Multimodal Analysis of Acute Neurophysiological Effects of Tibetan BöN Tsa Lung Breathwork: Insights into Autonomic and Cortical Resilience Validated with Wearable Ear-EEG
International IEEE/EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering November 11, 2025 Daniel Ehrens, A. Stewart, Akshay Paul et al.
A single session of Tsa Lung, a Tibetan Bön breathwork practice, performed by a Tibetan Bön Rinpoche between two Cold Pressor Stress trials, was associated with increased high-frequency heart rate variability and a reduced LF/HF ratio, indicating enhanced parasympathetic activity and autonomic resilience. Scalp and ear electroencephalography showed increased alpha power and reduced beta/gamma activity during the post-breathwork stress trial, suggesting improved cortical stability. The findings, contextualized with a small untrained control cohort, support breath-centered practices for rapid neurophysiological modulation relevant to stress regulation and neural rehabilitation.