Tag: MRI

The Meditation Research Institute at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama was created in 2005 to bring together the ancient wisdom of the Himalayan tradition and contemporary science. It aims to present the former in a way that is appealing and comprehensible to all people today.

Presently M.R.I. is progressing under the guidance and leadership of H.H. Swami Veda and Dr. Mohan Swami’s valuable advice and support.

Our Team:

H.H. Swami Veda Bharati
Dr. Dixit, Dr. Prabhu, Mr. Pravin [Research Scholar]
Valuable Advisors: Dr. Shirley Telles, Dr. Arnaud and other eminent doctors and scholars from our AHYMSIN family.
We also get the inputs from various other eminent scholars working in the same field internationally.

Until 2012 our main focus was on:

Community Services like:

1. Biofeedback Testing and Training
2. Research
3. Educations

But now we concentrate on research.

What are Bio-Feedback and Our Research Area:

Biofeedback amplifies the tiny signals produced by the body and brain. By analysing these signals with help of the techniques of modern science, it is possible to correlate the meditation or yoga practice with associated neurophysiologic changes in a body.

Science is a systematic and logical approach to discovering how things in the universe work. Science aims for measurable results through testing and analysis. Science is based on fact, not on opinion or preferences. The process of science is designed to challenge ideas through research. It is not meant to prove theories, but rule out alternative explanations until a likely conclusion is reached.

Yoga is a science that deals with body, breath, mind, soul, ultimately the universe itself. It is both practical and theoretical. Yoga science does not tell us what to do and what not to do, but teaches us how to be. Yoga science is a science of life that helps us to know the known and unknown parts of life. It helps us to explore the tremendous potential with us and how to use it positively.

We have at present Seven Research projects:

1. Testing and analysing H.H. Swami Veda for every three months: Since from 10th March 2013
   We have already written an article on it in the July Newsletter. Also on the 3rd of December in ‘Kalyana Mitra’ we had a presentation on it. Preparation for a research paper on it is in process.
2. 10th March 2013 Sangha Gathering data analysis of EEG is completed, O2/CO2 analysis still requires refining as the machine itself had some hardware and software interfacing error at that time. Heart Rate Variability data is with Patanjali Yoga Peeth and as per present understanding between M.R.I and Patañjali Yoga Peeth H.R.V. data will be published by Patañjali Yoga Peeth.
3. Cultivating Meditative Voice: During ‘Kalyana Mitra ‘ meeting it has been decided that it can be technically analysed for quality and signal parameters only when the recordings will be with M.R.I. Meeting was attended by the group members associated with this project along with Dr. Prabhu and Pravin from M.R.I.
4. Regular Data Recording on Bio-semi 64 channel, only for those subject recommended by Swami Veda, Swami Ma Radha, Swami Prashant is going on along with analysis. Mostly it is related to 10, 30, 40 days silence meditation.
5. Bibliographic analysis for current research is also underway.
6. Comparative study of various meditation techniques is also underway, but it depends on availability of Subject / volunteer from other traditions.
7. Effects of Meditation using Himalayan Tradition on Neurophysiologic changes are also being researched.

Available Instrumentation and Testing:

1. Bio-Semi 256 Channel EEG recording and analysing system supported by EEGLAB and MATLAB software. Presently, we use on 64 + 8 Channels only.
2. 8 Channel simultaneous data recorder for Bio-Feedback with built in software.
3. iWorks -TA multichannel system for major non-invasion type neurophysiologic measurements.
4. Neuro-trac instrument for E.M.G.
5. Blood pressure, Blood Sugar detector, Hand held E.C.G. Recorder.
6. Myo-Trac – for E.M.G.

Our Achievements:

1. Four papers have been published in international journals.
2. One Ph.D. from France.
3. Recently, Mr. Pravin got the registration for Ph.D and is working on Silence and its Neurophysiologic changes.
4. M.R.I is actively involved in imparting residence teacher training and guests.

Other observations:

Silence meditation does show positive remarkable changes in brain wave, heart rate variability, skin conductance, breathing, blood pressure, body temperature. Recent researches at Harvard School of Medicine shows meditation also have significant changes in gene expressions.

Future Plan:

1. Concentrating on speeding up the projects listed in the seven projects.
2. To publish the papers based on our analysis in international journals and in seminars/conferences.
3. Establishing co-operation with like-minded organizations for mutual benefit.
4. Designing our own protocols and experiments with our instruments.
5. Special test on Swami Veda as per his direction.
6. Encouraging more volunteers to take part in ongoing silence meditation project.
7. Correlating the cellular level changes with our findings of non invasion type.

Conclusion:

Body without breath has no value, and if we have a body and breath but if there is no thinking, then that human being is also of no use. And if there is a human being who thinks, who breathes and whose body functions, that is also meaningless if he/she does not direct all his energies, mind, action and speech according to the purpose of life. Your breath is like a barometer that registers both your mental conditions and physical conditions.

“Whether yoga is studied as a method for preventing or treating disease, as a way of coping with difficult-to-treat or chronic illnesses, or as a way of altering the energy state of the body, it’s important to remember that yoga is a way of living and not an isolated technique.” – from How Yoga Come to Rescue by Elaine Lipson with contributions by Alison Ashton

“While many doctors and patients demand proof that yoga really can help certain medical conditions, they risk overlooking yoga’s far-reaching benefits. Yoga is a way to get to the source of ourselves. The challenge is not to see yoga as a treatment for disease, but as an opportunity to see something deeper in the self.” – Dr. Elliott S. Dacher

M.R.I. Team

We are currently offering programs in the areas of:

• As alternatives to sitting cross-legged, standing, or lying on the floor, we can also provide a chair, bench or Zen stool.
• Have a light meal before the test.
• Have plenty of rest the night before and/or rest after lunch before coming to test.
• Bring your water bottle if you think you may feel thirsty.
• Use the toilet before start testing, if needed (there is a toilet at the lab).
• Dress comfortably for meditation and bring your shawl if you think you may need it.
• If you are taking the EEG, wash your hair before coming to the test or the day before. Do not put any oil, gel, wax, leave-in conditioner or any other product on your hair.
• Keep your schedule free or very loose immediately before and after testing time.
• Your results will be kept confidential, as only a number is used to identify your files.
• The equipment and electrodes used are extremely safe, clean, and non-invasive.

More Articles

The Meditation Research Institute at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama was created to bring together the ancient wisdom of the Himalayan traditions and contemporary science. It aims to present the former in a way that is appealing and comprehensible to all people today. The main objective is to document the various meditative techniques of these traditions and to test their effectiveness with scientific tools and methods.

We are currently offering programs in the areas of:

• community services
• research
• education

The community services program consists of offering biofeedback training and meditation and relaxation tests to the ashram community and other visitors.

We are currently offering biofeedback training for:

• lowering blood pressure by breathing more slowly
• improving heart rhythm coherence
• improving diaphragmatic breathing
• reducing migraines by raising skin temperature
• managing stress by lowering skin conductance
• reducing muscle tension

We also provide comprehensive diagnostic tests to see the effects of relaxation and meditation on body and mind. The tests can measure the following parameters both before and during meditation:

• electrical activity in the brain – the eeg provides brain wave values (such as alpha, beta and delta waves), which indicate levels of brain activity / relaxation
• skin temperature
• skin conductance of electricity
• muscle activity
• heart rate
• diaphragmatic breathing volume and rate

Regarding research, our main goals are to document the different meditation techniques of the Himalayan traditions as currently taught by Swami Veda Bharati and to better understand meditation by studying different meditation traditions and techniques through advanced neurophysiological technology and methodology, which include a BioSemi 64 + 8 channel EEG device, other psychophysiological sensors, and softwares such as a ProComp Infiniti (Thought Technology), and a sound-reduced, partially electrically-shielded meditation room for the controlled acquisition of the data

Research projects

At present we are testing with the ProComp Infiniti device the EEG, skin temperature, skin conductance, muscle activity, heart rate, and respiration rate and volume of the ashram’s gurukulam students every 3 months as part of a longitudinal study to see their progress in meditation.  We are also testing with the BioSemi device some of Swami Veda’s advanced students before, during, and after their silence annual retreats at Sadhana Mandir Ashram.

We are also part of an international research project started by Dr. Arnaud Delorme, CERCO, Toulouse, France, with the collaboration of Dr. Rael Cahn, Psychiatry Department, University of California, San Diego, USA, and Dr. Delorme’s graduate students to compare attentional and affective states, among other things, of advanced meditators coming from diverse Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Our Meditation Research Institute at Rishikesh is serving as the main site for the acquisition of data.

For that, we are bringing meditators from different Buddhist (Tibetan and Vipassana) and Hindu (Ramakrishna, Isha Foundation) traditions as well as control subjects with no meditation experience. Meditators are exposed to auditory, visual, and skin stimuli while either meditating or engaging in a mindwandering task. Non-meditators or control subjects are exposed to the same stimuli while either engaging in breath awareness or mindwandering. The data is captured with the BioSemi device, measuring EEG, eye movement (EOG), heart electrical activity (ECG), breathing rate and amplitude, and galvanic skin resistance (GSR). The data will be analyzed in France and the USA and comparisons between meditative and non-meditative states of the different techniques and traditions studied and between meditators and non-meditators will be made. Then publications in top journals will follow.

The purpose of this project is to prove that all meditation practices decrease attentional engagement to distracting stimuli and reduce emotional reactivity in different ways. By better delineating the distinct neural correlates to meditative experience, as well as the correlation between brain activity changes and physiologic parameters such as autonomic tone, breathing, and heart activity, the idea is to arrive to a better understanding of the neural basis of consciousness. This might not only have considerable theoretical repercussions on the way we understand attention, but it also may contribute on a practical level to the development of more effective clinical interventions for people with attention disorders or excessive emotional reactivity.

We are currently working on the implementation of a new project on yoga research that will consist of measuring if mitrasana, sukhasana, and shavasana, as taught by Swami Veda, together with heart rate variability biofeedback, have a positive effect in reducing blood pressure and, ultimately, hypertension. Our hypothesis is that a therapeutic training that combines multimodality biofeedback with asana and diaphragmatic breathing, as taught by Swami Veda, may have swifter effects on BP reduction than the same training done without paying attention to position for people who suffer stress-related hypertension. Our objective is to find which of the three yogasanas selected are more effective for correcting hypertension. We will study 60 subjects with hypertension stage 1 recruited in Rishikesh. The study might be funded by the government of India for two years, but as of 31 July 2009 their decision has still not been made.

Education program

It consists of teaching the ashram’s staff and gurukulam students who are or will become yoga teachers about our biofeedback and tests available so they can refer their students, other ashramites, and visitors to our lab when deemed appropriate.