A Meditation for Looking at Your Life.

“Sa Ta Na Ma” are the five primal sounds.

Each sound translates to English as:

Sa: Birth

Ta: Life

Na: Death

Ma: Rebirth

These sounds are used often in the Kundalini Yoga tradition, but I learned them for the first time in a prenatal yoga teacher training. Repeating these primal sounds to myself while walking in nature became one of my favorite ways to meditate. However, this meditation can be quite powerful in stillness as well. Give it a try! Review the following instructions a few times, or better yet, have someone read them to you while you do the meditation. Take your time with this one. Another tip: When I’m learning a new meditation, I sometimes find it helpful to record myself reading the instructions so I can follow along to the recording when I’m ready to give it a try.

1. Touch your pointer finger to your thumb, and gently trace the pointer finger around your thumb pad. This connection represents birth. Think of your own birth, what you know of your birth. Now press your finger firmly to your thumb and repeat “sa” to yourself. Repeat “sa” on the inhale, “sa” on the exhale.

2. Touch your middle finger to your thumb and gently trace the middle finger around your thumb pad. This connection represents life. Think of your own life, what are some of the things that immediately come to mind? Trying not to label anything as good or bad, just noticed what stands out to you in this moment when asked to consider what stands out in your life. Now press your finger firmly to your thumb and repeat “ta” to yourself. Repeat “ta” on the inhale, “ta” on the exhale.

3. Touch your ring finger to your thumb and gently trace the ring finger around your thumb pad. This connection represents death. Think of the ways in which death has shown up in your life so far. Know that death is a necessary and natural part of life. Maybe it was the death of a loved one, a pet…. Or the death of a way of being, a habit or a pattern that you let go of. Now press your finger firmly to your thumb and repeat “na” to yourself. Repeat “na” on the inhale, “na” on the exhale.

4. Touch your pinky finger to your thumb and start to trace the pinky finger around your thumb pad. This connection represents rebirth. When have you had the strength to persevere, change, grow and heal? Have you had to do this often in your life? This is one way that we can understand rebirth in this lifetime. Now press your finger firmly to your thumb and repeat “ma” to yourself. Repeat “ma” on the inhale, “ma” on the exhale.

5. And now, with each inhale, repeat to yourself, sa ta na ma, touching each finger to your thumb as you go. And do the same with each exhale, sa ta na ma. Inhale, sa ta na ma, exhale, sa ta na ma. And continue for a few more rounds on your own.

Let me know how it goes in the comments section of this post!

Thanks for reading! ~ Megan