Water-based contemplative practices—from full-body underwater meditation to ice baths, breath-hold training, and mindful immersion near lakes or oceans—are associated with profound psychological and physiological benefits. While most mindfulness literature emphasizes silencing the Default Mode Network (DMN), emerging evidence suggests a more nuanced truth: the DMN does not need to be turned...
The chapter presents a unified examination of yoga and its body-mind approach by exploring neural mechanisms, psychological and philosophical aspects. It examines how yoga facilitates the body-mind connection through yogic texts and scientific study, such as breath regulation (pranayama), postural awareness (asana) and meditative focus (dhyana). This study applies polyvagal theory,...
The rise of embodied cognition and embodied consciousness theories has shifted the focus of modern philosophy of mind to the nature of the connection between the body and the mind. By reinterpreting the Āsana and Prāṇāyāma practices in light of contemporary philosophical discourse on the mind and cognition, this paper delves into the idea of embodied consciousness in Yoga. The research proposes...
This study examines the application of mindfulness techniques through group counselling to reduce academic stress among students at SMA Negeri 18 Makassar. The objectives of this study are: (1) to describe the level of academic stress experienced by studenst at SMA Negeri 18 Makassar; (2) to determine how the application of mindfulness techniques can help students manage academic stress; and...
PsyArXivApril 10, 2026George Fejer, Till Holzapfel, Anestis Lalidis Mateo et al.
preprint
Breath-based interactions in virtual reality typically map breathing onto discrete visual objects or downstream physiological proxies. Viscereality takes a different approach, mapping lung volume onto a surrounding space composed of particles arranged in an orb enclosing the participant through interoceptive-exteroceptive sensory substitution, such that inhalation expands the environment...
Non-Ordinary Experiences (NOEs), encompassing phenomena such as feelings of cosmic or divine unity and sensing the presence of deceased persons, are common in the general population of different countries. Despite a recent increase in the number of studies investigating the implications of these experiences for mental health and well-being, no review comprehensively synthesizing existing...
Background: Stress is a natural response to challenging situations, affecting people worldwide, with higher prevalence during the pandemic. Studies show that professional students, especially in medical and engineering fields, experience more stress. Ayurveda links mental strength, or Sattvabala, to overall well-being, emphasizing its role in maintaining calmness and resilience. Acharya Charaka...
Altered states of consciousness (ASC) represent a universal human capacity for accessing and transforming the subconscious mind, employed across cultures and millennia through diverse contemplative, somatic, pharmacological, ritual, and technological modalities. This comprehensive review synthesizes evidence from over 25 distinct disciplines spanning five clusters: (A) contemplative and...
Education in arts is important in the development of creativity, arts expression and communication of culture. Nevertheless, the conventional training of performing arts tends to emphasize more on the development of technical skills and the preparation of performance to the exclusion of the physical and psychological health of performers. This study examines how yoga and mindfulness can be...
There has been increasing research on the application of yoga and meditation to the composition of performing arts as one of the comprehensive approaches to creativity, stage performance, and well-being of the performers. Exposing the works of art to intense physical exercises, emotional outbursts, and excessive psychological stress, tend to affect the performance, as well as their health in...