. The mantra continues internally, the fingers keep moving and attention has fewer places to hide.

Kirtan Kriya is sometimes introduced through a long list of claims about memory, mood, sleep and brain health. The research is interesting. To understand what has been studied, we first have to understand how Kirtan Kriya is actually practised.

Global Kirtan Kriya Sangat — a free daily online meditation practice at 5:00 am and 4:00 pm AEST (5:00 am AEST is 9:00 pm CEST on the previous evening; 4:00 pm AEST is 8:00 am CEST). Created by Sat Kirtan and led together with Adi Nampreet. Join through Events or email Adi to add your presence to the practice.

What happens during Kirtan Kriya?

Kirtan Kriya combines the sounds Sa Ta Na Ma with a sequence of finger movements, focused attention and three different levels of voice.

Nothing about the physical practice is complicated, but several things are happening at once. You are listening to the mantra, producing the sound, moving the fingers in rhythm and keeping your attention with the sequence.

The practice then becomes quieter. First the mantra is chanted aloud, then whispered and finally repeated internally. After the silent section, the sequence returns through a whisper and ends with the voice aloud.

It is this complete structure, rather than the mantra alone, that is referred to as Kirtan Kriya.

How to sit

Sit with your spine comfortably upright. You can sit cross-legged on the floor or use a chair.

If you choose a chair: place both feet securely on the floor; sit far enough forward that the spine can remain upright without leaning heavily against the chair; allow the shoulders to relax; rest the hands on the thighs or knees with the palms facing upward.

The eyes are gently closed, with the inner focus placed at the brow point. The forehead and eyes remain relaxed. Brow-point focus should never involve squeezing the face as though you are trying to win an argument with your own eyebrows.

The Sa Ta Na Ma finger movements

Each sound is paired with one finger touching the thumb: Sa — thumb touches the index finger; Ta — thumb touches the middle finger; Na — thumb touches the ring finger; Ma — thumb touches the little finger. Both hands move together.

Use enough contact to feel each fingertip meet the thumb without pressing so hard that the hands become tense. The movement continues during the aloud, whispered and silent sections.

The sounds are usually lengthened slightly: Saa Taa Naa Maa. The pace remains even throughout the meditation. Each complete round of Sa Ta Na Ma generally takes around three to four seconds.

Is Kirtan Kriya 11 minutes or 12 minutes?

Both versions exist, which is why instructions online can appear contradictory.

The accessible 11-minute sequence is: 2 minutes chanting aloud; 2 minutes whispering; 3 minutes repeating the mantra silently; 2 minutes whispering; 2 minutes chanting aloud. This version has been used in published research, including a small study involving adults with cognitive impairment and their family caregivers.

Many of the better-known Kirtan Kriya studies used a 12-minute version: 2 minutes chanting aloud; 2 minutes whispering; 4 minutes repeating the mantra silently; 2 minutes whispering; 2 minutes chanting aloud. The only difference is the additional minute in the central silent section.

That minute matters when discussing research. Results from a 12-minute protocol should be described as research on the 12-minute protocol. We cannot quietly remove a minute and claim that the scientific evidence remains exactly the same.

Longer versions of Kirtan Kriya are also practised within Kundalini Yoga. For a beginner or a daily online practice, the shorter versions are usually more approachable.

Why the meditation changes volume

The movement from sound into silence is part of the practice, rather than a way to make the timer more interesting.

The aloud voice gives the mantra a physical presence. You hear the sound and feel yourself producing it. During the whisper, more attention is required. The sound remains audible, but it becomes intimate and less supported by the strength of the voice.

The silent section asks us to continue the mantra internally while keeping the fingers moving in sequence. This is usually the point where concentration becomes more revealing.

Returning through the whisper and aloud voice brings the meditation back into physical sound. The sequence is symmetrical, with the silent portion held in the centre.

What should I do when my concentration wanders?

Return on the next sound.

You do not have to restart the meditation, begin the silent section again or conduct an investigation into why you were thinking about the washing machine.

Bring the thumb back to the correct finger and continue: Sa with the index finger, Ta with the middle finger, Na with the ring finger, Ma with the little finger.

If you lose the sequence completely during the silent section, whisper one round of the mantra to find the rhythm again. Once the fingers and sounds are moving together, return to silence.

The wandering itself is not a failed meditation. Recognising that attention has wandered is the moment awareness has returned.

Common Kirtan Kriya mistakes

Stopping the fingers during the silent section — the finger movements continue through every stage of the meditation. Silence refers to the voice, rather than the hands.

Rushing Sa Ta Na Ma — a rushed mantra makes the finger movements harder to coordinate. Choose an even pace that can be maintained during all five sections.

Losing track of the timing — it is easy to spend too long in one section when practising alone. Use a guided recording or a timer with interval cues rather than opening your eyes every 30 seconds to negotiate with the clock.

Pressing the fingertips too forcefully — the thumb and fingertip make clear contact without strain. Soften the hands if tension starts travelling into the wrists, elbows or shoulders.

Expecting the mind to become empty — Kirtan Kriya gives the mind a pattern to follow. Thoughts may still appear. Keep returning to the mantra and finger sequence instead of waiting for a perfectly silent mind to arrive and present its credentials.

Treating the whisper as an afterthought — the whisper has its own place in the progression. Keep the words clear and the rhythm consistent even though the sound is quiet.

Can Kirtan Kriya be practised in a chair?

Yes. The chair version follows the same mantra, finger sequence, voice changes and eye focus.

A chair can be particularly helpful for people who experience discomfort sitting on the floor or find that physical effort distracts them from the meditation.

Choose a firm chair rather than a deep lounge chair. Place the feet flat on the floor and allow the hands to rest comfortably with the palms facing upward.

If arthritis or another hand condition makes the fingertip movement difficult, reduce the pressure and keep the movement within a comfortable range. A teacher can help you find a workable adaptation.

What does the research actually show?

Kirtan Kriya has attracted research interest because it combines vocalisation, listening, repetitive finger movement and sustained attention in a brief practice.

The findings are encouraging, but most studies have involved small, specific groups. They do not prove that Kirtan Kriya prevents Alzheimer’s disease, reverses dementia or produces the same results for every person who practises it.

Adults with subjective cognitive decline

A pilot randomised trial involved 60 adults who had noticed changes in their memory but did not necessarily have a diagnosed cognitive disorder.

Participants were assigned to either 12 minutes of daily Kirtan Kriya or 12 minutes of music listening for three months. Practice became optional for a further three months.

Both groups showed improvements in subjective memory and objective cognitive tests. Improvements were maintained or increased at the six-month assessment.

That result is worth reading carefully. Kirtan Kriya participants improved, but so did the music-listening group. The study suggests that brief daily meditation or intentional music listening may be helpful for this population. It does not establish Kirtan Kriya as a treatment for cognitive decline.

Family dementia caregivers

Another pilot randomised study included 39 family dementia caregivers with mild depressive symptoms.

Participants practised either 12 minutes of Kirtan Kriya or listened to relaxing music for 12 minutes each day over eight weeks.

The Kirtan Kriya group showed greater improvements in measures of depressive symptoms, mental health and cognitive functioning. Researchers also reported a difference in telomerase activity.

The sample was small and the authors stated that the findings required confirmation in larger studies. It would be a considerable leap to turn this pilot result into a promise that Kirtan Kriya reverses cellular ageing.

The 11-minute caregiver-dyad study

A separate exploratory study used the 11-minute version of Kirtan Kriya. Six adults with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease practised with six family caregivers.

Participants were instructed to complete the meditation twice daily for eight weeks. Ten of the 12 people completed the study.

Researchers reported changes in perceived stress, sleep quality, some aspects of mood and other measures. However, the study had no control group and involved only six pairs. The participants were also relatively well educated, mostly retired and all non-Hispanic white, which limits how widely the findings can be applied.

This study shows that the 11-minute protocol was feasible for most members of this very small group. It cannot tell us that the meditation caused every change observed.

What the studies cannot tell us yet

The research does not separate the effect of each part of Kirtan Kriya.

We cannot say with certainty how much comes from the mantra, the finger movement, the vocal progression, the daily routine, the teacher’s guidance or the act of setting aside uninterrupted time.

Many studies are pilots with small samples. Several focus on older adults, people with memory concerns or family caregivers experiencing considerable stress. Their experiences may differ from those of the wider population.

Kirtan Kriya can be included as a personal meditation practice, but it should never replace medical assessment or treatment for memory changes, depression, sleep problems or another health condition.

Why practise it in Sangat?

A recording can guide the timing, but practising with other people adds a different kind of support.

The group keeps the rhythm moving through the changes in volume. When concentration wanders, the shared voices make it easier to return. Nobody is required to perform the mantra or chant louder than everybody else.

Our Global Kirtan Kriya Sangat was created by Sat Kirtan and is led together with me. We gather online twice each day so people across Australia, Europe and other parts of the world can share the practice.

Beginners are welcome. You can sit on the floor or in a chair, and the timing is guided throughout.

Join our Sangat — daily at 5:00 am and 4:00 pm AEST, online and free to join. Created by Sat Kirtan and led together with Adi Nampreet.

Have a question about the chair option or learning the finger movements? Email Adi about Kirtan Kriya.