Meditation research mostly studies self-effort practices like Focused Attention and Open Monitoring, but traditional Indian practices and the modern Heartfulness method emphasize Transmission (Pranahuti), a non-verbal, non-instructional way to induce interpersonal states. This review traces historical references in the Mahābhārata and teachings of Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, organized within the Heartfulness practice. Transmission is described as enhancing subtle bodies (Chit, Manas, Buddhi, Ahankar) and accelerating the shift from a meditative state to a stable trait. Psychological, neurophysiological, physiological, and molecular findings suggest transmission acts as a catalyst for profound systemic integration, offering a new perspective on accelerated transformation in contemplative sciences.
Meditation may optimize not only mental well-being but also the physiological and molecular processes that align brain and body systems toward metabolic, genomic, and epigenomic coherence. Evidence links meditative practice to changes in brain network dynamics, metabolic changes, and epigenetic alterations. Meditation modulates stress-induced markers, cerebral metabolic changes, hormonal rhythms, and transcriptional alterations in genes involved in cellular pathways, suggesting a coordinated cellular recalibration. Regular contemplative routines may stabilize circadian oscillations of cortisol and melatonin. Meditation-associated epigenetic signatures include alterations in DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and noncoding RNAs. The authors propose an integrative multiscale model in which meditation synchronizes neural activity with peripheral, molecular rhythms to promote adaptive homeostasis.