Mindful Dynamics: Two Meditation Styles Drive Distinct Brain States in Expert Monks
A magnetoencephalography study of twelve highly trained Buddhist monks comparing Samatha (focused attention) and Vipassana (open monitoring) shows meditation reshapes brain dynamics beyond simple gamma increases: after removing non-rhythmic background noise, rhythmic gamma activity declines during both styles and brain signals become more complex and less tied to recent activity. Vipassana nudges the brain toward a critical state and flexible awareness, while Samatha remains more ordered. Hours of practice may align meditative states with resting patterns; a machine-learning classifier could distinguish meditating from resting states. Limitations include small sample size and no control group.