LKM emphasizes empathy more than vipassana, i.e., mindfulness, which emphasizes focused attention on specific objects such as breathing. LKM is a cultivation of the sentiments of love, benevolence, kindness, affection, friendship, and goodwill ( Fredrickson et al., 2008). When practicing LKM, individuals need to train the mind to flow smoothly and naturally while enhancing the quality of awareness ( Anālayo, 2019). LKM training enables individuals to better control their minds and enhance their focus and concentration ( Kabat-Zinn and Hanh, 2009). Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM) is one of the most established Buddhist practices, aiming to generate positive emotions toward oneself and others ( Fredrickson et al., 2008 Hutcherson et al., 2008 Cohn and Fredrickson, 2010). Future research is needed to characterize the nature of the many types of meditation ( Dahl et al., 2015 Lindahl et al., 2017). Moreover, there could be a non-linear trajectory between brain activity and behavioral assessment ( Shaw and Routray, 2016, 2018 Gupta et al., 2018 Britton, 2019). Different methods of EEG data analysis may result in further conclusions on meditation effectiveness. Since different meditation techniques may focus on training different mental characters ( Lumma et al., 2015 Colzato and Kibele, 2017 Bhanushali et al., 2020 Roca et al., 2021). Mindfulness is one of the various meditation traditions. Solid evidence has shown that mindfulness can relieve stress and improve psychological health. After decades of clinical and neuroscientific studies, meditation and mindfulness became popular and gained traction in both scientific and general communities ( Boellinghaus et al., 2013, 2014 Le Nguyen et al., 2019 Agrawal and Sahota, 2022 Don et al., 2022). Psychological wellbeing plays a critically important role in contemporary society, and researchers keep exploring more feasible therapeutic ways to improve mental health ( Al-Ghabban, 2018 Allen et al., 2021 Don et al., 2022). The results of this case report have promising implications for LKM practice in daily life. During LKM meditation, this connection was stronger. More importantly, subjective psychological assessments were also correlated with objective neurophysiological measurements in a long-term meditator participant. These findings suggest that LKM is accompanied by significant neurophysiological changes, mainly an increase in slower frequencies, such as theta, and a decrease in heart rate. The analysis showed a negative correlation between theta power and heart rate (Fz: r = −0.681, p < 0.001 Pz: r = −0.384, p = 0.008), and a positive correlation between theta power and the self-designed report score (Fz: r = 0.601, p < 0.001). Spectrum analysis showed a significant increase of theta power (Fz: t = −3.356 p = 0.002 Pz: t = −5.199 p < 0.001) and decrease of heart rate between pre- and post-resting tasks ( t = 4.092, p < 0.001). EEG data were preprossessed and analyzed by EEGlab. A self-report evaluation was conducted to repeatedly record the comprehensive performance of mind and body in each session. Two sets of single-channel wearable EEG devices were used to collect EEG data (placed at Fz and Pz) and heart rate simultaneously. A Buddhist monk practitioner was recruited to complete one 10-min LKM practice, in between two 10-min resting tasks (pre- and post-resting) per experimental run. This study aimed to investigate LKM from varied aspects and interactions between the brain, the heart, and psychological measurements. However, the neural characters and underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully illustrated, which has hindered its practical usefulness. Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM) is an efficient mental practice with a long history that has recently attracted interest in the fields of neuroscience, medicine and education. 6Buddhism and Science Research Laboratory, Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.5Shenzhen EEGSmart Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.4The Buddha Dharma Centre of Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.3Interdisciplinary Research Institute at Shasta (IRIS), Eugene, OR, United States.2Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China.1Neuroscience for Education Laboratory, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.GoonFui Wong 1 Rui Sun 1,2 Jordana Adler 3 Kwok Wah Yeung 4 Song Yu 5 Junling Gao 6 *

Heart brain coherence meditation