Meditation Practice Improves Short-Term Changes in Heart Rate Variability.
Kang-Ming Chang, Miao-Tien Wu Chueh, Yi-Jung Lai
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health March 23, 2020 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17062128 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 72 |
| Population | 45 meditation-naive participants in the first session and 27 experienced Chan meditation practitioners (average 9 years of practice, range 1-27 years) in the second session |
| Duration | 1.5-hour weekly sessions; second session one month after the first |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Blood pressure Teaching Heart rate variability Blessing |
| Key findings | Heart rate and heart rate variability by age significantly decreased after one Chan master teaching course in both face-to-face and video class settings. The authors conclude that Chan meditation practitioners benefit from both modes of instruction. |
Abstract
Background: It is well known that meditation improves the physical and psychological condition of its practitioners. This study investigated the heart rate variability response of meditation practitioners in two Chan master teaching environments, namely face-to-face and video classes.
Methods: Experimental sessions were conducted, one featuring face-to-face classes and the other featuring video classes. The difference in participants' physiological parameters (blood pressure and heart rate variability) between the two experimental sessions was determined. In the first session, physiological parameters were recorded twice, before and after one teaching course, and the second session took place one month after the first. The first and second sessions had 45 and 27 participants, respectively. Those involved in the first experiment had no experience with meditation, whereas participants in the second experiment had practiced meditation for an average of 9 years (range = 1 to 27 years). Both experiments were conducted once a week, with each session lasting 1.5 h.
Results: For both experiments, both heart rate and heart rate variability by age significantly decreased after one teaching course.
Conclusions: Chan meditation practitioners benefit from receiving both face-to-face and video class teaching from a Chan master.
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 3
- Effects of mindfulness breathing meditation on stress and cognitive functions: a heart rate variability and eye-tracking study Scientific Reports October 24, 2025
- The Relevance of Heart Rate Variability for Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy Brain Sciences March 25, 2026
- Three potential neurovascular pathways driving the benefits of mindfulness meditation for older adults. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2023
Cites 8
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- MEDITATION EEG INTERPRETATION BASED ON NOVEL FUZZY-MERGING STRATEGIES AND WAVELET FEATURES Biomedical Engineering: Applications, Basis and Communications August 25, 2005
- Assessment of Cardiovascular Parameters during Meditation with Mental Targeting in Varsity Swimmers Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine February 11, 2016
- Arousal vs. relaxation: a comparison of the neurophysiological and cognitive correlates of Vajrayana and Theravada meditative practices. PLoS One 2014
- Mindfulness meditation, well-being, and heart rate variability: a preliminary investigation into the impact of intensive Vipassana meditation. International Journal of Psychophysiology September 1, 2013
and 3 more in the library