Breath Suspension During the Transcendental Meditation Technique
Psychosomatic Medicine May 1, 1982 John T. Farrow, Russell Hebert 95 citations
In four experiments, people practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique showed frequent and long breath suspension episodes, while control subjects relaxing with eyes closed did not. The design ruled out voluntary breath control. Many meditators reported a quiescent mental state with awareness but no thought; button presses marking this experience correlated strongly with breath suspension episodes, indicating a physiological link. In one advanced meditator, these experiences also involved reduced heart rate, high and stable skin resistance, lower respiration and metabolic rates, and consistent changes in EEG power and coherence, suggesting long-range neural order.