After 8 weeks of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training, the correlation between alpha brain wave frequency and heart coherence increased significantly in the middle frontal and bilateral temporal regions. Alpha coherence and heart coherence showed similar changes, but alpha peak power did not. Standard spectrum analysis alone showed no difference before and after training. Individual alpha peak frequency is relatively stable, and its interplay with cardiac activity may be a more sensitive measure of brain-heart connection than power spectrum. This preliminary study involved eleven participants aged 28–52 years.
A single Buddhist monk performed one 10-minute Loving-Kindness Meditation session between two 10-minute resting periods. Electroencephalography (EEG) showed a significant increase in theta power at both frontal and parietal sites, and heart rate decreased significantly between pre- and post-resting tasks. Theta power was negatively correlated with heart rate and positively correlated with a self-designed report score. These neurophysiological changes suggest that Loving-Kindness Meditation is accompanied by slower brain frequencies and reduced heart rate, with subjective psychological assessments linked to objective measurements in this long-term meditator.