Once confined to spiritual practices, meditation has found its way into mainstream wellness as an evidence-based science for mental and physical well-being. Its ancient roots trace back thousands of years, yet in the modern scientific landscape where its profound impact on the human brain and body is being unveiled. This age-old practice has garnered attention from researchers worldwide,...
Objectives: In ancient yoga texts there are two meditative states described. One is dharana, which requires focusing, the second is dhyana, during which there is no focusing, but an expansive mental state is reached. While an earlier study did show improved performance in an attention task after dharana, the autonomic changes during these two states have not been studied. Methods: Autonomic and...
Mid-latency auditory evoked potentials (MLAEPs) were assessed in 60 participants during 4 mental states described in traditional yoga texts. These 4 mental states are random thinking, nonmeditative-focused thinking, meditative focusing, and meditation. Assessments were made before (5 minutes), during (20 minutes), and after (5 minutes) each of the 4 states, on 4 separate days. There were...