Underwater Meditation and the Blue Mind State: Toward a Physiological Framework Linking Aquatic Immersion, Autonomic Regulation, and Default Mode Network Dynamics
Arpit Bansal, Divya Bartaria
European Journal of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry September 12, 2026 DOI: 10.1922/ejprd.v34i12s.2014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors report consistent evidence that water immersion increases parasympathetic activation and HRV, and that water-based sensory reduction alters DMN connectivity, though in divergent directions across paradigms: floatation is associated with decreased connectivity between posterior DMN hubs and somatosensory cortex, while cold-water immersion is associated with increased DMN connectivity to affect-related networks. They propose a "reconfiguration hypothesis" to reconcile these findings and outline a candidate practice of breathing-supported underwater stillness, emphasizing that no published study has directly tested underwater meditation as defined here and that the framework is hypothesis-generating rather than established. |
Abstract
Water-based contemplative and recovery practices — from head-out immersion and cold-water bathing to floatation-based sensory reduction — are consistently associated with shifts in autonomic and, increasingly, brainnetwork activity. This paper synthesizes the physiological literature on hydrostatic, thermal, vestibular, and sensory-attenuation effects of water immersion and evaluates the evidence linking these effects to heart-rate variability (HRV), vagal tone, and default mode network (DMN) function. We find consistent support for immersion-induced parasympathetic activation and increased HRV, and consistent evidence that water-based sensory reduction alters DMN connectivity — but the direction of that change is not uniform across paradigms: floatation-based sensory attenuation is associated with decreased connectivity between posterior DMN hubs and somatosensory cortex, while cold-water immersion is associated with increased connectivity between DMN and affect-related networks. We propose that these apparently divergent findings may be reconciled by a reconfiguration hypothesis: rather than being globally suppressed or globally enhanced, the DMN may shift from a self-referential, interoceptively fused configuration toward one that is more loosely coupled to somatosensory salience and more integrated with networks supporting positive affect and attentional control. Building on this reconciliation, we outline a candidate practice — sustained, breathing-supported (e.g., scuba-assisted) underwater stillness — as a technique that may extend exposure to this proposed state while avoiding the sympathetic activation associated with breath-holding. We are explicit throughout about the boundary between what the literature supports and what remains hypothetical: no published study has directly tested underwater meditation as defined here, and the framework should be treated as hypothesis-generating rather than established. We close with a concrete, falsifiable research agenda combining HRV, EEG/fMRI, and validated psychological measures.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Brain's Default Mode Network | 2015 | Review | |
| Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology | 2012 | Review | |
| 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis | 2023 | Review | |
| On the relationship between the “default mode network” and the “social brain” | 2012 | Review | |
| The default mode network and social understanding of others: what do brain connectivity studies tell us Healthy subjects, with some studies on patients with autism and psychopathy | 2014 | Review |