Description
Chandran V. Bermudez ML, Koka M, Chandran B, Pawale D, Vishnubhotla R, Alankar S, Maturi R, Subramaniam B, Sadhasivam S. Large-scale genomic study reveals robust activation of the immune system following advanced Inner Engineering meditation retreat. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Dec 21;118(51):e2110455118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2110455118. PMID: 34907015; PMCID: PMC8713789.
Type of Study: This study analyzed the effect of an advanced meditation retreat on networks of genes in order to identify a meditation-specific change in core cellular systems of the body. Meditation and yoga are becoming more and more popular, and a recent health survey found that 14% of adults in the U.S. practice either meditation or yoga. Many studies have found health benefits for these practitioners that include stress reduction, and decreases in fatigue, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. However, the biological changes that occur with the practice yoga or meditation are not well understood, largely because the outcomes, such as a decrease in anxiety, are self-reports which are subjective and prone to bias. A few studies have shown changes in gene expression with meditation, but these studies tend to handpick nonspecific genes to analyze that are involved in very basic cellular pathways. Therefore, the current study performed a very complex genomic analysis on participants participating in an intensive eight-day Samyama meditation retreat (an advanced Inner Engineering program at the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences, McMinnville, TN). This retreat was for advanced practitioners of meditation that required preparatory training that included a strict diet and a sleep/wake cycle 60 days before the progam started. Participants then spent eight days in total silence with more than 10 hours of meditation per day. Networks of genes were analyzed before and after the retreat to identify physiological systems that were modified by meditation.
