The subtle body: an interoceptive map of central nervous system function and meditative mind-brain-body integration.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13065 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Comparative review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Contemplative neuroscience Neurofeedback Subtle body Yoga |
| Key findings | The traditional subtle body model of the central nervous system provides a more rigorous typology and network-based mechanistic framework for contemplative practices than current models. |
Abstract
Meditation research has begun to clarify the brain effects and mechanisms of contemplative practices while generating a range of typologies and explanatory models to guide further study. This comparative review explores a neglected area relevant to current research: the validity of a traditional central nervous system (CNS) model that coevolved with the practices most studied today and that provides the first comprehensive neural-based typology and mechanistic framework of contemplative practices. The subtle body model, popularly known as the chakra system from Indian yoga, was and is used as a map of CNS function in traditional Indian and Tibetan medicine, neuropsychiatry, and neuropsychology. The study presented here, based on the Nalanda tradition, shows that the subtle body model can be cross-referenced with modern CNS maps and challenges modern brain maps with its embodied network model of CNS function. It also challenges meditation research by: (1) presenting a more rigorous, neural-based typology of contemplative practices; (2) offering a more refined and complete network model of the mechanisms of contemplative practices; and (3) serving as an embodied, interoceptive neurofeedback aid that is more user friendly and complete than current teaching aids for clinical and practical applications of contemplative practice.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Heartfulness Meditation: A Yogic and Neuroscientific Perspective Frontiers in Psychology May 10, 2022
- Tantra and Modern Neurosciences: Is there any Correlation? Neurology India 2019
- Unbalanced Flows in the Subtle Body: Tibetan Understandings of Psychiatric Illness and How to Deal With It Journal of Religion and Health February 20, 2019
- Can Embodied Contemplative Practices Accelerate Resilience Training and Trauma Recovery? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience April 11, 2018
- Conscious entry into sleep: Yoga Nidra and accessing subtler states of consciousness. Progress in Brain Research 2023
and 5 more in the library
Cites 33
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
and 28 more in the library