Randomized Trial: A Pilot Study Investigating the Effects of Transcendental Meditation and Yoga Through Retinal Microcirculation in Cardiac Rehabilitation.
Journal of clinical medicine January 3, 2025 Adam Saloň, Karin Schmid-Zalaudek, Bianca Steuber et al. 2 citations
A pilot study of cardiac patients after heart surgery compared standard exercise therapy with groups that added 20 minutes of yoga or transcendental meditation twice daily during four weeks of rehabilitation. Retinal microcirculation—measured as central retinal artery equivalent, central retinal vein equivalent, and artery-to-vein ratio from non-mydriatic retinal images—showed no significant differences among the three groups over the course of rehabilitation. The authors conclude that neither yoga nor meditation produced measurable changes in retinal microcirculation in this setting, but suggest the findings provide preliminary information for future research on these underutilized approaches in cardiac rehabilitation.