Mantra Ra Ma Da Sa Say So Hung

One of my beautiful yogis & special friend Lorraine asked me “Why do we sing Ra Ma Da Sa Say So Hung for 13 mins” Me being me, studies all weekend seeking the correct reasoning behind this. So here goes:

The mantra Ra Ma Da Sa is part of a longer healing meditation from Kundalini Yoga, often called the "Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung" meditation.

The 13-minute length comes from traditional Kundalini Yoga guidelines set by Yogi Bhajan, who taught that the amount of time you meditate affects the depth of impact:

3 minutes affects the electromagnetic field.

11 minutes affects the nervous and glandular system.

22 minutes balances the mind and the three minds (negative, positive, neutral).

31 minutes affects the whole body and mind's balance.

62 minutes changes the brain chemistry.

2.5 hours changes the psyche deeply.

13 minutes falls a little past 11, making it strong enough to deeply stimulate the energetic body and glandular system for healing, without being as intense as a longer session like 22 or 31 minutes.

It’s considered a sweet spot for balancing effective practice with daily life.

Also, for Ra Ma Da Sa, many teachers specifically recommend 11 minutes or 31 minutes — so some people round it to 13 minutes in recordings to allow a few moments of tuning in and tuning out (opening and closing mantras).

13 is also considered a spiritually significant number in many traditions (e.g., transformation, rebirth), but in this case, it's mainly about timing and effectiveness.