What Do Meditators Do When They Meditate? Proposing a Novel Basis for Future Meditation Research

Matko, Karin; Ott, U.

doi:10.31234/osf.io/3xhk8

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(110 reference statements)

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“…Alternatively, they could examine the effects of diverse meditation techniques in this context. Current research has revealed a multiplicity of meditation techniques (Matko and Sedlmeier, 2019 ; Matko et al, 2021b ), most of which are under researched at present. Furthermore, yoga incorporates a collection of diverse breathing techniques that can have quite different, sometimes even opposing effects on practitioners (Raghuraj et al, 1998 ; Peng et al, 2004 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Effects of Ethical Education, Physical Hatha Yoga, and Mantra Meditation on Well-Being and Stress in Healthy Participants—An Experimental Single-Case Study

Matko

Bringmann

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Traditionally, yoga is a multicomponent practice consisting of postures, breathing techniques, meditation, mantras, and ethics. To date, only a few studies have tried to dismantle the effects of each of these components and their combinations. To fill this gap, we examined the incremental effects of ethical education and physical Hatha yoga on mantra meditation using a single-case multiple-baseline design. This study was part of a project evaluating the new mind–body program Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification. Fifty-seven healthy participants with no regular yoga or meditation practice were randomly assigned to three baselines (7, 14, and 21 days) and four conditions using a random number generator. The conditions were mantra meditation alone (MA), meditation plus physical yoga (MY), meditation plus ethical education (ME), and meditation plus yoga and ethical education (MYE). All the interventions lasted for 8 weeks and were run consecutively according to baseline length. During the baseline and treatment phases, participants received daily questionnaires measuring their well-being (WHO-5 Well-Being Index), stress (Perceived Stress Scale), and subjective experiences. Forty-two participants completed the treatment and were entered in the analyses. We analyzed our data using visual inspection, effect size estimation (Tau-U), and multilevel modeling. Almost all participants showed a longitudinal increase in well-being. Regarding between-group differences, participants who received ethical education exhibited the largest increases in well-being (Tau-U = 0.30/0.23 for ME/MYE), followed by participants in the MY condition (Tau-U = 0.12). Conversely, participants in the MA condition showed no change (Tau-U = 0.07). There was a tendency for the combined treatments to decrease stress. This tendency was strongest in the MY condition (Tau-U = –0.40) and reversed in the MA condition (Tau-U = 0.17). These results emphasize the incremental and differential effects of practicing meditation in combination with other practices from the eight-fold yoga path. This approach is valuable for better understanding the multifaceted practice of yoga.Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT04252976.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Effects of Ethical Education, Physical Hatha Yoga, and Mantra Meditation on Well-Being and Stress in Healthy Participants—An Experimental Single-Case Study

Matko

Bringmann

2021

Front. Psychol.

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“…Still, more research is necessary to understand thoroughly how each component contributes to the efficacy of combined treatments. Additionally, current research has demonstrated that Hindu and Buddhist meditators show very distinct preferences for specific meditation techniques (Matko et al, 2020). These differences between traditions might ultimately influence the outcomes of both related interventions and might account for the observed differences reviewed above.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

The effects of different components of yoga: A review of comparative studies and meta-analyses

Matko¹,

Bringmann²

2021

Preprint

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Traditional yoga encompasses a variety of practices, such as physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation practices, and ethical teachings. Numerous studies and meta-analyses have demonstrated yoga’s efficacy in promoting mental and physical health. Conversely, little is known about how the diverse components of yoga contribute to its overall effect. In this review, we summarize the current evidence on the differential and incremental effects of yoga components. We evaluated 18 comparative studies and 16 meta-analyses that conducted relevant subgroup analyses. These studies and meta-analyses examined a multitude of variables and varied greatly with regard to population, study design, and yoga components under investigation. Some meta-analyses included other mind–body interventions, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Nonetheless, combined interventions incorporating multiple components consistently outperformed simpler interventions. Adding breathing and/or meditation practices to yoga interventions proved particularly beneficial in this regard. However, specific components or combinations were more effective in enhancing certain variables or clinical conditions, suggesting a need for custom-tailored programs. Similarly complex mind–body interventions, such as yoga and MBSR, were often equally efficient. Still, most findings remain preliminary and more research is needed. The ethical component of yoga is particularly underresearched. Future studies should isolate and compare all of yoga’s components and evaluate additive effects by investigating different combinations of components. We encourage researchers to refer to theoretical frameworks, use rigorous methodology, and take into account individual factors.

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“…This is usually cultivated through focused meditation, in which a particular object (e.g. the breath) is chosen as the target of attention (Matko et al, 2021;Matko & Sedlmeier, 2019). The practice of mindfulness has become popular in western cultures in the last years due to its putative health benefits (Kabat-Zinn, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the effects of an 8-week mindfulness training program on neural oscillations and self-reports during meditation practice

Rodriguez-Larios,

Wong,

Lim

2024

Preprint

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Previous literature suggests that mindfulness meditation can have positive effects on mental health, however, its mechanisms of action are still unclear. In this pre-registered study, we investigate the effects of mindfulness training on lapses of attention (and their associated neural correlates) during meditation practice. For this purpose, we recorded Electroencephalogram (EEG) during meditation practice before and after 8 weeks of mindfulness training (or waitlist) in 41 participants (21 treatment and 20 controls). In order to detect lapses of attention and characterize their EEG correlates, we interrupted participants during meditation to report their level of focus and drowsiness. First, we show that self-reported lapses of attention during meditation practice were associated to an increased occurrence of theta oscillations (3-6 Hz), which were slower in frequency and more spatially widespread than theta oscillations occurring during focused attention states. Then, we show that mindfulness training did not reduce the occurrence of lapses of attention nor their associated EEG correlate (i.e. theta oscillations) during meditation. Instead, we find that mindfulness training was associated with a significant slowing of alpha oscillations in frontal electrodes during meditation. Crucially, frontal alpha slowing during meditation practice has been reported in highly experienced meditators and is thought to reflect relative decreases in arousal levels. Together, our findings provide insights into the EEG correlates of mindfulness meditation, which could have important implications for the identification of its mechanisms of action and/or the development of neuromodulation protocols aimed at facilitating meditation practice.

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What Do Meditators Do When They Meditate? Proposing a Novel Basis for Future Meditation Research

Cited by 3 publications

References 69 publications

Differential Effects of Ethical Education, Physical Hatha Yoga, and Mantra Meditation on Well-Being and Stress in Healthy Participants—An Experimental Single-Case Study

Differential Effects of Ethical Education, Physical Hatha Yoga, and Mantra Meditation on Well-Being and Stress in Healthy Participants—An Experimental Single-Case Study

The effects of different components of yoga: A review of comparative studies and meta-analyses

Assessing the effects of an 8-week mindfulness training program on neural oscillations and self-reports during meditation practice

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