Impact of heartfulness meditation on psychophysiological parameters among medical students.

Résumé

The shift from school to medical college is a demanding phase, during which many first-year MBBS students encounter stress, emotional strain and physiological imbalance that can hinder academic performance and personal well-being. In response, the Indian National Medical Commission has integrated yoga and meditation practices into the Foundation Course under the Competency-Based Medical Education framework to promote resilience and holistic growth. Hence, a cross-sectional observational study was conducted at GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, across five student cohorts, where participants engaged in a single 20-25-minute Heartfulness meditation session with yogic transmission. Following the intervention, nearly 90% of students experienced deep relaxation and statistically significant reductions (p < 0.001) in pulse and respiratory rates were observed, indicating immediate physiological and psychological benefits.