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Brain 'can be trained' to operate computers using yoga and meditation
01 Oct 2014 . BY Helen Andrews
The researchers are focused on finding a mobility solution for people whose brain function is intact but are physically disabled, however not everyone can easily learn to control a computer with their brains / Shutterstock / Image Point Fr
Long term practitioners of yoga and meditation can learn to control a computer with their minds faster and better than people with little or no yoga or meditation experience, according to research by biomedical engineers at the University of Minnesota. The study was conducted to find out how to provide paralysed people or sufferers of brain diseases with mobility and independence.
Published in the online scientific journal Technology, the research involved a total of 36 people. One group of 12 had at least one year of experience in yoga or meditation – practising at least twice a week for one hour. The second group of 20 participants had little or no yoga or meditation experience. Both groups’ brain activity were monitored during three two-hour experiments over four weeks.
A high tech cap was placed over the scalp of the participants and they were each asked to move a computer cursor across the screen by imagining left or right hand movements. The cap measured voltage fluctuations in the participants’ brains – known as EEG ((Electroencephalography).
The participants in the yoga and meditation group were twice as likely to complete the brain-computer interface task by the end of 30 trials and learned three times faster than their counterparts for the left-right cursor movement experiments.
The researchers are focused on finding a mobility solution for people whose brain function is intact but are physically disabled, however not everyone can easily learn to control a computer with their brains and many people are unsuccessful after many attempts, according to lead researcher Bin He – director of the university's Institute for Engineering in Medicine and the Center for Neuroengineering. He found that a consistent and reliable EEG brain signal may depend on an undistracted mind and sustained attention. Meditators have shown more distinctive EEG patterns than untrained participants, which may explain their success.
The next step for Bin He and his team is to study a group of participants as they learn yoga or meditation for the first time, to see if their performance on the brain-computer interface improves.
Austrian-based Full Balance has created a Big Foot massage board for communal spa areas which
guests stand on to "closely mimic the experience of professional reflexology treatments".
Industry event organisation Spa Life is gearing up for the first-ever Spa Life Scotland
Convention, due to be hosted at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow from 28-30 April.
We Work Well founders Monica Helmstetter and Lucy Hugo have called on ISPA members to join
their annual SpasPushingLimits charity hike in Phoenix, Arizona, on 22 April.
"We summarise what we do in two words – functional art," says Gian Luca Innocenzi, CEO and
founder of MyEquilibria, which specialises in high-end outdoor exercise equipment.
NYC-based lifestyle, spa and skin science brand Immunocologie Skincare has embarked on a
strategic collaboration with Satteva Wellness Group, marking its foray into the Latin
American market.
Global wellness music provider Myndstream has released the second episode of its new
educational content series Mastermynds, in partnership with Universal Companies.
Cryotherapy supplier Art of Cryo has created a new 12-person walkthrough cryotherapy chamber
at Cryo Center Coolzone Madeira, claimed to be the largest cold therapy treatment experience
in the world.
Living Earth Crafts (LEC) has re-launched its best-selling multipurpose spa treatment table
the Century City™, redesigned to include both the ultra-luxurious Strata Cloudfill™
replaceable SpaMattress™ and the only Thermasoft™ Dual-Zone Embedded Table Warmer on the
market.
Brain 'can be trained' to operate computers using yoga and meditation
01 Oct 2014 . BY Helen Andrews
The researchers are focused on finding a mobility solution for people whose brain function is intact but are physically disabled, however not everyone can easily learn to control a computer with their brains / Shutterstock / Image Point Fr
Long term practitioners of yoga and meditation can learn to control a computer with their minds faster and better than people with little or no yoga or meditation experience, according to research by biomedical engineers at the University of Minnesota. The study was conducted to find out how to provide paralysed people or sufferers of brain diseases with mobility and independence.
Published in the online scientific journal Technology, the research involved a total of 36 people. One group of 12 had at least one year of experience in yoga or meditation – practising at least twice a week for one hour. The second group of 20 participants had little or no yoga or meditation experience. Both groups’ brain activity were monitored during three two-hour experiments over four weeks.
A high tech cap was placed over the scalp of the participants and they were each asked to move a computer cursor across the screen by imagining left or right hand movements. The cap measured voltage fluctuations in the participants’ brains – known as EEG ((Electroencephalography).
The participants in the yoga and meditation group were twice as likely to complete the brain-computer interface task by the end of 30 trials and learned three times faster than their counterparts for the left-right cursor movement experiments.
The researchers are focused on finding a mobility solution for people whose brain function is intact but are physically disabled, however not everyone can easily learn to control a computer with their brains and many people are unsuccessful after many attempts, according to lead researcher Bin He – director of the university's Institute for Engineering in Medicine and the Center for Neuroengineering. He found that a consistent and reliable EEG brain signal may depend on an undistracted mind and sustained attention. Meditators have shown more distinctive EEG patterns than untrained participants, which may explain their success.
The next step for Bin He and his team is to study a group of participants as they learn yoga or meditation for the first time, to see if their performance on the brain-computer interface improves.
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Austrian-based Full Balance has created a Big Foot massage board for communal spa areas which
guests stand on to "closely mimic the experience of professional reflexology treatments".
Industry event organisation Spa Life is gearing up for the first-ever Spa Life Scotland
Convention, due to be hosted at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow from 28-30 April.
We Work Well founders Monica Helmstetter and Lucy Hugo have called on ISPA members to join
their annual SpasPushingLimits charity hike in Phoenix, Arizona, on 22 April.
"We summarise what we do in two words – functional art," says Gian Luca Innocenzi, CEO and
founder of MyEquilibria, which specialises in high-end outdoor exercise equipment.
NYC-based lifestyle, spa and skin science brand Immunocologie Skincare has embarked on a
strategic collaboration with Satteva Wellness Group, marking its foray into the Latin
American market.
Global wellness music provider Myndstream has released the second episode of its new
educational content series Mastermynds, in partnership with Universal Companies.
Premium hotel and spa destination Halekulani in Honolulu, Hawaii, has launched a poolside
facemask service for its guests, powered by luxury skincare and spa brand Knesko.