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Autonomic changes in Brahmakumaris Raja yoga meditation.

Shirley Telles, T Desiraju

International Journal of Psychophysiology September 1993 DOI: 10.1016/0167-8760(93)90072-w (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational study with within-subject control sessions Peer reviewed
Sample size 18
Population Males aged 20 to 52 years (mean 34.1 +/- 8.1) with 5 to 25 years of Brahmakumaris Raja yoga meditation experience (mean 10.1 +/- 6.2)
Intervention Brahmakumaris Raja yoga meditation
Measures heart rate, palmar GSR, finger plethysmogram amplitude, respiratory rate
Topics Meditation
Key findings Group analysis showed heart rate increased during meditation relative to baseline and to non-meditation control periods, while palmar GSR, finger plethysmogram amplitude, and respiratory rate showed no significant group-level change. Individual-level analysis suggested that autonomic activation and relaxation changes can occur simultaneously in different subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system within a subject, with differing patterns among practitioners of the same meditation.

Abstract

This report presents the changes in various autonomic and respiratory variables during the practice of Brahmakumaris Raja yoga meditation. This practice requires considerable commitment and involves concentrated thinking. 18 males in the age range of 20 to 52 years (mean 34.1 +/- 8.1), with 5-25 years experience in mediation (mean 10.1 +/- 6.2), participated in the study. Each subject was assessed in three test sessions which included a period of meditation, and also in three control (non-mediation) sessions, which included a period of random thinking. Group analysis showed that the heart rate during the meditation period was increased compared to the preceding baseline period, as well as compared to the value during the non-meditation period of control sessions. In contrast to the change in the heart rate, there was no significant change during meditation, for the group as a whole, in palmar GSR, finger plethysmogram amplitude, and respiratory rate. On an individual basis, changes which met the following criteria were noted: (1), changes which were greater during meditation (compared to its preceding baseline) than changes during post meditation or non-meditation periods (also compared to their preceding baseline); (2), Changes which occurred consistently during the three repeat sessions of a subject and (3), changes which exceeded arbitrarily-chosen cut-off points (described at length below). This individual level analysis revealed that changes in autonomic variables suggestive of both activation and relaxation occurred simultaneously in different subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system in a subject. Apart from this, there were differences in patterns of change among the subjects who practised the same meditation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Comparable studies

Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) 2003 Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study
Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. 2008 Controlled laboratory experiment
Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. 2012 Two studies: correlational study and experimental study
Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence 2009 Experimental study
Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population 2006 Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition

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