Changes in electrophotonic imaging parameters associated with long term meditators and naive meditators in older adults practicing meditation

Abstract

IntroductionAnapanasati meditation is one of the techniques, practiced in the initial part of Vipassana in Theravada School of Buddhism. In this method, practitioners focus their entire attention on the incoming and outgoing breath. Study aims to observe effect of Anapanasati meditation and gender related differences on the electrophotonic imaging (EPI) parameters at physiological and psychophysiological level in long-term meditators and naive meditators. MethodsThe study consisted of 309 subjects: 199 long-term and 110 naive meditators. Subjects were divided into two groups, long-term meditators (LTM) practicing for 12 months or longer (mean months of practice 79.22±49.10, daily 1.68±1.02h) and naive meditators (NM) practicing for the first time, for seven days daily for 2.30h. A total 266 subjects were included in the analysis after excluding 43 outliers. Comparisons were between long-term meditators and naive meditators on EPI parameters: Activation Coefficient (AC, stress parameter), Integral Area (IA, general health parameter) and Integral Entropy (IE, disorderliness parameter). ResultComparison between groups yielded-less disorderliness (IE) at the psychophysiological level in NM group. The gender related results showed highly significant improvements in the health related parameter (IA) at the physiological and psychophysiological level in LTM and NM females compared to males. ConclusionThe findings showed larger health related (IA) advantages in LTM and NM group at the physiological and psychophysiological level. Stress (AC) was LTM and NM females compared to males. Moreover, naive meditators also exhibited positive trends on parameters of EPI after seven days practice of meditation which was similar to LTM.