Pranayama Yoga: Measuring Brainwaves via EEG

6 Pages Posted: 9 Aug 2019

See all articles by Rebecca Bhik-Ghanie

Rebecca Bhik-Ghanie

Bard College at Simon's Rock; Bard College at Simon's Rock, Students

Date Written: June 30, 2019

Abstract

Differences in baseline electroencephalogram (EEG) activity have been found among long-time practitioners of meditation (3+ years) in comparison to novice meditators (<1 year). In the current study, 10 participants (5 experienced meditators; 5 novices) engaged in a series of weekly, 20-minute Open Heart Meditation (OHM) practices; 5 control participants (all novices) engaged in a 20-minute reading/study session. EEG activity was measured in all participants during the first and final sessions. While the differences did not reach statistical significance, there were differences in the expected direction, suggesting an increase in baseline mean frequency of EEG measurements within the beta range for experienced meditators in comparison to novices and controls, suggesting an increase in neurological engagement during meditation. These findings suggest that there are potential neurological gains of certain meditative practices, which should lead to further investigation into the merits of meditative practice as a form of therapy.

Keywords: EEG, electroencephalogram, brain, yoga, mindfulness, alpha, beta, meditation, OHM

Suggested Citation

Bhik-Ghanie, Rebecca, Pranayama Yoga: Measuring Brainwaves via EEG (June 30, 2019). RAIS Conference Proceedings - The 13th International RAIS Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3434132 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3434132

Rebecca Bhik-Ghanie (Contact Author)

Bard College at Simon's Rock

84 Alford Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
United States

HOME PAGE: http://linkedin.com/in/rebecca-bhik-ghanie-68aa16167

Bard College at Simon's Rock, Students

84 Alford Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
United States

HOME PAGE: http://linkedin.com/in/rebecca-bhik-ghanie-68aa16167

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