A Framework of Measurable Features of Bhramari Pranayama Leading to Meditation
Indian Journal of Science and Technology January 29, 2023 Division Of Yoga And Physical Sciences, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (svyasa), Bengaluru, India, B P Ushamohan, Yamini Belur et al. 2 citations
Bhramari pranayama, a yogic technique involving a self-vocalized humming sound that mimics a female bumblebee, can be broken down into sub-components: pranayama (breath control), the sound-producing phase, and Shanmukhi practice. Its overt, measurable features—such as fundamental frequency, resonant vibrations, and articulation—offer a unique opportunity to study how meditation is caused. Concepts like efference copy, corollary discharge, and sense of agency are observable in electrophysiological investigations. The framework explains how breath and self-vocalized acoustics produce synchrony among multisensory systems, leading to a meditative state, and suggests therapeutic benefits from self-evoked resonant vibrations, sensory entrainment, and gamma waves.