None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
People can practice mindfulness using different techniques and for different amounts of time. We compare the impact of two core meditation practices from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (sitting practice versus mindful movement) and different time lengths (10 mins versus 30 mins) on well-being. There could be differential effects of different meditation practices ("what works for whom?"). Furthermore, there could be differential effects of different practice durations - assessing the rate of practice provides an indication if the widely held belief that less time is easier to do is right or not. It is predicted that the shorter meditations will be practiced more often. Moreover, it is predicted that higher practice times will lead to greater increases in well-being.
Interventions
People can practice mindfulness using different techniques and for different amounts of time. In this study, we compare the impact of two core meditation practices from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy - MBCT - (sitting practice versus mindful movement) and different time lengths (10 minutes versus 30 minutes) on well-being. Four practices will thus be used and participants will be randomly allocated to one of these meditations and asked to practice daily for two weeks.
Short sitting practic
People can practice mindfulness using different techniques and for different amounts of time. In this study, we compare the impact of two core meditation practices from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy - MBCT - (sitting practice versus mindful movement) and different time lengths (10 minutes versus 30 minutes) on well-being. Four practices will thus be used and participants will be randomly allocated to one of these meditations and asked to practice daily for two weeks. Short sitting practice: Instructions invite participants to focus on the breath and the body, before simply resting in awareness itself. Long sitting practice: Instructions invite participants to focus on the breath, the body, sounds, thoughts and feelings. Short mindful movement: Involves a sequence of simple standing stretches bringing body sensations into focus during each movement, allowing participants to explore sensations of the body in movement and stillness, and how the body has limits that can be respected without judgement and self-criticism. Long mindful movement: Involves simple stretches starting from a lying posture, allowing participants to explore sensations of the body in movement and stillness, and how the body has limits that can be respected without judgement and self-criticism. All the meditations are administered through a secret Soundcloud URL link - and are led and guided by Professor Mark Williams, co-founder of MBCT and Founding Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre (OMC). The shorter mindful movement meditation is from the SoundCloud profile for Mark Williams' book Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world. The remaining three meditations are from the OMC's MBCT website: https://mbctapp.oxfordmindfulness.org/. These are all used with Mark Williams and the OMC's permission. The Qualtrics platform monitors participants completion of the well-being surveys. Email reminders are also sent out to participants through the Qualtrics platform.
Sponsors
School of Psychology and Neuroscience - University of St Andrews,
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Participants should be 18+ years of age, living in the UK, and fluent in English.
Exclusion criteria
People currently experiencing low mood, any active mental health crises, untreated mental conditions or recent major adverse life events are advised not to participate in the study, as mindfulness meditation could increase the psychological distress.
Outcome results
None listed