We are pleased to announce the successful completion of data collection for the collaborative research project titled IONS Discovery Lab + Linga Bhairavi Consecration Research Project. Conducted during the Linga Bhairavi Consecration event at the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences in Tennessee, this study represents a pioneering exploration into the psychophysiological and experiential effects of yogic consecration practices. Data were collected on hundreds of participants, both before and after the event, marking a major milestone for the IONS Discovery Lab (IDL) initiative.
The Linga Bhairavi Consecration is a sacred and transformative event for Isha practitioners, marking the activation of a living energy form embodying the fierce yet compassionate aspects of the Divine Feminine. Rooted in ancient yogic and tantric traditions, the consecration process, led by Sadhguru, involves precise rituals that are believed to install a powerful life force into the Linga Bhairavi, a form of the Divine Feminine consecrated and worshipped at the Isha Yoga Center. For devotees, attending this event is more than a ceremonial experience; it is considered a deeply transformative spiritual opportunity that can enhance emotional well-being, support material and inner balance, and elevate one’s meditative and perceptual capacities. The energized space is revered for its potential to catalyze both healing and spiritual growth, making the consecration a profound milestone in the personal journeys of many Isha practitioners.
This research effort was made possible by a unique collaboration between the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), Sadhguru Center for a Conscious Planet (SCCP) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (a Harvard teaching hospital), the HeartMath Institute, and Open Minded Scientists (OMS). The study also benefited from the support of the Isha Foundation, whose global reach, with over 10 million followers, provided unprecedented access to a large and engaged participant pool. This partnership allowed researchers to evaluate the impact of a spiritually significant event with rigorous scientific protocols, and to do so at scale.
Why This Study Matters
This project addresses long-standing questions at the intersection of consciousness, health, and transformational practices. While anecdotal reports and subjective experiences surrounding spiritual events are common, few studies have been able to comprehensively evaluate their impact using validated scientific tools. This study is particularly significant for several reasons:
- It leverages the IONS Discovery Lab (IDL), a dedicated research platform modeled after university-based core facilities, designed to systematically collect and analyze high-quality, multimodal data on the psychophysiological, behavioral, and experiential effects of noetic practices.
- It includes pre-post intervention measures.
- It applies a broad array of tools to measure psychological, behavioral, physiological, and even environmental changes associated with a spiritually charged event.
What Was Collected
Participants in the study completed a range of assessments before and after the event, including:
- Validated survey instruments within the IONS Discovery Lab, measuring well-being, mood, sleep quality, physical activity, general health, pain, personality traits, and self-transcendence. Spiritual and mystical experience questionnaires, including the Hood Mysticism Scale, Mystical Experiences Questionnaire, and the Persisting Effects Questionnaire.
- Experimental cognitive tasks to explore intuitive capacities such as remote viewing, psychokinesis, and time estimation.
- Smartwatch-based physiological data, including heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep patterns, blood oxygen levels, and respiratory rates, were gathered continuously before, during, and after the event via the 3Cs App.
- Dried urine samples from a subset of participants were analyzed for a full neurotransmitter panel to detect pre-post biochemical changes.
- Environmental measurements such as UV radiation and quantum noise-derived negentropy, captured in real-time during the consecration.
- Qualitative data on participants’ subjective, anomalous, or non-ordinary experiences.
To ensure scientific rigor, matched control data were also collected from household members or similarly aged peers who did not attend the event, allowing for robust between-group and within-subject analyses.
Aims of the Study
Key questions driving this project include whether participation in a sacred yogic consecration can lead to measurable changes in well-being, mood, sleep quality, and physiological markers such as heart rate and neurotransmitter levels. The study also explores whether such an experience can influence intuitive capacities or deepen participants’ sense of interconnectedness. Researchers are investigating potential shifts in the surrounding environment, such as changes in patterns of negentropy, that may correlate with the event. Additionally, the study examines whether participants report new or intensified mystical or non-ordinary experiences, and whether any psychological or physiological effects persist up to two months following the consecration.
What Comes Next
There will be a final data collection 2 months after the event, measuring longer-term effects. Then, the study will move into the data analysis phase, led by a multidisciplinary team of experts in neuroscience, psychophysiology, psychiatry, consciousness studies, and integrative medicine. Descriptive statistics, inferential testing, time-series analysis, and qualitative coding are currently underway. The analysis will be led by researchers at IONS, with support from Harvard and the other collaborators. Results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and all collaborators will be included as co-authors.
Preliminary findings and manuscript submissions are expected within the next year, pending completion of all analyses. These results could shape future directions in noetic research, including the development of science-informed training programs and a deeper understanding of the measurable impacts of sacred practices.
This project exemplifies a new model for how spiritual events can be studied using rigorous, interdisciplinary science without diminishing their cultural or subjective significance. We look forward to sharing our findings with the broader scientific community and the public soon.
Stay tuned.
