The effect of movement-focused and breath-focused yoga practice on stress parameters and sustained attention: A randomized controlled pilot study

Schmalzl, Laura; Powers, Chivon; Zanesco, Anthony P.; Yetz, Neil; Groessl, Erik J.; Saron, Clifford D.

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2018.07.012

Cited by 36 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…As might be expected, greater performance improvements were observed during the first half of the 3-month-long retreat than during the second half [33,28*], a pattern that mirrors alterations in state-related brain oscillatory activity when these same participants engage in focused attention meditation [34]. Because similar improvements have not been observed when these same attentional tasks are used in non-intensive interventions [39,40] Retreats may also prove useful for understanding the effects of concentrated practice on biological markers of stress and health [41][42][43][44]. In a recent study of a month-long Insight retreat, we observed increases in immune cell telomere length-an important marker of cell aging-after only three weeks of intensive training [27*].…”

Section: Structure and Function Of Residential Retreatsmentioning

confidence: 83%

Residential meditation retreats: their role in contemplative practice and significance for psychological research

King

Conklin

Zanesco

et al. 2019

Current Opinion in Psychology

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Contemporary investigations of mindfulness and meditation have predominately emphasized the short-term effects of brief inductions or standardized, multi-week interventions in people with little to no prior meditation experience. Considerably less is known about the effects of continued or intensive meditation practice as proficiency and expertise are acquired over time. In this article, we describe the form and function of residential retreats, an understudied class of meditation intervention that holds promise for bridging this gap in the empirical literature. We outline a number of design features that distinguish retreats from other meditation-based interventions, and highlight their utility for informing functional and developmental perspectives on meditation, cognition, health, and well-being.

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Section: Structure and Function Of Residential Retreatsmentioning

confidence: 83%

Residential meditation retreats: their role in contemplative practice and significance for psychological research

King

Conklin

Zanesco

et al. 2019

Current Opinion in Psychology

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show abstract

“…Kerr et al (2013) proposed that body-focused attention can enhance attentional processing and attentional control by altering brain frequencies within the 7–14 Hz alpha rhythm that is believed to play a crucial role in regulating signal-to-noise ratio for sensory cortices and throughout the cortex (Kerr et al, 2011). This frequency allows interoceptive information to be more efficiently filtered and prioritized throughout the brain (Schmalzl et al, 2018). Increased access to interoceptive information may provide a richer set of data from which to investigate the relationship between habitual response, interoceptive sensations, and cognitive experiences (Farb et al, 2015).…”

Section: How Mindfulness Modulates the Insulamentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness, Interoception, and the Body: A Contemporary Perspective

2019

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Mindfulness is often used as an umbrella term to characterize a large number of practices, processes, and characteristics. Critics argue that this broad definition has led to misinformation, misunderstanding, and a general lack of methodologically rigorous research. Some of the confusion surrounding mindfulness is also believed to stem from an undifferentiated use of the term mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness and all other forms of meditation have been shown to modulate the insula, which is the primary hub for interoception. Some have argued that interoception is foundational to mindfulness and may be the primary mechanism by which one benefits from the practice. However, much like the mindfulness literature, interoception remains broadly defined often without precision and with domain-specific meanings and implications. Research demonstrates that the insula and surrounding neural circuits are believed to be responsible for a number of other functions beyond interoception including attention, awareness, and all subjective experiences, much of which has been linked to the mindfulness literature. It has been assumed that mindfulness produces these neuroplasticity and functional effects. There is evidence that mindfulness and some of its benefits may be better described as increased interoception as a result of the neuroplasticity changes in the insula, and the development of the insula and surrounding neural circuits may cultivate dispositional mindfulness. The purposes of this article are to (1) highlight that it may be more accurate to link many of the identified benefits in the mindfulness literature to interoception and its neurological correlates and (2) propose attentional style as a means to clarify some of the confusion surrounding mindfulness, interoception, and meditation. Different meditations require different attentional styles. Attention can be analogous to a focal point with each focal point providing a unique perspective. Given that all meditative techniques modulate the insula, each meditation can provide a unique perspective from which to investigate complex interoceptive signals that may be unavailable from other meditative traditions. It may prove more useful to anchor scientific findings in the concrete body as a means to investigate those rather than a set of abstract, broadly defined meditative techniques.

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“…As might be expected, greater performance improvements were observed during the first half of the 3-month-long retreat than during the second half [33,28*], a pattern that mirrors alterations in state-related brain oscillatory activity when these same participants engage in focused attention meditation [34]. Because similar improvements have not been observed when these same attentional tasks are used in non-intensive interventions [39,40], the available evidence suggests that a relatively high dose (or concentration) of practice may be needed to obtain reliable changes in sustained attention, but that rates of improvement may then temper as meditation experience is accrued. More work, including multi-assessment longitudinal designs, is needed to determine whether other cognitive outcomes also show non-linear patterns of change across retreat.…”

Section: Empirical Studies Of Intensive Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Residential Meditation Retreats: Their Role in Contemplative Practice and Significance for Psychological Research

King¹,

Conklin²,

Zanesco³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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The effect of movement-focused and breath-focused yoga practice on stress parameters and sustained attention: A randomized controlled pilot study

Cited by 36 publications

References 63 publications

Residential meditation retreats: their role in contemplative practice and significance for psychological research

Residential meditation retreats: their role in contemplative practice and significance for psychological research

Mindfulness, Interoception, and the Body: A Contemporary Perspective

Residential Meditation Retreats: Their Role in Contemplative Practice and Significance for Psychological Research

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