Using eye tracking to assess gaze concentration in meditation

Abstract

An important component of Heart Chan Meditation is gaze concentration training. Here, we determine whether eye tracking can be used to assess gaze concentration ability. Study participants (n = 306) were requested to focus their gaze on the innermost of three concentric circles for 1 min while their eye movements were recorded. Results suggest that participants with high scores on gaze concentration accuracy and precision had lower systolic blood pressure and higher sleep quality, suggesting that eye tracking may be effective to assess and train gaze concentration within Heart Chan Meditation.