Heartfulness Meditation Alters Electroencephalogram Oscillations: An Electroencephalogram Study.
Dwivedi Krishna, Krishna Prasanna, Basavaraj Angadi, Bikesh Kumar Singh, Shrivastava Anurag, Singh Deepeshwar
International Journal of Yoga 2022 DOI: 10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_138_22 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 61 |
| Population | Heartfulness meditators and nonmeditators |
| Intervention | Heartfulness meditation |
| Duration | Baseline (5 min), meditation (10 min), transmission (10 min), post (5 min) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Autonomic activity Coherence Electroencephalogram Heartfulness meditation |
| Key findings | Heartfulness meditators had higher theta and alpha power, lower beta and delta power, greater theta, alpha, and beta coherence, and higher mindfulness and lower anxiety compared to nonmeditators. |
Abstract
Heartfulness meditation (HM) has been shown to have positive impacts on cognition and well-being, which makes it important to look into the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the phenomenon. A cross-sectional study was conducted on HM meditators and nonmeditators to assess frontal electrical activities of the brain and self-reported anxiety and mindfulness. The present study employed a cross-sectional design. Sixty-one participants were recruited, 28 heartfulness meditators (average age male: 31.54 ± 4.2 years and female: 30.04 ± 7.1 years) and 33 nonmeditators (average age male: 25 ± 8.5 years and female: 23.45 ± 6.5 years). An electroencephalogram (EEG) was employed to assess brain activity during baseline (5 min), meditation (10 min), transmission (10 min) and post (5 min). Self-reported mindfulness and anxiety were also collected in the present study. The EEG power spectral density (PSD) and coherence were processed using MATLAB. The statistical analysis was performed using an independent sample t-test for trait mindfulness and anxiety, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) for state mindfulness and anxiety, and Two-way multivariate ANOVA for EEG spectral frequency and coherence. The results showed higher state and trait mindfulness, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively, and lower state and trait anxiety, P < 0.05 and P < 0.05, respectively. The PSD outcomes showed higher theta (P < 0.001) and alpha (P < 0.01); lower beta (P < 0.001) and delta (P < 0.05) power in HM meditators compared to nonmeditators. Similarly, higher coherence was found in the theta (P < 0.01), alpha (P < 0.05), and beta (P < 0.01) bands in HM meditators. These findings suggest that HM practice may result in wakeful relaxation and internalized attention that can influence cognition and behavior.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- EEG changes induced by meditative practices: State and trait effects in healthy subjects and in patients with epilepsy. Revue Neurologique April 1, 2024
- Heartfulness Meditation-induced State and Trait Effects on Long-term, Short-term and Non-meditators Using Connectivity Analysis: An EEG Study on Prefrontal Cortex Annals of Neurosciences August 31, 2026
- Bridging Science and Spirituality: Heartfulness Meditation, Heart–Brain Coherence, and the Evolution of Consciousness in Indic Psychological Perspectives Vidhyayana June 8, 2026
- Neural Dynamics of Heartfulness Meditation: EEG Alpha Modulation Across Experience Levels. Annals of Neurosciences January 19, 2026
- Neurophysiological and autonomic patterns associated with heartfulness and bell meditation: a three-arm exploratory study. Frontiers in Psychology 2026
and 3 more in the library
Cites 27
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- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Mindfulness-induced selflessness: a MEG neurophenomenological study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- Individual Trait Anxiety Levels Characterizing the Properties of Zen Meditation Neuropsychobiology 2004
- Decreased electrophysiological activity represents the conscious state of emptiness in meditation Frontiers in Psychology 2014
and 22 more in the library