Short Practices to Improve Cognitive Health and Brain Processing with Sherry Zak Morris, C-IAYT

Hi, I'm Denise LaFever here today with Yoga Vista TV. I'd like to talk about a subject that's near and dear to my heart, Alzheimer's prevention. Alzheimer's and the research into cognitive disorders is relatively new, but there is an organization that for the past several decades has been doing some research into the benefits of Sanskrit chanting in particular, along with other lifestyle practices that can help prevent Alzheimer's diseases. It's called the Kirtan Kriya. It's a chanting from the Kundalini Yoga tradition, and it comes from the word satnam, S-A-T-N-A-M, which means my true essence. The chant and the logic behind the chant is that Sanskrit is a language that predates all other modern languages, including Aramaic and Hebrew. It's thought that the way the tongue connected with the upper palate actually stimulated areas of the brain, stimulates areas of the brain. So the chant itself includes a mudra, which is a hand gesture, which again, we're seeing research that supports movement, sound, any kind of cross-body movement can help with brain health. So the chant is normally done for 12 minutes, but I'm going to do a mini version today just to give you a sense of what it looks like. The chant itself, and I'm going to hold my hands up so you can see what I'm doing, are basically four syllables. It's sa, and the index finger and thumb come together, ta, middle finger and thumb, na, ring finger and thumb, and ma, pinky and thumb. When you do the chant, it's best to hold your hands resting on your lap so that your shoulders don't get tired. This chant actually has a little rhythm to it, it's actually to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb. And as I said, in the research studies, this is a 12 minute chant, and the research shows it as two minutes aloud, two minutes whispered, four minutes silent, two minutes whispered, two minutes aloud. What I'm going to do is we're just going to do it two times, two times, four times silently, two times whispered, two times aloud. Let's see how this goes. Here we go. Pause. Breathe. As you breathe, maybe bring the palms together at the heart center, and just notice how that sound may resonate in your head, through your body, and I wish you a blessed day. Please tune in to Yoga Vista TV for more tips on wellness practices to aid to a better and healthier lifestyle. Namaste.