The physiological network underlying the stimulatory effects of slow paced and meditative breathing

Slow-paced breathing, typically performed at around 0.1 Hz (4.5–7.5 breaths/min), has attracted growing interest in both scientific and applied contexts because of its potential effects on autonomic, emotional, cognitive, and interoceptive functioning. It is also a central component of many contemplative and meditative traditions, where it has long been used to promote calmness, mindfulness, and a stronger sense of body–mind integration.A growing body of research suggests that slow-paced and meditative breathing can influence multiple interacting physiological systems, including respiratory, cardiovascular, neural, and cerebrovascular processes. Reported effects include increased heart rate variability, reduced blood pressure, altered neural oscillatory activity, improved attention and emotional regulation, and strengthened cardiorespiratory and brain–heart coupling. These effects are increasingly understood not as isolated responses within single systems, but as emergent properties of a dynamic physiological network.Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain these effects, including resonance phenomena, enhanced vagal activity, increased baroreflex sensitivity, altered interoceptive processing, and stronger coordination between breathing and neural activity. In meditative contexts, breathing may also serve as a central organizing signal linking bodily rhythms with attention, awareness, and self-regulation.Despite this progress, the field remains methodologically and conceptually fragmented. Studies vary widely in breathing protocols, duration of practice, participant characteristics, recording modalities, and analytical strategies. Many findings remain difficult to interpret, particularly when nonlinear interactions across multiple physiological systems are involved. A network physiology perspective is therefore especially well suited to advance the field by moving beyond single-marker interpretations toward a more integrated understanding of system-wide coordination during slow and meditative breathing.This Research Topic welcomes contributions on: (1) methodological and analytical advances, including clearly defined breathing protocols, multimodal recordings, and linear or nonlinear analyses of physiological coupling; (2) theoretical and mechanistic models of respiratory, autonomic, brain–heart, and interoceptive pathways; (3) reproducible and preregistered study designs; (4) translational and clinical applications in conditions such as anxiety, depression, pain, sleep disturbances, neurorehabilitation, and cardiovascular or pulmonary disorders; and (5) multimodal interventions combining slow breathing with vagus nerve stimulation, cold exposure, posture, exercise, or recovery paradigms.By bringing together basic, methodological, translational, and applied research, this Research Topic aims to advance a systems-level understanding of how slow-paced and meditative breathing reorganize physiological networks to support health, self-regulation, and performance. Topic editors: Zoran Andrija Matić, Aleksandar Kalauzi, Sylvain Laborde, Dirk Cysarz Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79449/the-physiological-network-underlying-the-stimulatory-effects-of-slow-paced-and-meditative-breathing