Defining Bhāvanā through the PAL framework: grounded theory insights from long-term IAM®-35 practitioners

Integrated Amrita Meditation-35 (IAM®-35) is a 35-min meditation practice introduced by Satguru Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), integrating gentle yoga postures, breath regulation, and Bhāvanā, an ancient contemplative principle meaning “bringing into being”. Although Bhāvanā appears in classical Indian texts such as the Bhāvanopaniṣad, IAM®-35 was developed independently by Amma, without direct derivation from scriptural or sectarian sources, making it a distinctive and accessible practice. Despite Bhāvanā’s longstanding presence in contemplative traditions, it remains under-defined in contemporary empirical literature, particularly from the perspective of long-term practitioners. This study offers the first practitioner-grounded model of Bhāvanā, using a qualitative Grounded Theory approach. Based on interviews with 27 long-term IAM®-35 practitioners, and a three-phase coding process involving open coding to categorize data, axial coding to connect categories, and selective coding to integrate these into a theoretical framework, we developed the PAL framework comprising: Prerequisites for practice, Aspects of the meditation process, and Levels of Bhāvanā experience. Participants described Bhāvanā as an immersive internal process integrating awareness, memory, and multisensory engagement, fostering transformative experiences of personal and spiritual unity. By bridging ancient contemplative principles with modern experiential insights, the PAL framework contributes to contemplative science, informs meditation research, and bridges Eastern and Western understandings of personal and spiritual transformation.