The change within:

sustainable effects of
Meditation on health

Katya Rubia
k.rubia@iop.kcl.ac.uk
 What is Meditation?
! Meditation is a hypometabolic state that elicits physical & mental
calm through the reduction/elimination of thoughts.
Thoughtless Awareness = state of higher (“pure”) consciousness
(Nirvichara Samadhi; 4th state of consciousness)

Subjective Effects Benefits

" Relaxation of body & mind => Stress relief

" Pure consciousness, att. focus/ => Concentration,

alertness/perceptual clarity reduced background
mental noise
" Positive emotions
" Feelings of serenity, joy, bliss => Mood stability
" Emotional detachment => Emotional resilience
" Feelings of compassion => Social consciousness
 Objective effects of Meditation

Neurobiological correlates of the “state” of Meditation

Evidence for long-term sustainable “trait” effects

Clinical application: effects of Meditation on illness

 What are the
neurobiological correlates of the
state of Meditation?
 Neurobiology of Meditation State
Physiology
! Increased parasympathetic, reduced sympathetic activity
! Changes in physiological parameters that indicate stress relief
! Decreased heart, respiratory, pulse rates, blood pressure, oxygen metabol.
! Reduced cortisol (stress), noradrenaline (arousal)
! Increase in immune response

Subjective: Feelings of deep calmness & relaxation

Neurophysiology

! Activation of fronto-parietal neuronetworks of internalised attention

Subjective: thought elimination, attentional focus, altered consciousness

! Activation of the fronto-limbic emotional neuronetworks

! Increased activation in limbic brain regions & left frontal lobe
! Release of neurochemicals that enhance positive emotions
(beta-endorphines, dopamine, melatonin and serotonin).

Subjective: feelings of joy, feeling of benevolence/compassion

 EEG correlates of thoughtless awareness

Connectivity
Sahaja Yoga

N = 27
Happiness Thoughts

Chaotic
Complexity

1) Enhanced theta activity and coherence over fronto-parietal ( internalised attention)

& left frontal regions (positive emotions). Enhanced alpha ( externalised attention)
2) Reduced overall complexity (less chaos)

Aftanas & Golocheikine, 2001, 2002, 2003

 Modern neuroimaging studies
PET fMRI SPECT
Yoga Nidra Kundalini Yoga Buddhist Mantra Meditation
Abstract sense of joy Concentration on breath/mantra Concentration on mantra

Left frontal,
temporal lobe
hippocampus
N=9
Prefrontal, limbic, anterior cingulate,
basal ganglia
N=5

Lou et al., 1999

Lazar et al., 2000
Zen Buddhism
Thalamus
Concentration on breath
R frontal
basal ganglia
N = 11 Newberg et al., 2001

N = 11
Ritzkes et al., 2003
 Neurochemical changes
Increase in Dopamine release (~ 65%) in
Increase in Beta-endorphin levels in blood
limbic area (ventral striatum)
Sahaja Yoga Yoga Nidra Theta

*
200

150

100

Dopamine increase (~65%) correlated with

50
meditation-induced EEG changes
Rest
0 Meditation
Males Females Kjaer et al., 2003

N = 20, 14-60 years. Mishra et al. 2000 Hatha Yoga

! Increase in Melatonin => sleep, pos emotions, immune s.

! Increase in Serotonin => positive emotions
! Decrease in Cortisol => Stress
! Decrease in Noradrenaline (arousal)

Harinath et al., 2000

 Conclusions on neurobiological effects

Meditation techniques differ, but the most

consistent findings are

! Activation of fronto-parietal neural networks related to

sustained internalised attention

! Activation of limbic and left frontal brain areas in

relation to positive emotions

! Biochemical changes suggestive of positive affect

 What are the sustainable
long-term trait effects?
Do the state changes become trait changes
with long-term practice?
 Long-term effects on personality
CONTROLS
MEDITATORS Sahaja Yoga
Trait anxiety Difficulties in Diff. in emotion
Depression Neuroticism Psychoticism identifying feelings expression
10 45 20 18
10 6
8 42 18 16
8 5
6 39 16 14
6 4
4 4.8 36 41.7
41.7 14 12
4 8.0 3
2 7.8 4.8 35.1
35.1
2 2 3.2 33 12 10
0 30 10 8
0 1
Aftanas & Golocheikine, 2005

Long-term effects on cognition

! Perceptual processing (acuity)
! Sustained attention
! Motor & cognitive inhibitory control
! Faster executive functions

Long-term effects on physiology

! Reduced activation of autonomic system
! Reduced endocrine response (cortisol)
! Enhanced immune response
! Enhanced melatonin & serotonin
 Long-term effects on brain structure

Greater cortical thickness in Meditators compared to Non-Meditators

Buddhist insight
Meditation: cultivation
N = 35 of mindful attention to
present moment
20 Meditators Right prefrontal cortex
15 Controls (sustained attention)

Insula
(interoceptive perception)

Meditation slows age-related thinning of prefrontal lobe =>

Meditation-dependent cortical plasticity.

Lazar et al., NeuroReport, 2005

 Long-term effects on rest brain function
Baseline EEG: Sahaja Yoga

27 Meditators vs
controls
during rest

theta & alpha No hemispheric

! enhanced asymmetry over
internalised/ parietal regions
decreased externalised (L > R)
attention

Aftanas & Golocheikine 2005

 Long-term effects on emotional reactivity
Movie clip ‘Stress’ Sahaja Yoga

Subjective scores of discrete emotion

elicited by movie clip
Emotions:
I – disgust,
II – happy,
III – sadness,
IV – anger,
V – fear,
VI – anxiety,
VII – surprise,
VIII – joy,
IX – contempt.
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX

EEG concomitants of stress (Power difference map) Autonomic concomitants of stress

(Skin potential level reaction difference)
Gamma (30-45!")
#lnP
+0.04 1.2

0.9
0.6
0.3

-0.04 0
controls meditators

Rest Stress
Aftanas & Golocheikine 2005
 Long-term effects on general health
Survey in 350 Sahaja Yoga Meditators in Australia Sahaja Yoga

Norm Meditators

90 * * * *
80
70 10
60
8
50
40 6
30 4 *
20
10 2 *
0 0
General Social F Mental H Physical H
Health High distress very high distress

1) Meditators score higher on Australian 2) Meditators score lower on measures

General Health survey. of morbidity (Psychological Distress).

3) Frequency & depth of thoughtless awareness correlated with scores

Manocha et al., 2007

 Conclusions on long-term effects

Meditation appears to have long-term effects on

! Personality

! Cognitive functions

! Brain structure & function

! Biochemistry

! General & mental health

 What is the clinical
application of Meditation?

# Neuropsychiatric disorders
 Depression

# In 2020 depression is estimated to be the 2nd leading cause of disability

worldwide (WHO).

# 90% of patients with remittent depression have somatic symptoms. 75%

of these relapse after treatment.

# Suicide = 3rd leading cause for death worldwide.

# Teenage depression is escalating. Medication problematic in teenagers.

# Why Meditation?
• Decreases anxiety & stress-related physiol. measures
– decreases cortisol levels (stress)

• Stabilisation of mood (enhances networks of positive emotions and

“happy” neurochemicals (beta-endorphines, DA & SE))

• thought reduction counteracts rumination.

 Depression
# Study design: 24 patients with depression, 27-53 yrs.
# 3 groups: Sahaja Yoga Meditation, CBT, Control. 6 weeks.
Sahaja Yoga

14
12
10
8
* pre
8
7
6
post 6
4
pre
2
0
5
4
*
Controls CBT Meditation
3 post
Anxiety (HAM-D) 2
1
25
0
20 Controls CBT Meditation
pre
15
Depression
10 post

5
*
0
Controls CBT Meditation

General Mental Health Morgan et al. 2000

 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD)

# ADHD is a disorder of inattention, impulsivity, and

hyperactivity: poor self-control & poor attention focus

# Stimulant treatment of ADHD: unknown effects on

developing brain, side-effects

# Why Meditation?
• inner calm & relaxation ($hyperactivity)
• self-control ($ impulsivity)
• focussed internalised attention ($ inattention).
• enhances fronto-parietal brain regions that are under-functioning
in ADHD
 Effects on ADHD behaviour
# Study design: 26 children Sahaja Yoga
with ADHD, 4-12 yrs, twice
weekly Meditation with
parents for 6 weeks.
22.5 22.6
25
25
20 ** 20
14.5 14.7

15 pre
pre 15
post post
10
* *
10

5 5

0 0
ADHD symptoms Self-esteem Parent-child Unmedicated Medicated
relationship

Stopped
16%

Reduced
40%
Medication
Same
45%

Harrison, Manocha, Rubia, 2004

 Epilepsy Asthma
Sahaja Yoga

! Sahaja Yoga and sham intervention on ! 30 Patients with Asthma (Sahaja

patients with epilepsy for 6 months Yoga) compared to 25
control patients (relaxation)
! Seizure reduction: 65% after 3months
86% after 6 months

! Reduction of stress-related physiological ! Reduction of severity of asthma

changes (skin resistance, blood (air-way hyper-reactivity)
lactate, urinary mandelic acid)

! Overall increase in EEG frequency ! Increase of subjective ratings of

asthma-related quality of life
! Improvement of visual acuity and
corresponding EEG activity

Panjwani et al., 1995, 1996, 2000 Manocha et al., 2000

Gupta et al., 1997 Chugh et al., 1997
 Overview on clinical effects
Meditation has shown positive effects on a range of disorders

# Depression & Anxiety (Sahaja Yoga, Mindful Meditation)

# Obsessive-compulsive disorder (Kundalini Yoga)

# ADHD (Sahaja Yoga)

# Epilepsy (Sahaja Yoga)

# Asthma (Sahaja Yoga, Pranayama)

# Menopause & PMS (Sahaja Yoga, Relaxation response)

# Drug abuse (Sahaja Yoga, Hatha Yoga)

# Occupational stress (Sahaja Yoga)

# Migraine
 Overall conclusions
• Meditation has short- & long-term effects on general
& mental health, on personality and on cognition &
affect.

• These changes appear to be mediated by measurable

long-term plastic changes in underlying body &
brain physiology & neurochemistry.

• Preliminary clinical applications show a positive

effect of Meditation on a wide range of disorders

• Meditation has potential to play a prominent role in

achieving sustainable global health.