Comparative Study of the Impact of Active Meditation Protocol and Silence Meditation on Heart Rate Variability and Mood in Women
Gunjan Y. Trivedi, Vidhi Patel, M. H. Shah, Meghana J Dhok, K. Bhoyania
International Journal of Yoga September 1, 2020 DOI: 10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_18_20 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Women |
| Interventions | coherent heart-focused breathing breath-focused silence meditation |
| Duration | Two 20-minute practices |
| Measures | Positive and Negative Affect Scale, emWavePro device |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The active meditation protocol produced statistically significant improvements in parasympathetic HRV parameters compared with breath-focused silence meditation. Negative affect fell significantly after both practices, while positive affect increased only after active meditation; HRV changes after silence meditation were not consistent. |
Abstract
Aim: The aim of this study was to understand the impact of an active meditation protocol on heart rate variability (HRV) and mood in women as compared to breath-focused silence meditation.
Materials and Methods: Women experienced two different practices of 20 min each: (a) control group: silence meditation focusing on breath and (b) experiment group: active meditation that included four activities, each lasting for 5 minutes – (1) simple humming, (2) coherent heart-focused breathing with 5s of inhalation and 5s of exhalation, (3) coherent heart-focused breathing while invoking positive emotions, and (4) guided imagery about a preidentified goal. The silence meditation encouraged women to only focus on the breath. The Positive and Negative Affect Scale measured mood before/after the practice (n = 24), and emWavePro device measured HRV parameters for 5 min before/after the practices (n = 18). Statistical data analysis was done using a paired t-test.
Results: HRV (specifically, parasympathetic nervous system [PNS]) parameters showed a statistically significant improvement in the experiment group as compared to the control group. There was a statistically significant reduction in negative affect after both the practices, and the increase in positive affect was observed only for the experiment group.
Conclusions: The active meditation provides a significant enhancement in mood and HRV parameters related to PNS as compared to silence meditation where the changes in HRV were not consistent and the positive mood did not increase significantly. Future research in this area could explore the impact of such practice for a longer duration and understand the impact of each component of the meditative practices.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Susceptibility of Women to Cardiovascular Disease and the Prevention Potential of Mind–Body Intervention by Changes in Neural Circuits and Cardiovascular Physiology Biomolecules May 10, 2021
- Effect of Brief Mindfulness Meditation Interventions on Heart Rate Variability in Adults: A Systematic Review. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback July 26, 2025
- Effect of Chanting Mantras and Their Impact on Human Brain – An Analysis International Journal of Latest Technology in Engineering Management & Applied Science July 23, 2025
- Differential Effects of Ethical Education, Physical Hatha Yoga, and Mantra Meditation on Well-Being and Stress in Healthy Participants-An Experimental Single-Case Study. Frontiers in Psychology 2021
- What makes yoga effective? Differential effects of ethical education, physical yoga, and mantra meditation on well-being and stress
Cites 5
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- A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Meditation for Work Stress, Anxiety and Depressed Mood in Full‐Time Workers Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2011
- Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations PLoS One May 9, 2019
- Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators. Behavioural Brain Research January 1, 2019
- New directions in hypnosis research: strategies for advancing the cognitive and clinical neuroscience of hypnosis. Neuroscience of Consciousness April 12, 2017