Long-term meditation is associated with lower spontaneous ultraweak photon emission (UPE), a non-invasive measure linked to oxidative stress. Men who practiced transcendental meditation (TM) showed 27% lower UPE, and those practicing other meditation techniques (OMT) showed 17% lower UPE, compared to non-meditators. The reductions were consistent across 12 anatomic locations. The similar emission patterns among groups suggest meditation may influence overall oxidative metabolism, though further verification is needed to confirm oxidation as the source of the differences.
People emit ultra-weak light (biophotons) from their bodies, and this emission may reflect free radical activity. In 20 healthy male nonsmokers, half of whom had practiced Transcendental Meditation (TM) twice daily for at least 10 years, emission intensities were lower in TM practitioners than in controls. The percentage of emission from most body locations did not differ between groups, except for the throat and palm. The data suggest that long-term TM practice is associated with altered ultra-weak photon emission, supporting the idea that meditation may influence free radical reactions.