Neurophysiological Effects of Om Meditation: Evidence from EEG Studies
International Journal of Yoga June 25, 2026 Rupesh Kumar, Suresh Lal Barnwal, Sridip Chatterjee
A systematic review of 11 EEG studies on Om meditation found that the most consistent brain change is modulation of theta-band activity (4–7 Hz), often accompanied by alpha changes indicating a relaxed yet attentive state. Most studies involved short, single sessions of 3–30 minutes in healthy students. Spatial EEG showed engagement of orbitofrontal, limbic, attentional networks, and the Default Mode Network. Delta-band findings were inconsistent. EEG microstate analyses showed no significant changes after short-term practice. The evidence suggests short-term Om meditation is associated with reproducible theta-band modulation and distributed cortical networks linked to relaxation and internalized attention, but larger, longitudinal randomized trials are needed.