Characterization and detection of meditative states using functional neuroimaging

Abstract

Mindfulness is one of the most effective approach to promote our well-being. It is the state where one has been observing nonjudgmentally and focusing intentionally on one's current experience such as physical sensation. In this paper, for the purpose of supporting meditation practice, we quantied the resting and meditative states using brain activity data measured by functional nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. The difference between the meditation novices and experts has been revealed by our proposed method.