Heart rate dynamics in different levels of Zen meditation.

Heart rate variability (HRV) differs among practitioners of Zen meditation (Zazen) depending on their level of experience. Nineteen subjects with varying experience participated; in four cases both HRV and respiration were recorded. Analysis using frequency-domain methods and continuous wavelet transform showed that shifts in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reflect differing levels of practice. The modulation of RSA may indicate changes in breathing patterns and parasympathetic outflow related to attention quality and focus in each stage of meditation.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The dynamic interactions among physiological rhythms imbedded in the heart rate signal can give valuable insights into autonomic modulation in conditions of reduced outward attention. Therefore, in this study we analyzed the heart rate variability (HRV) in different levels of practice in Zen meditation (Zazen). Nineteen subjects with variable experience took part in this study. In four special cases we collected both HRV and respiration data. The time series were analyzed in frequency domain and also using the Continuous Wavelet Transform, which detects changes in the time domain and in the frequency domain simultaneously. The shifts in the respiratory modulation of heart rate, or respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), reflect the different levels of practice among practitioners with variable experience in Zazen; in turn the modulation of the RSA may reflect changes in the breathing pattern as in the parasympathetic outflow related to the quality and focus of attention in each stage.