Changes in biofield measures and experienced states during meditation and breathwork practices: an uncontrolled feasibility study

Background: The human body radiates multiple biological fields which can be measured with sensors directly on or off the body. These electromagnetic fields are hypothesized to be altered by mind and body practices. The primary goal of the current study was to evaluate the feasibility of continuous multi-sensor monitoring during meditation and breathwork practices. It also explored methods to investigate whether simultaneous biological field measures correlate as parts of a dynamic system of biofields responsive to changes in states of consciousness. Methods: Twenty-three adults were recruited to participate. The intervention consisted of a guided loving kindness meditation followed by a guided breathwork exercise while equipped with multiple biofield sensors to measure heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), skin conductance (SCR), alpha waves with electroencephalography (EEG), infrared radiation (IR), and ultraweak photon emission (UPE). Participants completed self-report measures of emotional affect and states of consciousness. Aggregate and individual differences in participants' responses to the meditation and breathwork were assessed. Exploratory analyses of within-subject correlations between biofields were also conducted. Results: The study procedure was feasible with 100% recruitment and retention and the intervention was acceptable to participants. Meditation significantly increased IR of the nose (p = 0.003). Breathwork significantly increased HR (p = 0.002) and decreased IR of the nose (p < 0.001), and left hand UPE showed a near-significant decreasing trend (p = 0.057). Biofield measures changed as expected for some participants. Post-meditation, participants reported lower arousal and increased control, boundarylessness, and non-duality. Post-breathwork, participants reported increased arousal and decreased boundarylessness, connectedness, and non-duality. There were strong correlations (r > 0.5) between UPE from both hands and moderate correlations (r > 0.4) between IR nose temperature and left hand UPE. Conclusion: The current study demonstrated the feasibility of simultaneous measurement using multiple on- and off-body biological field sensors. Meditation and breathwork produced nearly opposite effects on self-report and biofield measures. Preliminary analysis indicated intra-subject correlations between different biofield measures. Future work with a larger sample size and appropriate control groups is required to draw conclusions about the systemic nature of biofield measures and their relationship with states of consciousness.