Cardiorespiratory synchronization during Zen meditation.
Dirk Cysarz, Arndt Büssing
European journal of applied physiology September 1, 2005 DOI: 10.1007/s00421-005-1379-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subjects experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 9 |
| Population | Subjects mainly without any experience in meditation |
| Interventions | Zen meditation Kinhin meditation |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Key findings | Both Zen and Kinhin meditation produced a high degree of cardiorespiratory synchronization, whereas synchronization was low during spontaneous breathing and only slightly higher during a mental task. |
Abstract
The impact of meditation on cardiorespiratory synchronization with respect to breathing oscillations and the modulations of heart rate induced by respiration (respiratory sinus arrhythmia, RSA) was investigated in this study. Four different exercises (spontaneous breathing, mental task, Zen meditation, and Kinhin meditation) were consecutively performed by nine subjects mainly without any experience in meditation. An electrocardiogram and a respiratory trace were recorded simultaneously. On this basis the degree of cardiorespiratory synchronization was quantified by a technique which has been adopted from the analysis of weakly coupled chaotic oscillators. Both types of meditation showed a high degree of synchronization, whereas heartbeat and respiration were hardly synchronized during spontaneous breathing. During the mental task exercise the extent of synchronization was slightly higher than during spontaneous breathing. These results were largely determined by the breathing frequency because the two types of meditation induce low breathing frequencies which led to a pronounced and in-phase RSA. During the meditation the low breathing frequencies led to a decrease in the high frequency of heart rate variability, whereas the low frequency and the extent of RSA increased. The heart rate primarily reflected the degree of physical effort. The high degree of cardiorespiratory synchronization during meditation in unexperienced meditators suggests that the physiological implications of meditation does not require prior experience in meditation.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEG Alpha Blocking Correlated with Perception of Inner Light During Zen Meditation Zen-Buddhist practitioners who had been practicing meditation for years | 2003 | Experimental study | |
| Zen meditation and ABC relaxation theory: An exploration of relaxation states, beliefs, dispositions, and motivations Experienced Zen meditators and college students | 2001 | Controlled experimental study | n = 83 |
| Exploring Emptiness and its Effects on Non-attachment, Mystical Experiences, and Psycho-spiritual Wellbeing: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Advanced Meditators. Advanced Buddhist meditators | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental design with qualitative analysis | n = 25 |
| Ready to help, no matter what you did: Responsibility attribution does not influence compassion in expert Buddhist practitioners. Expert Buddhist practitioners and trained novices | 2024 | Experimental study | |
| ZEN MEDITATION AND TIME-EXPERIENCE | 1989 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 30
- A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations Psychological Medicine November 27, 2009
- Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity Frontiers in Human Neuroscience October 9, 2018
- Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama Psychophysiology April 22, 2018
- Zen Meditation: An Integration of Current Evidence The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Heart rate variability during mindful breathing meditation Frontiers in Physiology January 23, 2023
and 25 more in the library
Cites 5
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Impact of Transcendental Meditation on cardiovascular function at rest and during acute stress in adolescents with high normal blood pressure. Journal of Psychosomatic Research October 1, 2001
- Autonomic and EEG patterns distinguish transcending from other experiences during Transcendental Meditation practice. International Journal of Psychophysiology August 2001
- A controlled study of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on cardiovascular reactivity and ambulatory blood pressure. International Journal of Neuroscience January 1997
- Effect of Buddhist meditation on serum cortisol and total protein levels, blood pressure, pulse rate, lung volume and reaction time. Physiology & Behavior September 1, 1991