How static and kinetic meditation, with or without guidance, affect autonomic nervous system activity in novice meditators
ObjectiveThis study explored the autonomic nervous system responses and perceived experiences of novice meditators during kinetic and static meditation.MethodsThirty-five participants completed both meditation types in randomized order. Each 20-min session included 10 min of guided and 10 min of ung...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1572499/full |
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| author | Jinwoo Han Jinwoo Han Myungji Lee Teri Kim |
| author_facet | Jinwoo Han Jinwoo Han Myungji Lee Teri Kim |
| author_sort | Jinwoo Han |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectiveThis study explored the autonomic nervous system responses and perceived experiences of novice meditators during kinetic and static meditation.MethodsThirty-five participants completed both meditation types in randomized order. Each 20-min session included 10 min of guided and 10 min of unguided meditation. Heart rate (HR) and Heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded using the Polar H10 and EliteHRV apps. A visual analog scale (VAS) assessed focused attention, peace and calm, and drowsiness.ResultsFocused attention was significantly higher in kinetic meditation than in static meditation and was also higher during guided sessions. Static meditation induced greater drowsiness than kinetic meditation, especially in the unguided condition. All meditation conditions increased HR compared to rest, with guided meditation showing a higher HR than unguided meditation. HRV indices reflected increased sympathetic activity during guided meditation sessions, likely due to cognitive effort in maintaining attention and processing instructions.ConclusionFor meditation-naïve individuals, movement-based meditation with clear guidance may serve as a more accessible entry point. Kinetic meditation appears to facilitate attentional engagement while mitigating drowsiness, and may remain manageable even when self-administered without guidance. These findings provide an empirical basis for optimizing meditation intervention design, particularly for novice practitioners who may initially perceive meditation as inaccessible or impractical. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b7cd1c620bfb4e18b357bbc92eee8324 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-b7cd1c620bfb4e18b357bbc92eee83242025-08-20T03:37:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-08-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15724991572499How static and kinetic meditation, with or without guidance, affect autonomic nervous system activity in novice meditatorsJinwoo Han0Jinwoo Han1Myungji Lee2Teri Kim3Department of Arts Therapy, Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan, Republic of KoreaArts Therapy Center, Daegu Catholic University, Daegu, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Physical Education, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of KoreaDivision of Health and Sport Science, Dongguk University-WISE, Gyeongju, Republic of KoreaObjectiveThis study explored the autonomic nervous system responses and perceived experiences of novice meditators during kinetic and static meditation.MethodsThirty-five participants completed both meditation types in randomized order. Each 20-min session included 10 min of guided and 10 min of unguided meditation. Heart rate (HR) and Heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded using the Polar H10 and EliteHRV apps. A visual analog scale (VAS) assessed focused attention, peace and calm, and drowsiness.ResultsFocused attention was significantly higher in kinetic meditation than in static meditation and was also higher during guided sessions. Static meditation induced greater drowsiness than kinetic meditation, especially in the unguided condition. All meditation conditions increased HR compared to rest, with guided meditation showing a higher HR than unguided meditation. HRV indices reflected increased sympathetic activity during guided meditation sessions, likely due to cognitive effort in maintaining attention and processing instructions.ConclusionFor meditation-naïve individuals, movement-based meditation with clear guidance may serve as a more accessible entry point. Kinetic meditation appears to facilitate attentional engagement while mitigating drowsiness, and may remain manageable even when self-administered without guidance. These findings provide an empirical basis for optimizing meditation intervention design, particularly for novice practitioners who may initially perceive meditation as inaccessible or impractical.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1572499/fullstatic meditationkinetic meditationheart rate variabilityautonomic nervous systemsympathetic nervous system |
| spellingShingle | Jinwoo Han Jinwoo Han Myungji Lee Teri Kim How static and kinetic meditation, with or without guidance, affect autonomic nervous system activity in novice meditators Frontiers in Psychology static meditation kinetic meditation heart rate variability autonomic nervous system sympathetic nervous system |
| title | How static and kinetic meditation, with or without guidance, affect autonomic nervous system activity in novice meditators |
| title_full | How static and kinetic meditation, with or without guidance, affect autonomic nervous system activity in novice meditators |
| title_fullStr | How static and kinetic meditation, with or without guidance, affect autonomic nervous system activity in novice meditators |
| title_full_unstemmed | How static and kinetic meditation, with or without guidance, affect autonomic nervous system activity in novice meditators |
| title_short | How static and kinetic meditation, with or without guidance, affect autonomic nervous system activity in novice meditators |
| title_sort | how static and kinetic meditation with or without guidance affect autonomic nervous system activity in novice meditators |
| topic | static meditation kinetic meditation heart rate variability autonomic nervous system sympathetic nervous system |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1572499/full |
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