Changes in autonomic variables following two meditative states described in yoga texts.
Shirley Telles, Bhat Ramachandra Raghavendra, Kalkuni Visweswaraiah Naveen, Nandi Krishnamurthy Manjunath, Sanjay Kumar, Pailoor Subramanya
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine September 4, 2012 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2011.0282 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Healthy male volunteers, group mean age 29.1 years (SD 5.1) |
| Interventions | Dharana Dhyana Ekagrata Cancalata |
| Duration | 5 minutes before, 20 minutes during, and 5 minutes after each of four states, on four separate days |
| Measures | skin resistance level, photo-plethysmogram amplitude, heart rate, breath rate, heart rate variability (LF power, HF power, NN50, pNN50) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Autonomic nervous system Humans Yoga Analysis of variance Thinking Attention Galvanic skin response Heart rate Respiration Male Young adult Respiratory rate |
| Key findings | The largest autonomic and respiratory changes occurred during effortless meditation (dhyana), with increased skin resistance and photo-plethysmogram amplitude and decreased heart rate and breath rate. Heart rate variability measures (lower LF power, higher HF power, higher NN50 and pNN50) suggested reduced sympathetic activity or increased vagal modulation. Dharana increased skin resistance, while changes during ekagrata and cancalata were inconclusive. |
Abstract
Objectives: In ancient yoga texts there are two meditative states described. One is dharana, which requires focusing, the second is dhyana, during which there is no focusing, but an expansive mental state is reached. While an earlier study did show improved performance in an attention task after dharana, the autonomic changes during these two states have not been studied.
Methods: Autonomic and respiratory variables were assessed in 30 healthy male volunteers (group mean age ± SD, 29.1 ± 5.1 years) during four mental states described in traditional yoga texts. These four mental states are random thinking (cancalata), nonmeditative focusing (ekagrata), meditative focusing (dharana), and effortless meditation (dhyana). Assessments were made before (5 minutes), during (20 minutes), and after (5 minutes), each of the four states, on four separate days.
Results: During dhyana there was a significant increase in the skin resistance level (p<0.001; post hoc analysis following ANOVA, during compared to pre) and photo-plethysmogram amplitude (p<0.05), whereas there was a significant decrease in the heart rate (p<0.001) and breath rate (p<0.001). There was a significant decrease in the low frequency (LF) power (p<0.001) and increase in the high frequency (HF) power (p<0.001) in the frequency domain analysis of the heart rate variability (HRV) spectrum, on which HF power is associated with parasympathetic activity. There was also a significant increase in the NN50 count (the number of interval differences of successive NN intervals greater than 50 ms; p<0.001) and the pNN50 (the proportion derived by dividing NN50 by the total number of NN intervals; p<0.001) in time domain analysis of HRV, both indicative of parasympathetic activity.
Conclusions: Maximum changes were seen in autonomic variables and breath rate during the state of effortless meditation (dhyana). The changes were all suggestive of reduced sympathetic activity and/or increased vagal modulation. During dharana there was an increase in skin resistance. The changes in HRV during ekagrata and cancalata were inconclusive.
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 18
- Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity Frontiers in Human Neuroscience October 9, 2018
- A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction. Complementary Therapies in Medicine June 1, 2013
- Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama Psychophysiology April 22, 2018
- Uniting Contemplative Theory and Scientific Investigation: Toward a Comprehensive Model of the Mind Mindfulness April 10, 2023
- Associations between attention, affect and cardiac activity in a single yoga session for female cancer survivors: an enactive neurophenomenology-based approach. Consciousness and Cognition July 1, 2014
and 13 more in the library
Cites 10
- Physiological Effects of Transcendental Meditation Science March 27, 1970
- AN ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC STUDY ON THE ZEN MEDITATION (ZAZEN) Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences December 1, 1966
- A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction. Complementary Therapies in Medicine June 1, 2013
- Individual Trait Anxiety Levels Characterizing the Properties of Zen Meditation Neuropsychobiology 2004
- Breath Suspension During the Transcendental Meditation Technique Psychosomatic Medicine May 1, 1982
and 5 more in the library