Epigenomic Impacts of Meditative Practices

Abstract

Meditative practices (MPs) are an inherent lifestyle and healing practice employed in Eastern medicine and spirituality. Integrating MPs into world mainstream medicine (WMM) requires effective empirical investigation of psychophysiological impacts. Epigenomic regulation is a probable mechanism of action that is empirically assessable. Recently, WMM-styled studies have screened the epigenomic impacts of MPs with early encouraging results. This article discusses the variety of MPs extant across three major Eastern religio–spiritual–healing traditions and their integration into WMM via the lens of epigenomic modulation. MPs unanimously report positive impacts on stress-reduction pathways, known to be epigenomically sensitive. Early high-resolution assays show MPs are potent in altering the epigenome – dynamically and by inducing long-term changes. This suggests the importance of integrating MPs into WMM.

Tweetable abstract

Meditation (M) impacts epigenomics of stress response & inflammation. Mindfulness-based M are now accessible in mainstream medicine, but heartfulness-based M (Islamic) isn’t yet, though its easiest to implement.

Keywords::

• dhikr
• epigenetic
• heartfulness
• MBSR
• meditation
• mindfulness
• qigong
• Quran recitation
• tai-chi
• yoga
• Zen-vipassana

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/epi-2022-0306

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The author serves gratis as president and founder of the not-for-profit Irfa’a Foundation, a social service organization. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.