Neural correlates of breath work, mental imagery of yoga postures, and meditation in yoga practitioners: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study
Xiawen Li, Yu Zhou, Chenping Zhang, Hongbiao Wang, Xiaochun Wang
Frontiers in Neuroscience March 21, 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1322071 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Chinese women with long-term or short-term yoga practice |
| Interventions | Abdominal breathing mental imagery of yoga postures mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Long-term yoga practitioners demonstrated higher dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during breath work, lower ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation during posture imagery, and higher orbitofrontal and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation during meditation compared to short-term practitioners. |
Abstract
ObjectivePrevious research has shown numerous health benefits of yoga, a multicomponent physical and mental activity. The three important aspects of both traditional and modern yoga are breath work, postures, and meditation. However, the neural mechanisms associated with these three aspects of yoga remain largely unknown. The present study investigated the neural underpinnings associated with each of these three yoga components in long- and short-term yoga practitioners to clarify the neural advantages of yoga experience, aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding of yoga’s health-promoting effects.MethodsParticipants were 40 Chinese women, 20 with a long-term yoga practice and 20 with a short-term yoga practice. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was conducted while participants performed abdominal breathing, mental imagery of yoga postures, and mindfulness meditation. The oxygenated hemoglobin concentrations activated in the brain during these three tasks were used to assess the neural responses to the different aspects of yoga practice. The self-reported mastery of each yoga posture was used to assess the advantages of practicing yoga postures.ResultsBlood oxygen levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during breath work were significantly higher in long-term yoga practitioners than in short-term yoga practitioners. In the mental imagery of yoga postures task, self-reported data showed that long-term yoga practitioners had better mastery than short-term practitioners. Long-term yoga practitioners demonstrated lower activation in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, with lower blood oxygen levels associated with performing this task, than short-term yoga practitioners. In the mindfulness meditation task, blood oxygen levels in the orbitofrontal cortex and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex were significantly higher in long-term yoga practitioners than in short-term yoga practitioners.ConclusionThe three core yoga components, namely, yogic breathing, postures, and meditation, showed differences and similarities in the activation levels of the prefrontal cortex. Long-term practice of each component led to the neural benefits of efficient activation in the prefrontal cortex, especially in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Effects of long-term mindfulness meditation training on attentional capacity in professional male fencer athletes. Scientific Reports April 15, 2025
- Self-Esteem Mediates the Effect of Yoga-Induced Mindfulness on Adolescents’ Emotional and Behavioral Problems and Pro-Social Behavior Youth & Society January 18, 2025
Cites 13
- Biological mechanism study of meditation and its application in mental disorders General Psychiatry July 13, 2020
- Neural Correlates of Non-ordinary States of Consciousness in Pranayama Practitioners: The Role of Slow Nasal Breathing Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience March 21, 2022
- Resting State Functional Connectivity Associated With Sahaja Yoga Meditation Frontiers in Human Neuroscience March 16, 2021
- Reduced Age-Related Gray Matter Loss in the Orbitofrontal Cortex in Long-Term Meditators Brain Sciences December 6, 2023
- Brief mindfulness meditation intervention improves attentional control of athletes in virtual reality shooting competition: Evidence from fNIRS and eye tracking. Psychology of Sport And Exercise November 2023
and 8 more in the library