Three case reports of the metabolic and electroencephalographic changes during advanced Buddhist meditation techniques.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Case series of three individuals
PubMed 2194593 · doi:10.1080/08964289.1990.9934596
What was done
Researchers measured resting oxygen consumption (VO2) and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in three Tibetan Buddhist monks living in the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim, India, during several advanced meditative practices in February 1988.
What was found
Resting metabolism (VO2) was both raised by up to 61% and lowered by down to 64% depending on the specific practice. EEG showed marked hemispheric asymmetry in alpha and beta activity, as well as increased beta activity.
Why it matters
This report indicates that specific meditative practices can drive substantial physiological modulation in opposing directions, including unusually large reductions in resting metabolic rate.
Limits
The sample is extremely small (n = 3) and restricted to monks from a single monastery. As an uncontrolled case series, it lacks a comparison group, and the abstract provides no specific protocol details, durations, or individual data breakdowns.
Cited by
- supports Expert meditators can enter a deep meditative state where their energy expenditure decreases by 40%.