Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2023
Mansee Thakur, Yogesh Patil, Sanjana T Philip et al.
27 citations
A 3-month randomized trial with 100 healthy adults aged 18-24 found that practicing Heartfulness meditation significantly reduced cortisol levels and anxiety, while increasing well-being and mindfulness as measured by standard questionnaires. Perceived stress decreased but not significantly. Telomere length correlated negatively with cortisol and positively with well-being, suggesting meditation may slow cellular aging. The authors conclude Heartfulness meditation can improve mental health and affect telomere length, though larger studies are needed to confirm.
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine
January 1, 2023
Snehal Deshpande, Kamlesh D Patel, Tejal Parulkar et al.
7 citations
In India, infertility carries social stigma that often prevents couples from seeking support, increasing psychological distress. A retrospective series evaluated a Heartfulness-based integrative therapy combining a 5-day lifestyle workshop and online meditation sessions among 54 couples (mean female age 30.74, male age 34.03). Of these, 15 couples had male infertility, 16 female infertility, 5 both, and 18 unexplained infertility. 24 couples conceived: 18 naturally, five through assisted reproductive technology, and one spontaneous abortion. The program appeared beneficial for those who followed it as prescribed, suggesting Heartfulness meditation may support fertility outcomes, though causal relationships require future randomized controlled trials.
JMIR bioinformatics and biotechnology
December 16, 2024
Jayaram Thimmapuram, Kamlesh D Patel, Deepti Bhatt et al.
2 citations
A 12-week Heartfulness meditation program reduced perceived stress by 17.35% and depression, anxiety, and stress scores by 27.14% among health care students, while a control group showed no significant changes. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels increased significantly by 20.27% in the meditation group, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels decreased in both groups. Gene expression analysis identified 875 upregulated and 1,539 downregulated genes in the meditation group compared to baseline, and 292 upregulated and 1,180 downregulated genes compared to the control group after the intervention. These findings suggest Heartfulness meditation improves mental well-being and alters stress-related biomarkers and gene expression profiles.
Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU
May 1, 2023
Sanjana T Philip, Jayaram Thimmapuram, Himanshu Gupta et al.
2 citations
A brief Heartfulness-Based Start 'U'p program reduced anxiety and perceived stress among allied health students in India. Over seven weeks, 203 students attended weekly two-hour meditation sessions. On average, Beck Anxiety Inventory scores fell by 2.91 points and Perceived Stress Scale scores fell by 1.61 points. The largest improvement in mindfulness was a 2.1-point increase in nonjudging, as measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. The program appears to be an accessible method for improving emotional wellness in this population.
Medicine
November 21, 2025
Sanjana T Philip, Jayaram Thimmapuram, Kapil Thakur et al.
A randomized controlled trial with a crossover design found that 30 days of guided Heartfulness meditation significantly increased oxytocin and β-endorphin levels while decreasing cortisol, indicating modulation of stress-related neuroendocrine markers. Participants also reported greater meditation depth, increased positive affect, and reduced negative affect. After the crossover, the control group showed similar improvements. Negative correlations were observed between cortisol and both oxytocin and β-endorphins. Heartfulness meditation appears to be a promising non-pharmacological intervention for improving mental health and stress resilience by enhancing happy hormones and reducing cortisol.