Science has Shown That This 12-Minute Meditation Improves Memory

Kirtan Kriya, a Kundalini Yoga meditation, can reverse cognitive decline when practiced daily.

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Find a comfortable seat and bring your internal gaze to your third eye, between your eyebrows. Start in Gyan Mudra, with your arms straight, the backs of your hands resting on your knees, and the tips of your thumbs and index fingers gently touching. Chant saa (representing infinity, the cosmos, and the beginning of time); then bring the tips of your thumbs to the tips of your middle fingers and say taa (life and existence); next, bring the tips of your thumbs to the tips of your ring fingers and say naa (death, change, and transformation); finally, bring the tips of your thumbs and pinky fingers together and say maa (rebirth). Spend approximately 3–4 seconds on each mantra and finger. Keep repeating the cycle for 11 minutes. Begin using a normal, indoor voice for 2 minutes; then switch to a whisper for 2 minutes; then chant silently for 3; come back to a whisper for 2; then chant out loud for 2. As you do so, imagine the energy of each sound moving down through your crown chakra, located at the top of your head, and out through your third eye. After you are done, release your fingers and sit in silence for 1 minute.

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