Unlocking deep relaxation: the power of rhythmic breathing on brain rhythms
Abstract The pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues across the world. The limited availability of mental health professionals is preventing many from seeking help, which highlights the need for easily available mental health care routines like yoga, breathing, and meditation. A breath-based m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | npj Mental Health Research |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-025-00156-4 |
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| author | Vaibhav Tripathi Lakshmi Bhaskar Chhaya Kharya Manvir Bhatia Vinod Kochupillai |
| author_facet | Vaibhav Tripathi Lakshmi Bhaskar Chhaya Kharya Manvir Bhatia Vinod Kochupillai |
| author_sort | Vaibhav Tripathi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues across the world. The limited availability of mental health professionals is preventing many from seeking help, which highlights the need for easily available mental health care routines like yoga, breathing, and meditation. A breath-based meditation technique known as Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) harnesses the power of breath to induce deep relaxation and makes meditation easier for beginners and has proven beneficial across multiple conditions, including depression, anxiety, and hypertension. The exact EEG dynamics happening during the practice are not well understood. We collected EEG data from 43 subjects undergoing SKY and analyzed their brain rhythms before, after, and during various stages of the technique, and found that rhythmic breathing accentuates theta rhythms (d = 0.63) which allows for an easier transition to a relaxed meditative state predominant with delta-theta rhythms, reduced alpha power (d = 1.70) and aperiodic signals (d = 2.04). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-73025c9e848c413c95618fa7950d5d73 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2731-4251 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Mental Health Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-73025c9e848c413c95618fa7950d5d732025-08-24T11:57:56ZengNature Portfolionpj Mental Health Research2731-42512025-08-014111010.1038/s44184-025-00156-4Unlocking deep relaxation: the power of rhythmic breathing on brain rhythmsVaibhav Tripathi0Lakshmi Bhaskar1Chhaya Kharya2Manvir Bhatia3Vinod Kochupillai4Department of Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Indian Institute of TechnologySri Sri Institute of Advanced ResearchSri Sri Institute of Advanced ResearchDepartment of Sleep Medicine, Fortis Escort Heart InstituteDepartment of Sleep Medicine, Fortis Escort Heart InstituteAbstract The pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues across the world. The limited availability of mental health professionals is preventing many from seeking help, which highlights the need for easily available mental health care routines like yoga, breathing, and meditation. A breath-based meditation technique known as Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) harnesses the power of breath to induce deep relaxation and makes meditation easier for beginners and has proven beneficial across multiple conditions, including depression, anxiety, and hypertension. The exact EEG dynamics happening during the practice are not well understood. We collected EEG data from 43 subjects undergoing SKY and analyzed their brain rhythms before, after, and during various stages of the technique, and found that rhythmic breathing accentuates theta rhythms (d = 0.63) which allows for an easier transition to a relaxed meditative state predominant with delta-theta rhythms, reduced alpha power (d = 1.70) and aperiodic signals (d = 2.04).https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-025-00156-4 |
| spellingShingle | Vaibhav Tripathi Lakshmi Bhaskar Chhaya Kharya Manvir Bhatia Vinod Kochupillai Unlocking deep relaxation: the power of rhythmic breathing on brain rhythms npj Mental Health Research |
| title | Unlocking deep relaxation: the power of rhythmic breathing on brain rhythms |
| title_full | Unlocking deep relaxation: the power of rhythmic breathing on brain rhythms |
| title_fullStr | Unlocking deep relaxation: the power of rhythmic breathing on brain rhythms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unlocking deep relaxation: the power of rhythmic breathing on brain rhythms |
| title_short | Unlocking deep relaxation: the power of rhythmic breathing on brain rhythms |
| title_sort | unlocking deep relaxation the power of rhythmic breathing on brain rhythms |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-025-00156-4 |
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