Heartfulness Meditation-induced State and Trait Effects on Long-term, Short-term and Non-meditators Using...

Heartfulness meditation (HM) is a heart-based meditation practice that features a unique yogic transmission that involves transfer of subtle energy from a certified, experienced meditator to an aspirant.

This study was conducted on HM practice to assess the state (momentary changes during meditation result in temporary physiological and neurological shifts) and trait (long-term personality changes developed with experience) effects on the brain using electroencephalogram (EEG) signal analysis.

Thirty-four participants were recruited into three groups (long-term meditators [LTM], short-term meditators [STM] and non-meditators). EEG signals from the prefrontal cortex were recorded across four states: baseline, meditation, transmission and post-transmission. Functional connectivity and graph theory measures were calculated for each frequency band (delta, theta, alpha and beta). Within-group and between-group analyses were performed to quantify HM-induced state and trait effects. Significance level was tested through statistical analysis.

The results show improved coordination among brain networks, increased global and local efficiency, representing a positive state effect. While performing between-group analysis, significant trait changes were observed in the LTM group over frequency bands (delta, theta and alpha) of the EEG signal. These findings suggest that the altered EEG resulting from meditation reflects neurophysiological changes and functional integration of the brain network.

The positive state and trait effects were observed for HM practice in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Furthermore, the enhanced connectivity in EEG frequency bands may lead to significant neuroplastic changes. This finding provides insights into employing functional connectivity parameters as measures for quantifying meditation quality.