Why Sa Ta Ma Ma
Let’s talk about Sa Ta Na Ma the ancient Kirtan Krya meditation, that I teach in my picture book, “Don’t Be Grumpy, Monkey!” It is one of my personal favourites due to how it works neurologically!
Not only is this a very calming meditation, but it has a number of fantastic benefits for developing brains. It’s proven to help manage ADHD (by being very calming and helpful with focus.) It can help with dyspraxia (by helping with coordination)
There are two elements to Sa Ta Na Ma: it’s a combination of auditory stimulation (which is chanting) and motor stimulation (which is finger tapping or mudra- what we call it in yoga.) By stimulating finger nerve endings, we activate neurological pathways.
Each fingertip has large cortical representation in the brain and this repetitive tapping:
Improves sensory awareness
Anchors attention to the present moment
Reduces overwhelming emotions
It also activates multiple brain regions:
Auditory cortex (sound processing)
Motor cortex (finger movement)
Prefrontal cortex (focus)
Limbic system (emotion)
Stimulates sensory-motor pathways (thumb touching each finger sequentially).
It’s so easy and fun- it’s like a little dance with your fingertips and you can start with children as young as 3 years old.
I wanted the chant to be engaging and accessible for homes, schools and whenever it’s needed really. Therefore, I created an easy-to-follow children’s song. You can listen to it on Spotify or SoundCloud, or directly from our website.
The way we do it, is by touching our fingers and thumb one by one and repeating the mantra Sa Ta Na Ma. We repeat this in different ways, three times each: firstly, we say it loudly, then whisper it, then just in our head and then loud again.
When I’m teaching the children, I explain that first, we are going to say it out loudly three times, this is our action voice. Then we whisper it 3 times, like we are telling ourself a secret. Then we do it in our heads to completely focus on our nerves and touch 3 times. Finally, we say it out loud again 3 times. I show them Monkey and how this exercise has helped improve his mood and especially his grumpiness when he’s had a bit of a bad day. Look he’s smiling!
Everyone loves it, children, parents and teachers.
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