Higher theta and alpha1 coherence when listening to Vedic recitation compared to coherence during Transcendental Meditation practice.
Consciousness and Cognition March 1, 2017 Frederick Travis, Niyazi Parim, Amrita Shrivastava
Listening to live Vedic recitation produces deeper inner experiences and distinct brain patterns compared to Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice. Thirty-seven subjects reported that Vedic recitation felt deeper, more internal, and characterized by lively silence. EEG recordings showed significantly higher theta2 and alpha1 coherence in frontal, parietal, and frontal-parietal regions during Vedic recitation than during TM. Theta2 coherence, associated with attending to internal mental processes, supports subjects' descriptions of the recitations as internal vibrations rather than external sounds. Higher alpha1 coherence, seen during pure consciousness experiences in TM, supports reports of greater depth during recitation.