Multimodal Analysis of Acute Neurophysiological Effects of Tibetan BöN Tsa Lung Breathwork: Insights into Autonomic and Cortical Resilience Validated with Wearable Ear-EEG

A single session of Tsa Lung, a Tibetan Bön breathwork practice, performed by a Tibetan Bön Rinpoche between two Cold Pressor Stress trials, was associated with increased high-frequency heart rate variability and a reduced LF/HF ratio, indicating enhanced parasympathetic activity and autonomic resilience. Scalp and ear electroencephalography showed increased alpha power and reduced beta/gamma activity during the post-breathwork stress trial, suggesting improved cortical stability. The findings, contextualized with a small untrained control cohort, support breath-centered practices for rapid neurophysiological modulation relevant to stress regulation and neural rehabilitation.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Traditional breath-centered contemplative practices have been shown to enhance stress resilience through autonomic and cortical mechanisms by increasing parasympathetic tone and modulating neural activity. In this single-session observational case study, we investigated the acute effects of Bön Tsa Lung, a Tibetan breathwork practice, using multimodal recordings; electrocardiography (ECG) and scalp/ear electroencephalography (EEG) to assess heart rate variability (HRV) and neural synchrony. A Tibetan Bön Rinpoche performed the Tsa Lung session between two Cold Pressor Stress (CPS) trials, a validated autonomic challenge. Effects of the Tsa Lung session were inferred from pre- vs postCPS response analysis and contextualized with a small untrained control cohort (n=4) that completed a single CPS trial. ECG-derived heart rate variability (HRV) metrics showed increased high-frequency (HF) power and reduced LF/HF ratio during the post-Tsa Lung CPS trial, consistent with enhanced parasympathetic activity and autonomic resilience. Scalp and ear-EEG showed an increase in alpha power and reduced beta/gamma activity during the post-Tsa Lung CPS trial, suggesting improved cortical stability and stress regulation. This single-case descriptive study supports contemplative breathcentered practices for rapid, measurable neurophysiological modulation, with potential relevance for neural rehabilitation and stress regulation. Clinical Relevance- This observational case of Tsa Lung (Tibetan Bön) breathwork uses multimodal EEG-HRV measures during a standardized stressor (pre/post Cold Pressor Stress) and shows patterns consistent with enhanced autonomic (parasympathetic) and cortical resilience.