Meditation has long been associated with profound changes in brain structure and function, yet the neural dynamics underlying these effects remain incompletely understood. While previous research has focused on trait-level changes in novice practitioners—often reporting enhanced alpha and theta activity during cognitive and social tasks—the role of alpha dynamics during meditation itself has been less clear. A review of 40 studies revealed inconsistent findings during Focused Attention Meditation (FA-M): 16 studies reported increased alpha power, 8 observed decreases, and 16 found no significant changes (Lieberman, 2024).

State-level changes during meditation, particularly in advanced practitioners, hold the potential to shed light on these inconsistencies. However, such research is limited by the challenge of recruiting meditators with extensive experience in comparable practices.

To address this gap, we analyzed EEG data from an advanced yogic Samadhi practitioner, 11 Theravada Jhana experts, and 10 less experienced meditators practicing FA-M. Across all groups, meditation was marked by significant alpha suppression compared to baseline, with the degree of suppression strongly correlating with the level of expertise. Notably, expert practitioners also exhibited increased infraslow, delta, and gamma activity during meditation.

These findings suggest that alpha suppression may be a defining feature of meditative expertise, providing a potential resolution to the inconsistencies reported in the literature. Furthermore, they indicate that changes in alpha and other brain dynamics evolve with meditative practice, offering valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying meditation’s transformative effects.