Sa Ta Na Ma – Wake up to your divinity

Sa Ta Na Ma is a fundamental mantra in Kundalini Yoga. Mantra is an “often repeated word or phrase”. The Sanskrit sounds of this mantra mean birth, life, death, rebirth, when repeated, takes us into resonance with the metaphysical concepts indicated by the four sounds – thus “wakes us up to our divinity”. Or, becoming awarene of who we are.

The sounds, combined with the mudra (“a motion of the hands”) create positive, harmonious sound currents. Yogi Bhajan, who popularised this practice in America, said the technique can reorient behavior patterns and thus open one up to the possibility of transformational change. It helps synchronise the brain hemispheres, and orient the whole body to the whole brain. The Kundalini Yoga greeting “Sat Nam” contains the first two syllables of the mantra.

I recorded the children in my yoga & music studio, with their teacher Jani Steyn, from Blissful Kids. The wonderful thing is that yoga learned as a child helps us be more creative, healthy and happy adults, and when learned as an adult, helps us be more creative, healthy and happy, like children! In a sense the mantra simply reminds us of the fact that we are human beings. On a more complex level it helps activate the nervous system, as described in the practice below.

A mudra and mantra practice

The Sa Ta Na Ma seed syllable mantra sounds is done with a corresponding finger mudra: take a large inhale and make the relevant sound, one per thumb to each finger. One exhale per four sound/four finger round. Move thumb rhythmically from the tip of the index to the pinky, small finger. Do five rounds, five breaths, and conclude with an Om, with thumb to index finger mudra.

● Sa – thumb and first (index) finger – birth
● Ta – thumb and middle finger – life
● Na – thumb and ringfinger – death
● Ma – thumb and small finger – rebirth

Sit in a minute of meditation, to feel or explore the “shifted” energy. Feel empowered, knowing that old patterns that don’t serve you are disrupted, that inner flow of energies are harmonised, physically, mentally and emotionally, to shift into new perspectives, and new patterns that serves you better.

This finger mudra is also used to balance the elements of water, earth, fire, air and space.

Read more about the value of mantra.

Mantra & Mudra Blessings
Johann
Cape Town,
28 June 2017.