Embodied Mindfulness Through Movement: A Scoping Review of Dance-Based Interventions for Mental Well-Being in Recreational Populations.
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) September 5, 2025 Aglaia Zafeiroudi, Ioannis Tsartsapakis, Ioannis Trigonis et al.
A scoping review of ten empirical studies found that dance-based mindfulness interventions in non-clinical, recreational settings improve body awareness, emotional regulation, stress reduction, self-compassion, social connection, and overall well-being. Interventions included Dance/Movement Therapy, ballet with yoga, Sufi-inspired group dance, and school- or community-based mindful movement programs, spanning primary school children to older adults. The evidence base is limited and methodologically diverse, but the review identifies promising psychosomatic and emotional benefits and calls for more theoretically grounded, culturally sensitive, and pedagogically integrated interventions, especially in classroom-based dance education.